No. 5 Gymnastics Opens 2022 with Centenary
BATON ROUGE – The fifth-ranked LSU gymnastics team opens the 2022 season and the 48th season in program history against Centenary on Friday inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
The season opener marks the beginning of one of the most anticipated seasons in school history. LSU, under head coach Jay Clark, returns every routine from a year ago and welcomes a talented freshman class of KJ Johnson, Aleah Finnegan and Tori Tatum.
“This is a really exciting time for our team,” Clark said. “To have Centenary come in is really important to not lose a meet, and we are grateful they are able to travel down. We cannot wait to return to the PMAC and get in front of a great crowd on Friday night.”
Introductions begin at 5:45 p.m. CT with first vault on the SEC Network at 6:01 p.m. John Roethlisberger and Alicia Sacramone Quinn will be calling the meet from home. Doors open at 4:15 p.m.
Tickets are still available for Friday’s opener. LSU has already set a record for season tickets with more than 7,200 sold. There are many free lots around the PMAC available for fans, while lots 101, 104, 201, 200 and 105 are all reserved.
Friday is Mike’s Kids Clubs Night and the giveaway for fans is a stick crown. Fans are encouraged to download the LSU Sports Mobile app and be a part of the introduction show. Open the app and go to more, tap Tiger Lights and allow access to microphone. When the screen say waiting to sync then you’re ready to go.
LSU returns some of the best gymnasts in the country with the reigning SEC Specialist of the Year, Kiya Johnson, and SEC Freshman of the Year, Haleigh Bryant. Johnson is an eight-time All-American and owns 34 victories in her career. She is the 2021 SEC floor champion and owns five perfect 10’s. The junior is expected to compete on vault, bars and beam on Friday night and not planning to see the floor lineup until early February.
In Bryant’s last competition she punctuated the most accomplished freshman season in school history by winning the NCAA vault title. A six-time All-American, Bryant owns 14 career titles and has scored a pair of perfect 10’s. The sophomore is expected to compete in the all-around and brings a new bars dismount into 2022, a double front half out.
Reagan Campbell, Bridget Dean, Christina Desiderio, Sami Durante and Sarah Edwards provide leadership as the group returns for a fifth and final season. LSU also welcomes back All-Americans Alyona Shchennikova and Olivia Dunne as well as Elena Arenas, who won the 2021 SEC vault title.
Fans can follow the Tigers on the team’s social media channels: @LSUgym on Instagram and Twitter and www.Facebook.com/lsugym.