BATON ROUGE – Senior Ashleigh Gnat compiled an all-around score of 39.700 and captured four of five event titles to help lead No. 2 LSU (13-1, 7-0 SEC) to a 197.875-195.300 victory over No. 26 New Hampshire Friday evening inside the Maravich Center.
With the victory over UNH, seniors Gnat, Sydney Ewing, and Shae Zamardi closed out their careers inside the PMAC with a 28-0 record. The trio finished without a loss inside the arena, which included four victories over top-5 teams.
Gnat posted a 9.90 or better in the anchor spot of all four events Friday. The Lake Mary, Florida native began the evening with a 9.90 on vault. On bars, Gnat totaled a career-high score of 9.90 to finish second on the event. In the final half of the meet, the 11-time All-American finished with a 9.95 on beam and 9.95 on floor.
D-D on the Final Meet for the Seniors
“What a night for these seniors,” head coach D-D Breaux said. “These seniors finished their career undefeated in the PMAC. That is against some of the best teams in the country. It just shows the commitment these young ladies made from their freshman year to now. Their season is certainly not over.”
“I am proud of how everyone performed tonight. This team did not disappoint me tonight. They had a great score in front of another great crowd. Everyone came and appreciated these performances tonight.”
Three Tigers Split Vault to Begin
Myia Hambrick, Ewing and Gnat led the way on vault with 9.90s to claim the event title. Julianna Cannamela began the night with a 9.875 on the event. Freshman Kennedi Edney also posted a 9.85 in the fifth spot to lead LSU to a 49.425 overall.
Edney Sets Career High on Bars
Zamardi began bars with a 9.80 and Hambrick followed with a 9.875. In the third spot, freshman Ruby Harrold earned a 9.85. Edney then posted a new career high of 9.95 to capture the bars title. Gnat closed out the event with a 9.90 for her career high to finish second.
Gnat Claims Another Title on Beam
The LSU beam lineup posted a 49.550 for the second-highest score of the season. Erin Macadaeg led off with a 9.925 and Hambrick followed with a 9.90. Ewing continued the hot start with a 9.85 in the third spot. After a fall on beam, Sarah Finnegan and Gnat responded with a 9.925 and 9.95 respectively.
Floor Closes Out the Win
In her final routine inside the PMAC, Zamardi posted a score of 9.875 on floor. Hambrick followed with a 9.95 to tie her career high and share the floor title. Edney totaled a 9.85 in the fourth spot. To close out the meet, McKenna Kelley earned a 9.925 and Gnat posted a 9.95 for her 20th career floor title.
Next Up
LSU enters postseason Saturday, March 18 in Jacksonville for the 2017 SEC Championship. The Tigers enter as the No.1 seed and will compete at 5 p.m. CT. The meet will be televised live on ESPNU.
Fans can follow the Tigers on the team’s social media channels: @LSUgym on Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat, www.Facebook.com/lsugym and at YouTube.com/lsugymnastics.