GAINESVILLE, Fla. – For the second straight meet seventh-ranked LSU gymnastics will take part in a Top-10 matchup as the Tigers travel to take on No. 2 Florida at 6 p.m. CT Friday in the O’Connell Center.
LSU (8-2, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) enters the meet brimming with confidence after an outstanding performance last week. The Tigers tallied a season-high 197.825 in a win over No. 8 Auburn, and LSU also posted the nation’s best floor score of 49.700.
Florida (6-1, 4-1) is also coming off a big win as the Gators earned a season-high road score of 197.750 at No. 19 Missouri last week.
“We’ve pushed a little bit this week at practice because we need to be better and keep improving,” LSU head coach D-D Breaux said. “We need a great road score, and we know we’re capable of doing that if we create our own enthusiasm, control the things we can control and build off momentum throughout the competition.”
Both teams are ranked in the Top 25 nationally in all four events with LSU No. 2 on vault with a 49.365 regional qualifying score (RQS), No. 7 on bars at 49.225, No. 18 on beam at 48.865 and No. 6 on floor at 49.290.
Florida is ranked third on vault at 49.300, second on bars at 49.420, second on beam at 49.345 and fourth on floor at 49.360.
Five Tigers are ranked nationally heading into Friday’s competition. Ashleigh Gnat is No. 1 on vault and No. 4 on floor. Sydney Ewing is No. 12 on vault, while Myia Hambrick is 18th on bars, Randii Wyrick is 23rd on floor and Shae Zamardi is 23rd on bars.
Hambrick is the reigning SEC Gymnast of the Week, and Gnat is the reigning SEC Specialist of the Week after they helped guide LSU to the nation’s fourth-highest score of 197.825 vs. Auburn.
LSU is looking to build on solid performances, not only from last week’s season-best score but also from the last road meet at Georgia on Feb. 13 when the Tigers posted a season-high road score of 196.800.
Friday’s contest will be carried live on SEC Network with Bart Conner, Kathy Johnson Clarke and Laura Rutledge on the call. A live stats link will be available on LSUsports.net.
Fans can follow LSU gymnastics on the team’s social media channels: www.Facebook.com/lsugym, @LSUgym on Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter, and www.YouTube.com/lsugymnastics.