No. 1 LSU Gymnastics Kicks Off NCAA Postseason on Thursday
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – The top-seeded LSU Gymnastics team will begin their NCAA postseason journey in the second round of the Penn State Regional on Thursday, April 3 at 6 p.m. CT in Rec Hall.
This year’s postseason selection for the Tigers marked the first time in program history that LSU earned the No. 1 seed, as well as the program’s 40th straight regional berth.
“Mindset is a permanent intention for us. Our goals this week are the same as they’ve been all year. We need to stay where we have been and advance,” said Head Coach Jay Clark.
No. 1 LSU will face No. 16 Arkansas, No. 17 Michigan and Maryland on Thursday. The Tigers will start on floor and rotate in Olympic order to vault and bars before finishing on beam. Arkansas will start on vault, Michigan on bars and Maryland on beam.
Maryland earned the fourth spot in the evening session of second round competition on Thursday after defeating West Virginia by a final score of 196.250-195.325 in Wednesday’s play-in meet.
No. 8 Michigan State, No. 9 Kentucky, Ohio State and Penn State will compete in the first session on Thursday. The top two teams from each session of second round competition on Thursday will advance to the regional final on Saturday, April 5, which is set for 4 p.m. CT.
Both sessions of competition in Happy Valley will be streamed on ESPN+ with Alex Perlman and Kennedy Baker on the call.
The top two finishers in Saturday’s regional final will receive an automatic berth to the national championships in Fort Worth from April 17-19 in Dickies Arena. At the national championships, semifinal team, all-around competition and individual event specialist finals will be conducted in two sessions. The top two teams from each semifinal will advance to championship final competition.
Both Semifinals on Thursday, April 17 will air on ESPN2, and the National Championship on Saturday, April 19 will be broadcast live at 3 p.m. CT on ABC.
Regional History
This year’s NCAA Regional berth for the Tigers marks their 42nd overall appearance in the postseason. LSU owns 31 NCAA Championships appearances and 14 NCAA Regional championships in program history, most recently last year after winning the Fayetteville Regional.
LSU (1), Michigan State (8), Kentucky (9) and Arkansas (16) are the four teams that earned a national seed in the Penn State Regional. Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Maryland and West Virginia make up the remainder of the teams competing at Rec Hall in University Park.
All nine teams from the Southeastern Conference were awarded National Seeds for the 2025 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships.
The top 36 teams, based on the National Qualifying Score (NQS), were selected for regional competition at the four predetermined sites (Alabama, Washington, Utah and Penn State). The NCAA committee named the top 16 teams and seeded them in the bracket, while teams 17-36 were placed geographically at one of the four regional sites. The NQS at the time of selections will be maintained for seeding throughout the championships.
For tickets and information regarding the national collegiate women’s gymnastics championships, go to ncaa.com/wgymnastics. The complete 2025 national collegiate women’s gymnastics championships bracket is available at ncaa.com.
Week 12 Rankings
The Tigers recorded history in the final week of Road to National rankings before postseason begins as they became the No. 1 team in the country, ending Oklahoma’s reign at the top of the national leaderboard for the first time since 2022. LSU improved their NQS to 198.115 after winning the 2025 SEC Championships in Birmingham to claim the top spot.
Oklahoma enters regional play as the No. 2 team in the country with their NQS of 198.040, while Florida (197.935), Utah (197.780) and UCLA (197.680) round out the top five.
A team’s NQS is made up of the average of their highest scores, three of which must be away scores, and dropping their highest overall score. With their 198.200 performance at the SEC Championships, the Tigers replaced their road score of 197.650 at the Sprouts Collegiate Quad to increase their NQS. Their five counting scores are currently 198.125, 198.050, 198.200, 198.200 and 198.000.
LSU NQS SCORES
198.575 (H)- 198.200 (A)
- 198.200 (A)
- 198.125 (A)
- 198.050 (H)
- 198.000 (H)
NQS: 198.115
The Tigers placed in the top five on every event for the third straight week, including earning the top spot on vault yet again. The squad enters the postseason ranked first on vault, second on bars, fifth on beam and third on floor. LSU ranked in the top 10 across the board nationally during all 12 weeks of regular competition and claimed the top vault spot on eight separate occasions this year.
Kailin Chio continues to rank amongst the top gymnasts in the nation as only a freshman. She currently ranks No. 5 in the all-around with her NQS of 39.670 and also sits in the top 20 performers on every event. The freshman claimed the top spot on vault in week seven and hasn’t placed lower than two in the last seven weeks of regular season competition.
Seniors Haleigh Bryant and Aleah Finnegan, along with sophomores Konnor McClain and Amari Drayton, also earned a spot amongst the nation’s best in the week 12 rankings.
Bryant ranks in the top on vault, beam and floor, while Finnegan sits in the top 15 on vault, beam, floor and the all-around. The Missouri native is No. 8 in the all-around with her NQS of 39.645.
McClain has placed in the top 20 on bars for 10 weeks, currently sitting at No. 15 in the country, and spent the final two weeks of the regular season in the top 25 on beam.
Drayton has been a consistent performer on floor with the Tigers week after week. She is currently tied with Chio at No. 11 in the country with their NQS of 9.935 on the event, holding onto her spot in the top 20 for the third straight week.
2025 WCGA Regular Season All-Americans
LSU combined for 14 regular season All-America honors in 2025 across five gymnasts, matching the program record for the most honors in a single season set in 2018. There are now 341 All-America honors in LSU history.
First Team All-America honors are awarded to the top eight finishers, plus ties, of the NCAA regular season for all four events plus the all-around, while Second Team All-America are awarded to the ninth through sixteenth performers on each event. All honorees are determined by NQS at the conclusion of the regular season.
Haleigh Bryant, already the gymnast with the most All-America honors in LSU history, added three more honors to her decorated resume on vault, beam and floor this year, including first team honors on vault and floor with her NQS of 9.925 and 9.945 on each event, respectively.
The graduate student and fifth-year senior out of Cornelius, North Carolina, now owns 30 All-America honors in her career, with 17 of those coming in the regular season, extending her lead at the top. Sarah Finnegan and Rheagan Courville sit in second with 23 honors.
After claiming the SEC Freshman of the Year award, Kailin Chio took home All-America honors on every event and the all-around in her first regular season with the Tigers, the most by any Tiger in their debut season. The Henderson, Nevada, native was also one of only four gymnasts in the nation to earn All-America honors on every event and the all-around this year.
Chio finished as one of the top eight performers in the country on two events and in the all-around, earning first team on VT (9.955), BB (9.935) and AA (39.670). The freshman finished with the second highest NQS on vault in the country.
Aleah Finnegan claimed four regular season All-America honors this year on vault, beam, floor and the all-around, moving her career total to 12, which is tied with Susan Jackson for the ninth-most honors in LSU history. The senior from Missouri finished amongst the top all-arounders in the country with her NQS of 39.645.
A native of Las Vegas, Nevada, McClain earned her fifth honor this year on bars, her second on the event. The sophomore has ranked amongst the top bars performers in the country all year long, finishing the regular season with an NQS of 9.925
Amari Drayton earned her first career All-America honor for her performance on floor this year, finishing the regular season ranked at No. 11 with her NQS of 9.935.
These prestigious honors recognize outstanding performances throughout the regular season and highlight the dedication, skill, and hard work of gymnasts from across the country.
Stay up to date with all things LSU Gymnastics by following the team’s social media channels @LSUgym on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.