BATON ROUGE – After posting a season-high 197.900 in one of the most thrilling meets of the collegiate gymnastics season, the LSU gymnastics team moved up three spots to No. 4 in the national rankings released Monday by RoadToNationals.com.
LSU (9-2, 5-1 Southeastern Conference) went in to Gainesville, Florida and took down No. 2 Florida with the highest road score in program history, winning a tight contest 197.900-197.875.
The 197.900 replaced a 195.825 at the Lady Luck Invitational as part of LSU’s regional qualifying score (RQS), so the Tigers’ RQS jumped from 196.750 to 197.150 and into the nation’s Top 5.
LSU has now posted a season high in back-to-back meets after tallying a 197.825 on Feb. 19 against Auburn.
The Tigers will bring that momentum into Senior Night in a Top-5 matchup against No. 3 Alabama Friday in the Maravich Center.
Introductions will start at 7:15 p.m. CT, and first vault is slated for 7:30 p.m.
LSU is also giving out 5,000 music-activated LED bracelets prior to the meet.
Tickets to the meet are available for purchase starting as low as $2 by logging on to LSUtix.net, calling the LSU Ticket Office at 225-578-2184 or in person on the first floor of the LSU Athletic Administration Building.
A limited number of tickets remain for Friday’s meet, so fans are encouraged to purchase tickets early.
Last Week’s Result
Friday, Feb. 26
No. 7 LSU def. No. 2 Florida, 197.900-197.875
This Week’s Schedule
Friday, March 4
No. 3 Alabama at No. 4 LSU • Baton Rouge, La. • 7:30 p.m. CT • SEC Network+
Notes on the Tigers
For the second-straight week LSU earned a season-high score as the Tigers went in to Gainesville and knocked off second-ranked Florida by the slimmest of margins, 197.900-197.875. LSU’s 197.900 is the highest road score in school history, and it gave the Tigers their first win at Florida since 1994. LSU used season-high scores of 49.550 on vault and 49.575 on beam, along with a 49.325 on bars and 49.450 on floor, to beat the Gators. Currently, LSU holds the nation’s highest vault (49.550), beam (49.575) and floor (49.700) scores. Oklahoma has also tallied a 49.700 on floor this season. For the year, LSU is 9-2 overall and 5-1 in SEC meets, and the Tigers are in position to finish with the highest conference win percentage for the second consecutive season. Against the Gators, LSU earned 11 scores of 9.90 or higher and another six scores of 9.875. Leading the way in the meet was junior Ashleigh Gnat who executed all three events at a high level by scoring a 9.95 on vault, beam and floor. Gnat won at least a share of all three event titles to increase her team-leading total to 17 individual titles this season. LSU’s season-high 197.900 replaced a 195.825 road score to give the Tigers a big jump in the RQS from 196.750 to 197.150, and as a result LSU moved up three spots to No. 4 in the national rankings. LSU is No. 1 nationally on vault with a 49.400 RQS, No. 4 on bars at 49.295, No. 10 on beam at 49.130 and No. 4 on floor at 49.395. Individually, Myia Hambrick is No. 4 in the all-around with a 39.490 RQS, but her season average of 39.486 currently ranks No. 1 nationally. Hambrick is also 10th on beam at 9.880, 18th on vault at 9.875 and 23rd on bars at 9.875. Ashleigh Gnat is No. 1 on vault at 9.955 and No. 1 on floor at 9.935. Sydney Ewing is No. 8 on vault at 9.895, Sarah Finnegan is 16th on bars at 9.885, Randii Wyrick is No. 21 on floor at 9.890 and Shae Zamardi is No. 24 on bars at 9.870. LSU returns home for the final time in 2016 to host No. 3 Alabama in a Top-5 showdown in the Maravich Center. Friday’s meet is Senior Night, and LSU will honor Michelle Gauthier, Jessica Savona and Randii Wyrick before the meet. The Tigers will put their streak of 20 straight wins on the line at 7:30 p.m. CT Friday. The meet will broadcast online on SEC Network+.
RoadToNationals Gymnastics Top 25
Feb. 29, 2016
Rank, Team, Regional Qualifying Score
1. Oklahoma 197.705
2. Florida 197.440
3. Alabama 197.325
4. LSU 197.150
5. Michigan 197.065
6. Utah 197.020
7. UCLA 196.825
8. Auburn 196.720
9. Arkansas 196.460
10. Georgia 196.375
11. Boise State 196.330
12. California 196.235
13. Denver 196.210
14. Missouri 196.185
15. Nebraska 196.070
16. Stanford 196.045
17. Iowa 195.980
18. Arizona 195.895
19. Minnesota 195.850
20. Oregon State 195.840
21. George Washington 195.765
22. Illinois 195.710
23. Kentucky 195.670
24. Eastern Michigan 195.635
25. West Virginia 195.540
LSU in the Individual National Rankings
Sydney Ewing: 8th VT
Sarah Finnegan: 16th UB
Ashleigh Gnat: 1st VT, 1st FX
Myia Hambrick: 4th AA, 10th BB, 18th VT, 23rd UB
Randii Wyrick: 21st FX
Shae Zamardi: 24th UB