In 2011, two of LSU’s current freshman gymnasts met and were roommates at an international competition in Italy. Fast forward four years, and Lexie Priessman and Sarah Finnegan are now college roommates at LSU.
From competitions across the country and around the world, LSU’s five freshmen – Lexie Priessman, McKenna Kelley, Kaitlyn Szafranski, Julianna Cannamela and Sarah Finnegan – all knew each other prior to coming to LSU because of their immense talents and bond. These gymnasts have trained many hours a week for most of their lives as club gymnasts, and as they transition into college gymnastics, they begin to learn how to balance a busy life as a student-athlete.
Two freshmen, Szafranski and Priessman, not only had to change gyms for their training, but also had to transition from being homeschooled to attending classes on a large college campus. As Priessman described, “sitting in a classroom with 500 people around you can be overwhelming.”
As LSU coach D-D Breaux has noticed over the short time these five freshmen have been on campus, “It’s overwhelming when you first come to college and the things that you have to deal with and take care of include yourself, academics, and then something simple like having to do your own laundry and meal preparation.”
These freshmen are a close-knit group. They not only train together for countless hours in the gym as teammates, but these young ladies are also classmates and roommates, which allows them to create a stronger bond in and out of the gym. This has not only enhanced their team building, but has helped to build their everlasting friendships.
“I didn’t think that it was possible to like them even more than I did when I first heard we were all coming to LSU,” Cannamela said.
From coming from different places around the country to getting to LSU creates a lot of firsts for the freshmen, but as Szafranski said, “We get to do all these new experiences together, which makes them special.”
These freshmen are not alone, because as a group, the Tigers are a team that relies on being a family.
Kelley, the daughter of Olympic champion gymnast Mary Lou Retton, explained that the unique support from the upperclassmen has been a tremendous boon for the freshmen.
“These girls have been more than leaders, they have been sisters, parents, anything you name it, and they have filled that role for us,” Kelley said.
Finnegan said her understanding of the team element has grown since she set foot on campus in August.
“You need the whole team together to accomplish what you want to do,” Finnegan said.
The success of LSU Gymnastics has exploded under Breaux, and the Tigers’ accomplishments are substantial, with the team having reached the NCAA Super Six numerous times. Construction on a new facility for the gymnasts is near completion. Gone will be the days of practicing in the old headquarters inside the Maddox Field House.
The new LSU Gymnastics Training Center will have advancements and amenities that will help to improve the life of these student-athletes in and out of the gym.
“Getting to walk by the construction every single day going to class is a constant reminder that it will be ready soon, which makes the whole team very excited,” Priessman said.
Breaux has a constant reminder for the gymnasts each day with a banner that hangs on the wall in the Maddox Field House that states, “The pride and tradition of the LSU Tigers will not be entrusted to the weak or the timid.”
The banner will move to the new facility, and these freshmen are ready to live up to that quote.
As Cannamela explained, “Champions have been made in the Maddox Field House, and I think that champions will be made in the new gym as well.”