BATON ROUGE – In front of a crowd of more than 12,000, the seventh-largest crowd in school history, senior Sarah Finnegan took four of five titles as the fifth-ranked LSU gymnastics team fell, 197.500-197.425, Friday night inside the Maravich Center.
Finnegan had another superb showing as she won the vault, bars, floor and the all-around title with a 39.700. With four event titles, Finnegan pushed her total to 55 to surpass Myia Hambrick on LSU’s all-time list at ninth.
“It was a monster effort tonight and just so close,” head coach D-D Breaux said. “We could not have asked more from our team, and it was so close. We could not have asked the girls or our crowd for more enthusiasm. We will get back in the gym and prepare to travel to Alabama.”
Tiger Start Strong on Vault
Beginning the rotation with a 9.925, the All-American Finnegan led the way for the Purple and Gold. Following with an equally impressive 9.85 was Harrold. Rounding out the vault rotation with a score of 9.825 was the senior duo of McKenna Kelley, Lexie Priessman and the anchor Kennedi Edney to push the team score to a 49.250.
LSU Roars Back on Bars to Take the Lead
An almost perfect routine of 9.975 by Finnegan closed out the second rotation and brought the crowd to its feet. Edney and Priessman preceded with scores of 9.95. In the third spot was Harrold with a 9.85 and sophomore standout Sami Durante totaled a 9.80 in the first spot.
Beam Goes 49.300 to Head Into Final Rotation With Lead
Scores of 9.90 by both Edney and Reagan Campbell in the fourth and fifth spot were good enough for the Tigers to keep the lead going onto the floor. Anchoring the lineup with a 9.85 was Finnegan. The squad also used scores of 9.85 and 9.80 from sophomores Christina Desiderio and Bridget Dean respectively.
A 49.350 on Floor Makes it a Tight Final Score
LSU’s Finnegan led the way with a 9.95 in the fifth spot. Kelley returned to the lineup and anchored with a 9.875. Harrold led things off for LSU with a 9.9875 and Campbell followed with a 9.850. Edney also earned a score of 9.80 in the final rotation.
Next Up
LSU will travel to Tuscaloosa to take on the Crimson Tide of Alabama, next Friday at 8 p.m. The meet will be telecast on the SEC Network.