BATON ROUGE – The Southeastern Conference regular season and meet champions for the second-straight season, heads into NCAA postseason competition as the second-ranked team with a Regional Qualifying Score (RQS) of 197.890, RoadToNationals.com released Monday.
In addition to the second team ranking, LSU concludes the regular season with the nation’s top bars team for the first time in school history. The bars’ RQS of 49.580 ranks as the second-highest score ever.
Junior Sarah Finnegan is the top performer on bars and Senior Myia Hambrick is ranked No. 1 on floor. Finnegan is the first gymnast in school history to earn the No. 1 ranking on bars.
The RQS is ascertained by taking a team’s top six scores – three of which must be from road/neutral meets – dropping the high score and averaging the remaining five scores.
LSU’s meet scores counting toward its RQS are: 198.075 at GymQuarters Invite, 197.575 at Georgia, 197.575 at NC State, 198.175 at home against TWU, 198.100 against Auburn, and 198.125 against Arizona
The squad must drop the 198.175 against TWU as it’s the highest of the six. The remaining scores average out to 197.890 for second in the nation behind Oklahoma. LSU is in front of UCLA with a 197.840 for third and Utah with a 197.540 for fourth.
In addition to the top ranking on bars, LSU also ranks No. 2 on floor, No. 3 on beam and No. 5 on vault.
LSU will find out its destination for the 2018 NCAA Regional at 3 p.m. CT Monday. The Tigers will compete at one of six predetermined locations on Saturday, April 7 at a time to be determined.
RoadToNationals Gymnastics Top 25
March 26, 2018
1. Oklahoma, 198.120
2. LSU, 197.890
3. UCLA, 197.840
4. Utah, 197.540
5. Florida, 197.390
6. Alabama, 197.165
7. Michigan, 197.160
8. Washington, 196.960
9. California, 196.890
10. Arkansas, 196.820
11. Nebraska, 196.815
12. Kentucky, 196.800
13. Denver, 196.785
14. Oregon State, 196.780
15. Boise State, 196.745
16. Auburn, 196.595
17. Arizona State, 196.545
18. Georgia, 196.515
19. George Washington, 196.460
20. North Carolina State, 196.440
21. BYU, 196.430
22. Missouri, 196.390
23. Illinois-Champaign, 196.265
24. Minnesota, 196.250
25. Ohio State, 196.215
LSU in the Individual National Rankings (Top-25)
Myia Hambrick – 1st FX, 6th BB, 13th UB, 13th VT
Kennedi Edney – 10th AA, 11th FX, 13th UB, 15th VT
Sarah Finnegan – 1st UB, 4th BB, 4th AA, 7th FX
Lexie Priessman – 7th UB
Christina Desiderio – 24th BB