FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – “She’s back.”
After leading LSU Gymnastics to its first national championship in program history, Haleigh Bryant will return to the Tigers for her final year of eligibility in 2025.
“After talking with my family, my coaches and my teammates, it was just a really good opportunity,” Bryant said. “I love gymnastics. It’s been a part of my life for so long, and I don’t think I was really ready for it to end.”
It’s been 5-7 business days…#GeauxTigers | @haleighbryant3 pic.twitter.com/Sje8IFU3vq
— LSU Gymnastics (@LSUgym) April 30, 2024
The 2024 AAI Award Winner, SEC Gymnast of the Year and finalist for the Honda Sport Award, Bryant capped off her senior campaign as an NCAA all-around champion and national champion, cementing herself among LSU athletic royalty. It’s only fitting she wear a crown.
After nationals, Bryant expected to call it a career. Her resume was unparalleled, accomplishing nearly everything she sought to accomplish from both a team and individual level. But head coach Jay Clark’s vision for the program, and the ability to really build something special, not just in one season, but multiple seasons, made this decision an attractive one.
Combine that with an unrivaled passion for LSU, an unquenchable love for gymnastics, and an unselfish group committed to winning, an attractive decision became an easy one.
“LSU means everything,” Bryant said. “It’s been my dream to come to LSU since I was 12 years old. Just getting the opportunity to wear these two colors has been a dream. I really just wanted to give it one more go with (Jay Clark) and try to go back-to-back now.”
Greatness can be boring: The all time perfect 10 leader in LSU history (18). The highest all-around score in school history (39.925). The only LSU gymnast to earn three 10’s in one meet. The first LSU gymnast to record a gym slam (a perfect score on every event).
It’s easy to take for granted. When you enter the PMAC in 2025, celebrate greatness.
Every stick. Every 10. Every title. Celebrate greatness because it doesn’t come around often.
The One & Only
Haleigh Bryant is the 2024 NCAA All-Around Champion 👑#GeauxTigers | @haleighbryant3 pic.twitter.com/Rp8td9OzlD
— LSU Gymnastics (@LSUgym) April 19, 2024
“A team national championship is going to be in the forefront of my mind, as well as an SEC championship,” Bryant said of her return. “Individually, I just want to enjoy it. It’s going to be my last year of gymnastics, for real this time. So just enjoying the sport that’s been a part of my life for so long now and just making memories and enjoying it is something that I really look forward to.”
Consistency is what sets Bryant apart. Many are great at what they do, fewer are consistently great, and that’s exactly what the Cornelius, N.C. native has been for LSU Gymnastics, owning 154 scores of 9.900 or better in her career. In 2024, she has recorded 10 meets with scores of 9.9+ or higher on every event and only tallied two scores lower than a 9.850.
It’s that level of consistency that helped push a program that’s been so close to the top of the mountain, to its peak as national champions.
“It means the world,” Bryant said. “I still don’t even think I can put it into words. Bringing it back to LSU, bringing it back to Louisiana – it’s a thank you. They always say you honor somebody with your actions, and we wanted to do it for every single person that supported us and been there for us along the way.”
To Tiger fans, who have given LSU Gymnastics incredible support all year long.
To every season ticket holder, to every fan who has ever watched a meet, or been to the PMAC on a Friday night.
The best collegiate gymnast in America has a message for you:
”Thank you for supporting me, always wanting the best for me, and never giving up on me and my team. It wasn’t an easy journey. There were highs, there were lows, and a lot of adversity. You never gave up on us. Thank you for bringing the love and support every single Friday night in the PMAC. I want to do it again, for myself, but also for you. I want to keep honoring you with my actions, because you mean so much to me, and have done so much for me.”
Haleigh Bryant quotes on her decision to return for her fifth year:
What went into your decision to return to LSU?
I think there were a lot of things that went into my decision. Obviously talking with my family, my coaches and my teammates, it was just a really good opportunity to kind of just enjoy it.
I love gymnastics. It’s been a part of my life for so long, and I don’t think I was really ready for it to end. After Nationals, I kind of told myself I was done. I was like, this is how I want to go out, I have accomplished every single thing I want to accomplish with my team and individually.
But, I think at the end of the day, it was just an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up. It’s the last year for these COVID years. I talked to my family, my coaches, and they just thought it’d be the best for me.
How much did Jay’s vision and the ability to really build something special here, not just in one season, but multiple seasons, factor into your decision as well?
Tremendously. Jay has done such a good job with getting to know me and just getting each individual what they need individually, and I feel like that’s something that set us up really well for success this year, but obviously in years prior to this because everybody comes from a different place. Everybody comes from a different background and just how he wanted everybody individually to be the best version of themselves was really, really cool. I’ve known him for so long and he’s just supported me and always wanted the best for me.
So I really just wanted to give it one more go with him and just try to go back-to-back now.
What did it mean to bring this program its first title in program history, just knowing that they’ve been so close and it was this team that was able to deliver it?
It means the world. I still don’t even think I can put it into words how much it’s meant to us and this team. To give back to, not even just the team, but the people that came before us that paved the way for us to get the opportunity to do what we do.
And just also for Tiger Nation, because they supported us through the highs, the lows, and every single thing in between. I’m just thankful to them for never giving up on us. Bringing it back to LSU, bringing it back to Louisiana– It’s just kind of like a thank you. They always say you honor somebody with your actions, and we wanted to do it for every single person that supported us and been there for us along the way.
What does LSU mean to you?
LSU means everything. It’s been my dream to come to LSU since I was 12 years old. Since I watched the first LSU gymnastics meet on TV, I knew I wanted to come to LSU. Just getting the opportunity to wear these two colors has been a dream. The support that they give me, not just in gymnastics, but from the nutritionist, to sports site, our academic advisor, just every single person that is supporting me helps me along the way, because it obviously has not been an easy journey. It means everything.
I love the school. I love the state, and it’s been a dream come true.
And then you mentioned support. What do you want to tell the fans? If I gave you a microphone right now and there was a full PMAC in front of you, what would you tell the fans and what would you want them to know about Haleigh Bryant returning?
I think I would start by just saying thank you for supporting me, always wanting the best for me and never giving up on me and my team. Like I said, it wasn’t an easy journey. There were highs, there were lows, and a lot of adversity. They never gave up on us.
Thank you for bringing the love and support every single Friday night in the PMAC. Not even just into the PMAC, but they all came to Fort Worth and the SEC Championships. It was just amazing that they would literally do anything for us. I think I would just tell them about my fifth year. I want to do it again, for myself, but also for them. I want to keep honoring them with my actions, because they mean so much to me, and they’ve done so much for me. I just want to do my best gymnastics to give back to them.
Finally, your resume is obviously unprecedented. AAI Award Winner, SEC Gymnast of the Year, National Champion, the list goes on. What does Haleigh Bryant want to accomplish in her final year at LSU?
That’s a good one. Obviously, at the end of the day, a team national championship is going to be in the forefront of my mind as well as an SEC championship. But I think individually, I just want to enjoy it.
It’s going to be my last year of gymnastics, for real this time. So just enjoying the sport that’s been a part of my life for so long now and just making memories and enjoying it is something that I really look forward to.