TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – With the No. 1 team ranking after the best season opening score in school history, the LSU gymnastics team (1-0, 1-0 SEC) will compete on the road for the first time in 2017 when it takes on No. 4 Alabama (0-1) Friday inside Coleman Coliseum.
First vault is set for 7:35 p.m. CT from the University of Alabama. The top-five showdown will be televised live on the SEC Network. The Tigers will be on the network for the second-consecutive week. Bart Conner (pxp), Kathy Johnson Clarke (analyst) and Laura Rutledge (reporter) will be on the call.
Last Week’s Season Opener
The Tigers opened the season last Friday with a 197.825-193.600 victory over No. 9 Georgia in front of more than 7,000 fans inside the PMAC. In addition to breaking the school record for the highest opening meet score; LSU’s score also was the highest this early in a season by an NCAA team in the last 20 years.
Myia Hambrick won the all-around title for LSU with the No. 2 score in the country. Freshman Kennedi Edney was spectacular in her first appearance with a 9.95, the best score in the nation, for the event title. Sophomore Sarah Finnegan took the bars and beam titles with scores of 9.90 and 9.95 respectively. Senior Ashleigh Gnat closed out the evening with a 9.95 on floor for the top score in the country.
D-D on the Tigers’ First Road Meet
“We compete against everyone in the country every time we step on the floor,” head coach D-D Breaux said. “It is important to continue that this weekend and to win the battle of perception. We have to bring the enthusiasm and energy on the road.
“Our goal this weekend is to walk away with a win and for our team to feel very good about the pursuit and process of what we are doing. There is a lot of time between now and our postseason. There are a lot of obstacles and things we are going to need to overcome. This team truly is doing a tremendous job in and out of the gym in the pursuit.”
Tigers Sweep SEC Weekly Honors
Hambrick, Finnegan and Edney swept the Southeastern Conference weekly honors this week after their performances against the Bulldogs. Hambrick earned her fourth SEC Gymnast of the Week honors and Finnegan was named SEC Specialist of the Week. With Edney’s exceptional performance, she was crowned SEC Freshman of the Week.
Tigers Reach No. 1 Ranking for Eighth Time
LSU is No. 1 in the national ranking this week after its 197.825 in the season opener against Georgia. It is the eighth time in school history LSU has earned the nation’s top ranking. LSU was ranked No. 1 for the first time in 2005 on three separate occasions. The Tigers returned to the top for three-straight weeks in 2014 and once again after last season’s season opener to begin the 2016 season.
Tigers in the National Rankings
LSU is No. 1 nationally on vault and beam with opening meet scores of 49.525 and 49.450 respectively. The Tigers are also No. 2 nationally on bars and floor. Individually, Gnat ranks No. 1 on floor, No. 4 on vault and No. 5 in the all-around. Hambrick is No. 2 in the all-around and No. 4 on vault. Finnegan and Edney hold the top spot on beam and vault respectively, and sophomore McKenna Kelly ranks No. 3 on floor.
A Look at the Crimson Tide
Fourth-ranked Alabama is coming off of a loss to preseason No. 1 Oklahoma in Norman. The Crimson Tide totaled a score of 196.700 to the Sooners’ 197.750. Nationally, 10 Alabama gymnasts totaled scores ranked in the top 25 on their respective events and the all-around. As a team, the Crimson Tide rank third on both bars and beam.
Series Record Between LSU and Alabama
The Tigers are 20-96-2 against the Crimson Tide in a series that dates back to the inception of the program in 1975. LSU is just 3-25 in road meets against Alabama. The most recent win
in Tuscaloosa came in 2015 when the Tigers took down No. 2 Alabama to halt the Crimson Tide’s 49-meet win streak at home. Prior to the meet, the team hadn’t lost at home since 2009.
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