BATON ROUGE – Nine months removed from a third-place finish in the 2014 NCAA Super Six, the LSU gymnastics team is poised to make another run at the title in 2015. The Tigers will begin the four-month journey to the Super Six by hosting Iowa in the season opener at 7:30 p.m. CT inside the Maravich Center on Friday.
Doors to the Maravich Center will open at 6 p.m. Friday, and the first 2,000 fans in attendance will receive a 2015 LSU gymnastics schedule magnet.
Season tickets are available for purchase at a cost of $25 for adults and $15 for youth ages 3-12 by logging on to http://www.lsutix.net/, calling the LSU Ticket Office at 225-578-2184 or by visiting the ticket office on the first floor of the Moran Family Center for Athletic Administration on campus.
Individual meet tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for youth, and those tickets can also be purchased online, over the phone or in person at the administration building or at the Maravich Center ticket office starting at 6 p.m. Friday.
LSU enters the 2015 campaign as the No. 3 ranked team nationally, the highest preseason ranking in team history. The Tigers return 11 letterwinners, including seven All-Americans, from last season’s squad, and the team features four newcomers as well.
The 2014 National Coach of the Year D-D Breaux is set to begin her 38th season as head coach of the Fighting Tigers. She is joined on the staff by Jay Clark and Bob Moore, the reigning National Co-Assistant Coaches of the Year. Clark is in his third season as associate head coach, and Moore returns for his 16th season as assistant coach. Ashleigh Clare-Kearney will start her sixth season as volunteer assistant coach.
“Coming off a great fall training and practice season, we want to get out there and make a statement,” Breaux said. “We want to pile up a bunch of 9.85s, 9.9s and 9.95s and walk out of the arena with the highest opening score we’ve ever had. That would be a coach’s dream come true.
“What we expect is consistency. We want the ladies to go out there and have a fun experience and be successful.”
A talented and seasoned group of seniors will lead LSU in 2015: two-time national champion and 16-time All-American Rheagan Courville, three-time SEC champion and four-time All-American Lloimincia Hall, six-time All-American Jessie Jordan, two-year starter Britney Ranzy and Scarlett Williams who transferred to LSU after a successful stint at Arkansas.
The seniors are joined by juniors Michelle Gauthier, All-American and SEC Champion Jessica Savona and All-American Randii Wyrick. Sophomores include All-American Sydney Ewing, two-time All-American Ashleigh Gnat, Shonacee Oliva and Shae Zamardi.
A trio of freshmen in Myia Hambrick, Erin Macadaeg and Kylie Moran will make their debut in an LSU leotard against Iowa.
The meet will be broadcast on SEC Network+ and will be available online at http://es.pn/1y43FjA. Lyn Rollins will serve as play-by-play and Lori Strong-Ballard will be the analyst to call the action.
LSU holds an 11-2 record all-time against Iowa, which includes a 4-0 record in Baton Rouge. This marks the first home meet against the Hawkeyes since the 2010 season.
Friday’s meet will also mark a homecoming of sorts for two Iowa coaches. Iowa is under the direction of Larissa Libby, who is entering her 11th season as head coach of the Hawkeyes. Libby competed for Coach Breaux at LSU from 1992-95 and served as assistant coach for the Tigers from 1996-99. First-year Iowa assistant Coach Jennifer Green also competed at LSU for Coach Breaux from 1986-89. Green, formerly Jennifer Lyerly, was an All-American on vault and shared the 1988 SEC vault title with teammate Julianne Wilson.
Last season LSU established the school record for highest score in an opener with a 197.200, and the Tigers ended the season with a 197-plus score in 13 consecutive meets, a streak the team will attempt to carry on in 2015.
Live stats will be available at www.LSUsports.net, and fans can also follow along with the meet on LSU gymnastics’ social media outlets: www.facebook.com/lsugym, @LSUgym on Twitter, @LSU_gym on Instagram and www.youtube.com/lsugymnastics.