No. 2 LSU Gymnastics Featured in Session II of 2026 SEC Championships Saturday
TULSA, Okla. – The No. 2 nationally ranked LSU Gymnastics team is set to begin postseason competition at the 2026 SEC Gymnastics Championships on Saturday, March 21 at 7 p.m. CT inside the BOK Center.
The Tigers earned the No. 2 seed and will look to defend their conference crown this weekend and secure the program’s seventh SEC Championship. No. 2 LSU will compete in session II alongside No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 3 Florida and No. 4 Alabama in a meet that features the top four teams in the nation. The evening session will air live on SEC Network with John Roethlisberger, Sam Peszek, Aly Raisman and Taylor Davis covering the action in Tulsa.
LSU enters SEC Championship weekend as one of the most consistent teams in the country, holding the No. 2 national ranking for six consecutive weeks to close the regular season with a National Qualifying Score (NQS) of 197.917.
The Tigers claimed the No. 2 spot in the country in eight out of 11 weeks of competition throughout the regular season and are the only team in the nation currently ranked in the top three on every event, including No. 1 on floor, No. 2 on vault and No. 3 on both bars and beam.
No. 2 LSU will start the meet on bars on Saturday and will rotate in Olympic order. Oklahoma starts on vault, Florida starts on beam and Alabama on floor.
Live results and streaming of the 2026 SEC Championships can be found here.
SEC Championship History
Saturday’s meet marks the 45th edition of the SEC Championships. For over 20 years, SEC campuses hosted the conference championship as the inaugural championship was held at LSU in 1981, but in 2001, the SEC Gymnastics Championship moved to neutral sites.
Seeding for the SEC Gymnastics Championships is based on final regular-season Team National Qualifying Scores (NQS). The championships consist of a one-day team and all-around competition which includes all nine teams. Session I will feature seeds 5-9 at 2 p.m. CT, and Session II will feature seeds 1-4 at 7 p.m. CT.
Oklahoma, LSU, Florida and Alabama make up seeds 1-4 while Georgia, Arkansas, Missouri, Auburn and Kentucky round out seeds 5-9.
LSU will compete in the night session for the 12th straight year. The Tigers have been featured in the night session since the two-session format began in 2013.
The Tigers own six SEC Championship titles in program history, including the last two consecutive titles in 2024 and 2025. The Tigers last claimed three consecutive titles in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
Here is a breakdown of LSU’s finishes at the SEC Championship: 1st Place – 6 times (1981, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2024, 2025); 2nd Place – 6 (1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2015, 2021); 3rd Place – 11 (1982, 1983, 1991, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2004, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2023); 4th Place – 17 (1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012); 5th Place – 4 (1992, 1996, 2011, 2022); 6th Place – 0; 7th Place – 0; 8th Place – 0
Week 11 Road To Nationals Rankings
The Tigers held onto the No. 2 spot in the country for the sixth straight week to close out the regular season. LSU enters SEC Championship week with an NQS of 197.917 and are counting the highest team score in their NQS by any team with a 198.325.
LSU closed the regular season with a 198.075-197.100 victory over No. 8 Arkansas, capping off an undefeated home slate for the third consecutive year. The Tigers have not lost inside the PMAC since January 2023 and hold a 19-meet home winning streak.
The week 11 rankings marked the eighth straight week that LSU placed in the top 10 on all four events and fifth straight week in the top five on every event. LSU finished the regular season as the only team in the country to rank in the top three on every event, ranking second on vault, third on bars, third on beam and first on floor for the fifth straight week with their NQS of 49.544.
Individually, sophomore Kailin Chio continues to not only shine for the Tigers, but leads all gymnasts across the nation. Chio enters the postseason ranked No. 1 in the all-around for the third straight week with an NQS of 39.760, while also holding the top spot on vault and beam. The standout has recorded nine perfect 10.0 scores this season and most recently made history with a perfect 30.000 across three events in LSU’s regular season finale.
Chio also marked her eighth straight week as the No. 1 beam performer in the nation with her NQS of 9.950 on the event, as well as her fourth straight week at No. 1 on vault with an NQS of 9.975. The sophomore also sits in the top-25 in the country on bars (25) and floor (4).
Junior Amari Drayton and sophomore Kaliya Lincoln have risen as three-event weapons for LSU, ranking in the top 25 nationally on all two events for LSU in the final regular season standings. Drayton ranks No. 11 on vault and No. 15 on beam, while Lincoln also ranks No. 11 on vault and No. 4 on floor.
Junior Konnor McClain also finished the regular season with two top-25 event placements, ranking No. 5 on bars and No. 25 on beam.
Up Next
LSU and the Pete Maravich Assembly Center will serve as one of four host sites for the 2026 NCAA Gymnastics Regionals, along with Oregon State, Kentucky and Arizona State. Regionals will take place from Wednesday-Sunday, April 1-5.
The NCAA selection show will take place at 11 a.m. CT on Monday, March 23 on ESPNU. Fans can keep up with all the action on NCAA.com.
Stay up to date with all things LSU Gymnastics by following the team’s social media channels @LSUgym on Instagram, X and Facebook.