FORT WORTH, Texas – The No. 2 LSU Gymnastics team is headed to the national championship meet, set for 3 p.m. CT on Saturday, April 18, live on ABC, inside Dickies Arena.
The Tigers punched their ticket to the NCAA Championship Final after a second-place finish in Semifinal Session I on Thursday, posting a 197.4375 to secure one of the top two spots and advance to the sport’s biggest stage. LSU will compete for their second national title alongside No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 3 Florida and No. 14 Minnesota.
Saturday’s appearance marks LSU’s 11th trip to the NCAA Championship Final in program history and the third under head coach Jay Clark, as the Tigers continue to cement themselves among the nation’s elite.
LSU advanced to the finals alongside Florida and defeated Georgia and Stanford in the first semifinal session on Thursday, while Oklahoma and Minnesota took down UCLA and Arkansas in the evening session to secure their spot in the Final Four.
Individually, LSU claimed four of the five event titles. Sophomore Kailin Chio led the charge, capturing a share of three titles on vault (9.9625), floor (9.9625) and in the all-around (39.6125). Kaliya Lincoln matched Chio’s vault-winning score of 9.9625, while Konnor McClain tied for the top beam score of the session with a 9.9500.
Chio’s performance continued her historic season, as she now owns 43 event titles in 2026 and 66 in her career, including a program-record 13 vault titles this year. LSU also saw top-five finishes across all semifinal competitors from Chio, Lincoln, McClain and Amari Drayton, showcasing the Tigers’ depth heading into the final.
Four Tigers Combine For 10 NCAA Postseason All-America Honors
LSU placed four gymnasts on the 2026 Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) Postseason All-America teams following standout performances on the national stage, the organization announced Friday.
The prestigious honors are awarded based on results from the 2026 NCAA Championship Semifinals, recognizing the top performers from each session. The top four finishers on each event and in the all-around earn First Team All-America distinction, while finishers ranked fifth through eighth receive Second Team honors.
Leading the way for the Tigers was sophomore Kailin Chio with four postseason honors after delivering one of the most dominant all-around performances of the championship. Chio captured First Team All-America honors on vault (9.9625), floor (9.9625) and the all-around (39.6125), while also securing Second Team Honors on beam (9.8875).
Chio’s four postseason All-America honors moves her total to 15 in her young career, the seventh most in LSU history. She already claimed four WCGA All-America honors earlier in the regular season, finishing the year with eight honors in her sophomore season.
Fellow sophomore Kaliya Lincoln shared the top vault score in the first session (9.9625) with teammate Chio to secure First Team All-America honors, as well as earning a Second Team spot on floor. She now has four honors in her career after securing Regular Season All-America honors on vault and floor earlier this year.
LSU’s beam squad was highlighted by junior Konnor McClain, who earned First Team All-America honors with a 9.9500, tying for the top score in the afternoon session, and second Second Team honors on bars with her 9.9125.
McClain now sits at four All-America honors in 2026 and 10 in her career.
Junior Amari Drayton claimed her second career All-America honor on floor after posting a 9.9375 in the semifinals to claim First Team All-America recognition, tying for the second-highest score of the session. She also earned Second Team Honors on vault (9.875).
Drayton now owns four All-America honors in her career.
In total, LSU gymnasts combined for 10 postseason All-America honors, showcasing the team’s depth and consistency against the nation’s best, and moving the program’s total to 367 total honors.
Stay up to date with all things LSU Gymnastics by following the team’s social media channels @LSUgym on Instagram, X and Facebook.