As predicted, the LSU Tigers gymnastics team has been awarded a #1 seed for next weekend's NCAA regionals. LSU finished the regular season ranked fifth in the national point standings which was good enough to secure one of the six #1 seeds.
LSU has been assigned to the Columbus, Ohio regional and will compete in St. John Arena on the campus of Ohio State University on Saturday, April 4 at 5pm Central Time.
The Tigers will match up against #2 seed Oregon State, #3 seed (and host) Ohio State, #4 seed Kent State, #5 seed Kentucky, and #6 seed Michigan State.
According to NCAA rules, the #1 seed begins the competion with a bye and moves to the floor in rotation 2. Then it's off to vault, bye, bars, and beam to finish the competition. Look familiar? This is the same rotation the Tigers drew at the SEC Championships this past weekend.
Ticket info is already available for the regional. Click here for more.
More on the upcoming regional and a look back at Nashville a bit later in the week.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
SEC Gym Tickets, Travel Plans Announced
Would you like to join the Travelin' Tigers in Nashville this weekend?
LSU Head Coach D-D Breaux has announced tickets are available in the LSU section of the Sommet Center for Saturday's SEC Gymnastics Championships. Tickets are $15 each and are available by calling the LSU Ticket Office at (225) 578-2184 or toll-free for the Tiger Nation at (800) 960-8587. If you want to sit in the LSU section, it's important that you purchase your tickets through the LSU Ticket Office.
Also, the Tigers' team hotel will be the Doubletree Hotel in downtown Nashville. At last check a few rooms were available. And don't forget to check out Southwest Airlines travel deals into Nashville. They offer a direct flight from New Orleans, and other locales, to Nashville for very reasonable prices.
Why Is It Important You Travel With The Tigers?
According to BunnieGene's expert math, the Tigers can finish no lower that 5th when the final RQS standings are released on Monday. As you know, these are the standing which determine the seeding for the NCAA Regionals. Teams finishing in the top 6 will receive #1 seeds to one of six regionals. This means LSU really has nothing to lose at the SEC's - and an SEC title to gain, something the Tigers have done only once in school history.
So, after talking to D-D, her mantra this week in practice has been just that - GEAUX FOR IT! Expect the Tigers to be loose and ready to pull out all the stops in what should be a gymnastics meet for the ages. There is truly nothing to lose.
That's why you need to be there, in the seats, wearing your colors and representing the Purple and Gold Nation with pride. See you Saturday!
LSU Head Coach D-D Breaux has announced tickets are available in the LSU section of the Sommet Center for Saturday's SEC Gymnastics Championships. Tickets are $15 each and are available by calling the LSU Ticket Office at (225) 578-2184 or toll-free for the Tiger Nation at (800) 960-8587. If you want to sit in the LSU section, it's important that you purchase your tickets through the LSU Ticket Office.
Also, the Tigers' team hotel will be the Doubletree Hotel in downtown Nashville. At last check a few rooms were available. And don't forget to check out Southwest Airlines travel deals into Nashville. They offer a direct flight from New Orleans, and other locales, to Nashville for very reasonable prices.
Why Is It Important You Travel With The Tigers?
According to BunnieGene's expert math, the Tigers can finish no lower that 5th when the final RQS standings are released on Monday. As you know, these are the standing which determine the seeding for the NCAA Regionals. Teams finishing in the top 6 will receive #1 seeds to one of six regionals. This means LSU really has nothing to lose at the SEC's - and an SEC title to gain, something the Tigers have done only once in school history.
So, after talking to D-D, her mantra this week in practice has been just that - GEAUX FOR IT! Expect the Tigers to be loose and ready to pull out all the stops in what should be a gymnastics meet for the ages. There is truly nothing to lose.
That's why you need to be there, in the seats, wearing your colors and representing the Purple and Gold Nation with pride. See you Saturday!
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Tigers Nation's Hottest Team, Up To 4th In Standings
The NCAA gymnastics post-season is beginning to take shape. Conference championships are on tap next weekend, but Monday's national point standings will reflect the East vs. West dichotomy that defines the elite programs in women's collegiate gymnastics today.
Here's is how the Top 10 RQS should look when officially released on Monday morning. Two teams compete on either Saturday or Sunday, but the outcomes won't necessarily change the makeup of the Top 10, only perhaps the order. Should UCLA reach its max potential RQS, the Bruins could climb to 6th in the rankings. Georgia should remain first after the Gym Dogs home meet on today with Michigan.
LSU is the nation's hottest team - rising 7 spots in the rankings in the past two weeks. The last time the Tigers were ranked 4th or higher was on March 26, 2007. The past two weeks, LSU has replaced lower home and away scores with stronger 197.150 and 196.650, respectively.
A team's net change in the standings from last week is reflected by the +/- after the RQS. Many thanks to BunnieGene for the calculations!
1) UGA 197.210 - meet on Saturday (max possible RQS 197.415), 0
2) Utah 197.03, 0
3) Stanford 196.825, 0
4) LSU 196.760, +2
5) Bama 196.720, -1
6) Florida 196.565, -1
7) Oklahoma 196.464, +3
8) Arkansas 196.440, +3
9) UCLA 196.430 - meet on Sunday (max possible RQS 196.580), +/- TBD
10) Oregon State 196.4, -1
Here's is how the Top 10 RQS should look when officially released on Monday morning. Two teams compete on either Saturday or Sunday, but the outcomes won't necessarily change the makeup of the Top 10, only perhaps the order. Should UCLA reach its max potential RQS, the Bruins could climb to 6th in the rankings. Georgia should remain first after the Gym Dogs home meet on today with Michigan.
LSU is the nation's hottest team - rising 7 spots in the rankings in the past two weeks. The last time the Tigers were ranked 4th or higher was on March 26, 2007. The past two weeks, LSU has replaced lower home and away scores with stronger 197.150 and 196.650, respectively.
A team's net change in the standings from last week is reflected by the +/- after the RQS. Many thanks to BunnieGene for the calculations!
1) UGA 197.210 - meet on Saturday (max possible RQS 197.415), 0
2) Utah 197.03, 0
3) Stanford 196.825, 0
4) LSU 196.760, +2
5) Bama 196.720, -1
6) Florida 196.565, -1
7) Oklahoma 196.464, +3
8) Arkansas 196.440, +3
9) UCLA 196.430 - meet on Sunday (max possible RQS 196.580), +/- TBD
10) Oregon State 196.4, -1
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Meets Ten and Eleven: NC State and Centenary
BREAKING NEWS: Susan Jackson Named SEC Gymnast of the Week!
For the first time in her career, LSU junior gymnast Susan Jackson has been named the Southeastern Conference Gymnast of the Week for her All Around effort of 39.700 on Saturday. Jackson won three event titles and the All Around to give her 12 for the season. Way to geaux Susan!
Now Back To Regular Programming
Weeks from now when the final chapter is written about the 2009 LSU Gymnastics season, followers of the program will more likely than not point to the month of February as the defining time of the season.
A huge home score (for that point in the season) versus Florida opened the month – and propelled the Tigers to a historic victory over Alabama in Tuscaloosa the next week. Then, when some said a letdown was in order, the Tigers answered with a 197.400 at home against Illinois-Chicago and North Carolina the following week. LSU closed the book on February with a gritty win against a strong Arkansas gym team despite not necessarily hitting on all cylinders.
Four meets and four wins for LSU during the 28-day span have defined the Tigers as a tough-minded, strong-willed bunch. From the early moments of the Cancun Classic until now, talent has never been the issue. But the mental aspect of the competition had been, until now.
The 2005 LSU gymnastics squad set the standards for wins in-a-row and wins in-a-season. But that team, for all its talent, couldn’t seem to master the art of the mental. Those Tigers missed the Super Six by 0.075.
The 2009 Tigers seem different. They’re a complex bunch to be sure. But, with February behind them, they have shown the ability to reach down and summon the will to win when called upon. That could be a real difference-maker in the chase for a championship.
Etta James Memorial Meet A Huge Success
“Pink meets” have been all the rage in women’s gymnastics. It’s a great thing – and a natural fit – for gym teams to embrace the fight for a cure for cancer. And the pink meets that I have attended have been well done. But, there’s no comparison to the spectacle that LSU produces.
What made this year’s event unique was having it on a Saturday night. This opened up the gymnastics experience to Tiger fans that might normally not be able to attend a Friday meet. Over 6,000 fans helped raise over $50,000 for Foundation 56. This surpassed last year’s total by over $20,000.
No detail was overlooked by the host committee. Success was made possible only by the dozens of volunteers who donated countless hours to making sure the meet came off without a hitch. Specifically, the LSU Athletic Department (including A.D. Joe Alleva and his lovely wife Annie), Bradie James (and his gang of NFL players who attended and supported the pre-meet auction), the Bengal Belles, Zeta Tau Alpha Sorority, and Head Coach D-D Breaux were the driving forces behind the second annual event.
Here’s to a great Etta James Memorial Meet in 2010!
LSU vs. North Carolina State Recap
Amidst the electric pink atmosphere of the PMAC, a very good gymnastics meet took place on Saturday evening. NC State, representing the EAGL, came in with high hopes of reaching the NCAA gymnastics “tournament” field of 36 teams. The Wolfpack scored a season-high 195.725 against the Tigers – a road score that helped them to a number 35 ranking this week. So, goal achieved for NC State.
LSU had every reason to let down this week and just take in the atmosphere. In addition to the pink meet, it was also Senior Night – with LSU honoring manager Tina Suhr along with gymnasts Lauren Klein and Ashleigh Clare-Kearney. But the Tigers showed focus and poise in notching the second highest score of the season, 197.150.
Three Big Stories Emerge From NC State Meet
First, Junior Susan Jackson had the best all around meet of her LSU career, hitting 39.700 in all four events. This is a new career high for the Spring, Texas native. She scored no lower than 9.90 (vault), and hit 9.925 on bars (season high), 9.95 on beam (career high), and 9.925 on floor (season high). The 39.700 score is tied for 9th best in school history.
Second, senior Ashleigh Clare-Kearney got the PMAC rocking in Rotation 1 with a perfect 10.0 on vault. It was an amazing effort that seemed as effortless as it was flawless. Her finishing routine on floor received a standing ovation from over 6,100 fans in attendance. For not a slight step out on her first tumbling pass, the floor routine would’ve notched a perfect 10.0 as well. The 10.0 on vault was just the second in the NCAA this season. UCLA’s super freshman Vanessa Zamarippa has the other.
Third, the protective boot ACK placed on her ankle immediately after her floor routine did not go unnoticed by the fans. The injury didn’t happen during that routine, rather a week earlier. ACK awoke the day after the Arkansas meet with a high ankle sprain – unaware that she had suffered any injury in the meet. The LSU training staff worked all of last week in order to get her ready for the final home meet of her career – making the perfect 10 she scored an even more remarkable achievement.
ACK Out For Centenary Meet
Out of an abundance of caution, Ashleigh Clare-Kearney will be held out of the final regular season gymnastics meet this week at Centenary College in Shreveport. With SEC’s, NCAA regionals, and a possible birth in the NCAA Championships ahead, it seems like the smart thing for the LSU coaches to do. Hey, maybe I can get her to join the radio broadcast with me? (hint, hint ACK!)
National Rankings
Saturday’s score of 197.150 replaced a much lower team score from a week earlier, thus the Tigers jumped dramatically in the national point standings this week, as predicted. The upcoming road score at Centenary will replace (hopefully) the lowest of the road scores currently counting towards the LSU regional qualifying score. That score is the 195.300 that the Tigers scored in Auburn back in January.
Here’s how Top 25 panned out this week after 9 weeks of competition along with how many spots each team has moved up or down in the rankings since last week. Note that the teams finishing in the Top 18 at regular season’s end received automatic berths into a NCAA regional. Nine of LSU’s opponents this season are ranked in this week’s Top 25.
1 Georgia 197.210 0
2 Utah 196.985 0
3 Stanford 196.825 0
4 Alabama 196.720 +1
5 Florida 196.530 -1
6 LSU 196.490 +5
7 UCLA 196.430 -1
8 Auburn 196.390 0
9 Oregon State 196.370 0
10 Oklahoma 196.365 -3
11 Arkansas 196.290 -1
12 Nebraska 195.830 0
13 Missouri 195.665 0
14 Michigan 195.595 0
15 Penn State 195.560 +4
16 Illinois-Champaign 195.485 -1
17 Minnesota 195.370 +1
18 Ohio State 195.310 -1
19 Arizona 195.140 -3
20 West Virginia 195.105 0
21 Iowa State 195.070 0
22 Kent State 194.960 +2
23 Boise State 194.810 +6
24 Kentucky 194.785 0
25 Iowa 194.720 -2
Here are the LSU Tigers who ranked in the nation’s Top 50 this week on each event: (rankings in the order of VT, UB, BB, FX, AA)
LSU Team: 5th, 4th, 6th, 14th, 6th (196.490)
Clare-Kearney: 2nd, 6th, 42nd, 1st, 3rd (39.515)
Jackson: 13th, 10th, 20th, 43rd, 5th (39.440)
Schwitkis: 41st, 51st, NR, NR, NR 39.350
Engle: NR, 43rd, 69th, NR, NR
Hubbard: NR, 59th, 41st, NR, NR
ACK One Away From History
The school record for individual titles belongs to April Burkholder. The 2006 NCAA Beam Champion recorded 109 titles (23 vault, 9 bars, 25 beam, 27 floor, 25 All Around) as a Tiger.
Here’s a listing of the number of individual event titles won by current Tigers.
Ashleigh Clare-Kearney, senior
108 total titles
(34 vault, 17 bars, 10 beam, 25 floor, 22 all-around)
Susan Jackson, junior
22 total titles
(5 vault, 5 bars, 5 beam, 4 floor, 3 all-around)
Summer Hubbard, junior
8 total titles
(5 bars, 3 beam)
Lauren Klein, senior
8 total titles
(1 vault, 7 floor)
Staci Schwitkis, sophomore
4 total titles
(4 bars)
Sabrina Franceschelli, junior
3 total titles
(2 bars, 1 floor)
Samantha Engle, sophomore
1 beam title
Gloria Johnson, freshman
1 vault title
Kayla Rogers, junior
1 floor title
LSU Gymnastics Meets Facebook
Signup as a supporter of LSU Gymnastics on Facebook! You can help the Tigers achieve the most supporters of any gym team in the NCAA. Visit www.facebook.com and search LSU Gymnastics!
Friday’s Meet
Going to Shreveport is always a fun trip. The Tigers will depart Baton Rouge around lunchtime and take the 3 ½ hour drive north. For the first time ever, we will be able to broadcast the meet from Centenary – thanks to the folks at their facility, called The Gold Dome. Our airtime will be 7pm in The Geaux Zone on LSUSports.net.
High scores for the Tigers have been a staple of LSU/Centenary meets. The school record book is dotted with season highs, career highs and perfect 10s over the years when these teams have gotten together.
Centenary is a member of the Midwest Independent Conference for gymnastics. The Ladies will be the third team from this conference that LSU has competed against in 2009. Other teams on LSU schedule include Southeast Missouri State and Illinois-Chicago. The Red Hawks of SEMO lead that conference and The Flames of UIC are second.
Centenary is lead by All Arounder Courtney Hawkins who enters Friday’s meet with a season high in the All Around of 38.925. As a team, The Ladies best event is bars where their season high score is a respectable 48.975.
Friday’s Probable LSU Line-Up
Vault
Ashley Lee
Kayla Rogers
Gloria Johnson
Staci Schwitkis
Sabrina Franceschelli
Susan Jackson
Uneven Bars Lauren Klein
Staci Schwitkis
Summer Hubbard
Samantha Engle
Sabrina Franceschelli
Susan Jackson
Balance Beam
Gloria Johnson
Samantha Engle
Summer Hubbard
Sabrina Franceschelli
Staci Schwitkis
Susan Jackson
Floor Exercise
Kayla Rogers
Sabrina Franceschelli
Summer Hubbard
Gloria Johnson
Staci Schwitkis
Susan Jackson
All Around
Susan Jackson
Staci Schwitkis
Sabrina Franceschelli
Mike’s Eye On The Tigers
Here are a few things I will be looking for tonight against Centenary:
• Expect many of the LSU reserves to see action on Friday night in Shreveport. How do they react to their time in the spotlight?
• How do the LSU coaches balance the need for a solid road score (see previous story about this) versus the need to rest key gymnasts? The most critical part of the season lies immediately ahead, but LSU a Top 6 finish secures a #1 seed for the Tigers in the postseason.
• Does Lauren Klein re-enter the bars line-up and/or return to the floor exercise for the first time this season?
• Does Susan Jackson rest or go for another big set of scores?
• How does ACK perform in her radio debut? I suspect it will be as good, if not better, than her 10.0 vault from last week.
It’s the final regular season meet for LSU and, for the first time, we will broadcast it live for you from Centenary. Our airtime from Shreveport will be 7:00 p.m. Central. Don’t miss a second of the action!
Until next week, GEAUX TIGERS!
Mike
For the first time in her career, LSU junior gymnast Susan Jackson has been named the Southeastern Conference Gymnast of the Week for her All Around effort of 39.700 on Saturday. Jackson won three event titles and the All Around to give her 12 for the season. Way to geaux Susan!
Now Back To Regular Programming
Weeks from now when the final chapter is written about the 2009 LSU Gymnastics season, followers of the program will more likely than not point to the month of February as the defining time of the season.
A huge home score (for that point in the season) versus Florida opened the month – and propelled the Tigers to a historic victory over Alabama in Tuscaloosa the next week. Then, when some said a letdown was in order, the Tigers answered with a 197.400 at home against Illinois-Chicago and North Carolina the following week. LSU closed the book on February with a gritty win against a strong Arkansas gym team despite not necessarily hitting on all cylinders.
Four meets and four wins for LSU during the 28-day span have defined the Tigers as a tough-minded, strong-willed bunch. From the early moments of the Cancun Classic until now, talent has never been the issue. But the mental aspect of the competition had been, until now.
The 2005 LSU gymnastics squad set the standards for wins in-a-row and wins in-a-season. But that team, for all its talent, couldn’t seem to master the art of the mental. Those Tigers missed the Super Six by 0.075.
The 2009 Tigers seem different. They’re a complex bunch to be sure. But, with February behind them, they have shown the ability to reach down and summon the will to win when called upon. That could be a real difference-maker in the chase for a championship.
Etta James Memorial Meet A Huge Success
“Pink meets” have been all the rage in women’s gymnastics. It’s a great thing – and a natural fit – for gym teams to embrace the fight for a cure for cancer. And the pink meets that I have attended have been well done. But, there’s no comparison to the spectacle that LSU produces.
What made this year’s event unique was having it on a Saturday night. This opened up the gymnastics experience to Tiger fans that might normally not be able to attend a Friday meet. Over 6,000 fans helped raise over $50,000 for Foundation 56. This surpassed last year’s total by over $20,000.
No detail was overlooked by the host committee. Success was made possible only by the dozens of volunteers who donated countless hours to making sure the meet came off without a hitch. Specifically, the LSU Athletic Department (including A.D. Joe Alleva and his lovely wife Annie), Bradie James (and his gang of NFL players who attended and supported the pre-meet auction), the Bengal Belles, Zeta Tau Alpha Sorority, and Head Coach D-D Breaux were the driving forces behind the second annual event.
Here’s to a great Etta James Memorial Meet in 2010!
LSU vs. North Carolina State Recap
Amidst the electric pink atmosphere of the PMAC, a very good gymnastics meet took place on Saturday evening. NC State, representing the EAGL, came in with high hopes of reaching the NCAA gymnastics “tournament” field of 36 teams. The Wolfpack scored a season-high 195.725 against the Tigers – a road score that helped them to a number 35 ranking this week. So, goal achieved for NC State.
LSU had every reason to let down this week and just take in the atmosphere. In addition to the pink meet, it was also Senior Night – with LSU honoring manager Tina Suhr along with gymnasts Lauren Klein and Ashleigh Clare-Kearney. But the Tigers showed focus and poise in notching the second highest score of the season, 197.150.
Three Big Stories Emerge From NC State Meet
First, Junior Susan Jackson had the best all around meet of her LSU career, hitting 39.700 in all four events. This is a new career high for the Spring, Texas native. She scored no lower than 9.90 (vault), and hit 9.925 on bars (season high), 9.95 on beam (career high), and 9.925 on floor (season high). The 39.700 score is tied for 9th best in school history.
Second, senior Ashleigh Clare-Kearney got the PMAC rocking in Rotation 1 with a perfect 10.0 on vault. It was an amazing effort that seemed as effortless as it was flawless. Her finishing routine on floor received a standing ovation from over 6,100 fans in attendance. For not a slight step out on her first tumbling pass, the floor routine would’ve notched a perfect 10.0 as well. The 10.0 on vault was just the second in the NCAA this season. UCLA’s super freshman Vanessa Zamarippa has the other.
Third, the protective boot ACK placed on her ankle immediately after her floor routine did not go unnoticed by the fans. The injury didn’t happen during that routine, rather a week earlier. ACK awoke the day after the Arkansas meet with a high ankle sprain – unaware that she had suffered any injury in the meet. The LSU training staff worked all of last week in order to get her ready for the final home meet of her career – making the perfect 10 she scored an even more remarkable achievement.
ACK Out For Centenary Meet
Out of an abundance of caution, Ashleigh Clare-Kearney will be held out of the final regular season gymnastics meet this week at Centenary College in Shreveport. With SEC’s, NCAA regionals, and a possible birth in the NCAA Championships ahead, it seems like the smart thing for the LSU coaches to do. Hey, maybe I can get her to join the radio broadcast with me? (hint, hint ACK!)
National Rankings
Saturday’s score of 197.150 replaced a much lower team score from a week earlier, thus the Tigers jumped dramatically in the national point standings this week, as predicted. The upcoming road score at Centenary will replace (hopefully) the lowest of the road scores currently counting towards the LSU regional qualifying score. That score is the 195.300 that the Tigers scored in Auburn back in January.
Here’s how Top 25 panned out this week after 9 weeks of competition along with how many spots each team has moved up or down in the rankings since last week. Note that the teams finishing in the Top 18 at regular season’s end received automatic berths into a NCAA regional. Nine of LSU’s opponents this season are ranked in this week’s Top 25.
1 Georgia 197.210 0
2 Utah 196.985 0
3 Stanford 196.825 0
4 Alabama 196.720 +1
5 Florida 196.530 -1
6 LSU 196.490 +5
7 UCLA 196.430 -1
8 Auburn 196.390 0
9 Oregon State 196.370 0
10 Oklahoma 196.365 -3
11 Arkansas 196.290 -1
12 Nebraska 195.830 0
13 Missouri 195.665 0
14 Michigan 195.595 0
15 Penn State 195.560 +4
16 Illinois-Champaign 195.485 -1
17 Minnesota 195.370 +1
18 Ohio State 195.310 -1
19 Arizona 195.140 -3
20 West Virginia 195.105 0
21 Iowa State 195.070 0
22 Kent State 194.960 +2
23 Boise State 194.810 +6
24 Kentucky 194.785 0
25 Iowa 194.720 -2
Here are the LSU Tigers who ranked in the nation’s Top 50 this week on each event: (rankings in the order of VT, UB, BB, FX, AA)
LSU Team: 5th, 4th, 6th, 14th, 6th (196.490)
Clare-Kearney: 2nd, 6th, 42nd, 1st, 3rd (39.515)
Jackson: 13th, 10th, 20th, 43rd, 5th (39.440)
Schwitkis: 41st, 51st, NR, NR, NR 39.350
Engle: NR, 43rd, 69th, NR, NR
Hubbard: NR, 59th, 41st, NR, NR
ACK One Away From History
The school record for individual titles belongs to April Burkholder. The 2006 NCAA Beam Champion recorded 109 titles (23 vault, 9 bars, 25 beam, 27 floor, 25 All Around) as a Tiger.
Here’s a listing of the number of individual event titles won by current Tigers.
Ashleigh Clare-Kearney, senior
108 total titles
(34 vault, 17 bars, 10 beam, 25 floor, 22 all-around)
Susan Jackson, junior
22 total titles
(5 vault, 5 bars, 5 beam, 4 floor, 3 all-around)
Summer Hubbard, junior
8 total titles
(5 bars, 3 beam)
Lauren Klein, senior
8 total titles
(1 vault, 7 floor)
Staci Schwitkis, sophomore
4 total titles
(4 bars)
Sabrina Franceschelli, junior
3 total titles
(2 bars, 1 floor)
Samantha Engle, sophomore
1 beam title
Gloria Johnson, freshman
1 vault title
Kayla Rogers, junior
1 floor title
LSU Gymnastics Meets Facebook
Signup as a supporter of LSU Gymnastics on Facebook! You can help the Tigers achieve the most supporters of any gym team in the NCAA. Visit www.facebook.com and search LSU Gymnastics!
Friday’s Meet
Going to Shreveport is always a fun trip. The Tigers will depart Baton Rouge around lunchtime and take the 3 ½ hour drive north. For the first time ever, we will be able to broadcast the meet from Centenary – thanks to the folks at their facility, called The Gold Dome. Our airtime will be 7pm in The Geaux Zone on LSUSports.net.
High scores for the Tigers have been a staple of LSU/Centenary meets. The school record book is dotted with season highs, career highs and perfect 10s over the years when these teams have gotten together.
Centenary is a member of the Midwest Independent Conference for gymnastics. The Ladies will be the third team from this conference that LSU has competed against in 2009. Other teams on LSU schedule include Southeast Missouri State and Illinois-Chicago. The Red Hawks of SEMO lead that conference and The Flames of UIC are second.
Centenary is lead by All Arounder Courtney Hawkins who enters Friday’s meet with a season high in the All Around of 38.925. As a team, The Ladies best event is bars where their season high score is a respectable 48.975.
Friday’s Probable LSU Line-Up
Vault
Ashley Lee
Kayla Rogers
Gloria Johnson
Staci Schwitkis
Sabrina Franceschelli
Susan Jackson
Uneven Bars Lauren Klein
Staci Schwitkis
Summer Hubbard
Samantha Engle
Sabrina Franceschelli
Susan Jackson
Balance Beam
Gloria Johnson
Samantha Engle
Summer Hubbard
Sabrina Franceschelli
Staci Schwitkis
Susan Jackson
Floor Exercise
Kayla Rogers
Sabrina Franceschelli
Summer Hubbard
Gloria Johnson
Staci Schwitkis
Susan Jackson
All Around
Susan Jackson
Staci Schwitkis
Sabrina Franceschelli
Mike’s Eye On The Tigers
Here are a few things I will be looking for tonight against Centenary:
• Expect many of the LSU reserves to see action on Friday night in Shreveport. How do they react to their time in the spotlight?
• How do the LSU coaches balance the need for a solid road score (see previous story about this) versus the need to rest key gymnasts? The most critical part of the season lies immediately ahead, but LSU a Top 6 finish secures a #1 seed for the Tigers in the postseason.
• Does Lauren Klein re-enter the bars line-up and/or return to the floor exercise for the first time this season?
• Does Susan Jackson rest or go for another big set of scores?
• How does ACK perform in her radio debut? I suspect it will be as good, if not better, than her 10.0 vault from last week.
It’s the final regular season meet for LSU and, for the first time, we will broadcast it live for you from Centenary. Our airtime from Shreveport will be 7:00 p.m. Central. Don’t miss a second of the action!
Until next week, GEAUX TIGERS!
Mike
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