Senior Ashleigh Clare-Kearney claimed vault and floor exercise titles tonight at the NCAA Gymnastics Championships in Lincoln, Nebraska. She becomes the first Tiger to win two individual championships and the first to win two titles overall.
Clare-Kearney, the final competitor of the night on floor, was tied by Georgia's Courtney Kupets who earlier scored an indentical 9.950. Florida's Corey Hartung finished third with a 9.900. Clare-Kearney joins Nicki Arnstad-Woodward (2002) as a floor champion at LSU.
The senior from Manchester, Connecticut, started the night with a strong 9.85 in the uneven bars final - good enough for ninth place finish. Then, she moved to vault and threw the greatest vault of her career - receiving 4 perfect 10's from the 6 judges. She then sealed the deal with the second scoring vault to give her a two-vault 9.90 average.
Clare-Kearney's final score was just .0062 (that's correct) ahead of reigning vault champion Susan Jackson who finished second at 9.9832 average.
Clare-Kearney and Jackson become the first 1-2 finishers on an NCAA final event in school history.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Tigers Complete Strong Year, Finish 6th In Super Six
On a night where Georgia would not be denied their 10th National Championship, the LSU Tigers narrowly missed their team goal of bringing home a first-ever team trophy from the final gymnastic meet of the season. LSU finished its second Super Six with a 196.375 team score, just .035 behind fourth place Florida. A top four finish would've secured that long-awaited trophy, but the Tigers were clearly out of gas after starting the championship meet with a strong 49.200 on floor exercise. An inability to stick landings on the next two events - vault and bars - cost the lineup valuable tenths. The balance beam proved too much for LSU in the final event as the Tigers went 48.800 to finish the program's 21st National Championship appearance.
The Alabama Crimson Tide finished a very strong second to Georgia and were followed by Utah - the lone non-SEC team to make the Super Six - in third place. Florida finished fourth just ahead of upstart Arkansas which turned in an impressive Super Six in only the program's seventh year of existence.
Most Tigers Ever Chosen As All-Americans
By finishing in the top four on events during Thursday's preliminary round, four LSU Tigers received First Team All-America honors. Those Tigers will compete in tonight's individual event championships beginning at 6pm Central.
Six Tigers were chosen either first or second team All-America in total - the most ever in one season for the LSU gymnastics program. Those six Tigers earned a combined 10 All-America honors.
Senior Ashleigh Clare-Kearney was honored three times with First Team honors - vault, bars, and floor exercise. Junior Susan Jackson was honored for her effort on vault, allowing her to defend her National Championship from a year ago on the event. She also received First Team All-America honors in the all-around and Second Team All-America honor on balance beam.
Junior Summer Hubbard was honored on First Team bars for the second year in a row. And Sophomore Staci Schwitkis received First Team All America honors for her 9.90 vault, earning her a spot in tonight's final.
Juniors Kayla Rogers and Sabrina Franceschelli earned Second Team All-America honors for floor exercise and all-around, respectively.
Here's a breakdown of the All-American honors received by each current Tiger during their careers:
Senior Ashleigh Clare-Kearney 5 times
Junior Sabrina Franceschelli 1 time
Junior Summer Hubbard 2 times
Junior Susan Jackson 8 times
Junior Kayla Rogers 1 time
Sophomore Staci Schwitkis 1 time
Clare-Kearney Chosen As Fianlist For Two National Awards
In Saturday morning's NCAA awards banquet, Ashleigh Clare-Kearney was named one of six finalists for the American Athletic Incorporated (AAI) Award which recognizes the best senior gymnast in the country. ACK joins the following finalists:
Nicole Ourada, Stanford
Corey Hartung, Florida
Courtney Kupets, Georgia
Kristina Baskett, Utah
Tricia Woo, Nebraska
Kupets won the award.
Clare-Kearney has also been named a finalist for the prestigious 2008-2009 Honda Sports Award for gymnastics. Joining ACK as a finalist are Kupets, Baskett, and Jessica Lopez of the University of Denver. No date for the announcement of the award has been set.
ACK is the second gymnast in LSU history to become a finalist for the Honda Award. Rachelle Fruge' was a finalist in 1989-90.
The Alabama Crimson Tide finished a very strong second to Georgia and were followed by Utah - the lone non-SEC team to make the Super Six - in third place. Florida finished fourth just ahead of upstart Arkansas which turned in an impressive Super Six in only the program's seventh year of existence.
Most Tigers Ever Chosen As All-Americans
By finishing in the top four on events during Thursday's preliminary round, four LSU Tigers received First Team All-America honors. Those Tigers will compete in tonight's individual event championships beginning at 6pm Central.
Six Tigers were chosen either first or second team All-America in total - the most ever in one season for the LSU gymnastics program. Those six Tigers earned a combined 10 All-America honors.
Senior Ashleigh Clare-Kearney was honored three times with First Team honors - vault, bars, and floor exercise. Junior Susan Jackson was honored for her effort on vault, allowing her to defend her National Championship from a year ago on the event. She also received First Team All-America honors in the all-around and Second Team All-America honor on balance beam.
Junior Summer Hubbard was honored on First Team bars for the second year in a row. And Sophomore Staci Schwitkis received First Team All America honors for her 9.90 vault, earning her a spot in tonight's final.
Juniors Kayla Rogers and Sabrina Franceschelli earned Second Team All-America honors for floor exercise and all-around, respectively.
Here's a breakdown of the All-American honors received by each current Tiger during their careers:
Senior Ashleigh Clare-Kearney 5 times
Junior Sabrina Franceschelli 1 time
Junior Summer Hubbard 2 times
Junior Susan Jackson 8 times
Junior Kayla Rogers 1 time
Sophomore Staci Schwitkis 1 time
Clare-Kearney Chosen As Fianlist For Two National Awards
In Saturday morning's NCAA awards banquet, Ashleigh Clare-Kearney was named one of six finalists for the American Athletic Incorporated (AAI) Award which recognizes the best senior gymnast in the country. ACK joins the following finalists:
Nicole Ourada, Stanford
Corey Hartung, Florida
Courtney Kupets, Georgia
Kristina Baskett, Utah
Tricia Woo, Nebraska
Kupets won the award.
Clare-Kearney has also been named a finalist for the prestigious 2008-2009 Honda Sports Award for gymnastics. Joining ACK as a finalist are Kupets, Baskett, and Jessica Lopez of the University of Denver. No date for the announcement of the award has been set.
ACK is the second gymnast in LSU history to become a finalist for the Honda Award. Rachelle Fruge' was a finalist in 1989-90.
Friday, April 17, 2009
LSU Lineup For National Championship
Rotation 1 - Bye
Rotation 2 - Floor Exercise
Kayla Rogers
Samantha Engle
Sabrina Franceschelli
Summer Hubbard
Susan Jackson
Ashleigh Clare-Kearney
Gloria Johnson - alternate
Rotation 3 - Vault
Kayla Rogers
Sabrina Franceschelli
Gloria Johnson
Staci Schwitkis
Susan Jackson
Ashleigh Clare-Kearney
Ashley Lee - alternate
Rotation 4 - Bye
Rotation 5 - Bars
Staci Schwitkis
Sabrina Franceschelli
Samantha Engle
Summer Hubbard
Susan Jackson
Ashleigh Clare-Kearney
Lauren Klein - alternate
Rotation 6 - Beam
Gloria Johnson
Sabrina Franceschelli
Samantha Engle
Summer Hubbard
Ashleigh Clare-Kearney
Susan Jackson
Kayla Rogers - alternate
All Around
Sabrina Franceschelli
Susan Jackson
Ashleigh Clare-Kearney
Rotation 2 - Floor Exercise
Kayla Rogers
Samantha Engle
Sabrina Franceschelli
Summer Hubbard
Susan Jackson
Ashleigh Clare-Kearney
Gloria Johnson - alternate
Rotation 3 - Vault
Kayla Rogers
Sabrina Franceschelli
Gloria Johnson
Staci Schwitkis
Susan Jackson
Ashleigh Clare-Kearney
Ashley Lee - alternate
Rotation 4 - Bye
Rotation 5 - Bars
Staci Schwitkis
Sabrina Franceschelli
Samantha Engle
Summer Hubbard
Susan Jackson
Ashleigh Clare-Kearney
Lauren Klein - alternate
Rotation 6 - Beam
Gloria Johnson
Sabrina Franceschelli
Samantha Engle
Summer Hubbard
Ashleigh Clare-Kearney
Susan Jackson
Kayla Rogers - alternate
All Around
Sabrina Franceschelli
Susan Jackson
Ashleigh Clare-Kearney
Title Time! NCAA Championship On The Line For LSU
For the second time in as many years, the LSU Tigers will compete for a National Championship in collegiate gymnastics. At 6pm Central Time, the curtain will fall on 6 teams fighting for one dream - to be called the best.
The Tigers' road to the Super Six was not without difficulty. In yesterday's early preliminary session, LSU began on the balance beam and quickly dug themselves a deep hole - one that ordinarily would've been too deep. But behind one of the most remarkable comebacks in LSU history, the Tigers clawed their way through floor exercise, vault, and bars - hitting 49.150 or better on each - to claim one of six spots in today's winner-take-all final.
LSU had the lowest team score in a team event (48.525 beam) during their session, the second highest team score (49.450 vault), and were the only team in the afternoon to count a fall (beam). But whent the dust settled, the Tigers are one of 5 SEC teams in the Super Six.
.075 - The Distance Between Joy And Pain
In the afternoon session, LSU edged out fourth-place finisher Stanford by .075. That's seventy-five one-thousandths of a point. In the evening session, UCLA and Utah ended the meet tied down to the one-thousandth. So, in keeping with NCAA rules, the 6th competitor's score (normally discarded), was added into the mix to decide which team would advance to the Super Six. The final score: Utah by .075.
The 2009 Super Six Lineup - Looks At Lot The SEC
LSU Tigers
Alabama Crimson Tide
Arkansas GymBacks
Florida Gators
Georgia GymDogs
Utah Utes
Tiger Bites From Lincoln
- A friendly Utah fan with an "I Hate The SEC" T-shirt on accosted the Tigers in the team hotel this afteroon. After several pictures and friendly jabs, the man walked off to join his fellow Red Rocks supporters.
- D-D Breaux, normally among the most jittery of Tigers before any meet, was so calm and collected this afteroon that she nearly missed the team bus from the hotel to the arena. Good natured jabs from the team greeted her aboard the bus as she arrived.
- CBS play-by-play man Tim Brando, in Lincoln to broacast the Super Six, told me last night that, considering the magnitude of the situation, he considered the LSU comeback yesterday among the best-ever in collegiate sports. CBS will air today's National Championship on May 9 at 1pm.
The Tigers' road to the Super Six was not without difficulty. In yesterday's early preliminary session, LSU began on the balance beam and quickly dug themselves a deep hole - one that ordinarily would've been too deep. But behind one of the most remarkable comebacks in LSU history, the Tigers clawed their way through floor exercise, vault, and bars - hitting 49.150 or better on each - to claim one of six spots in today's winner-take-all final.
LSU had the lowest team score in a team event (48.525 beam) during their session, the second highest team score (49.450 vault), and were the only team in the afternoon to count a fall (beam). But whent the dust settled, the Tigers are one of 5 SEC teams in the Super Six.
.075 - The Distance Between Joy And Pain
In the afternoon session, LSU edged out fourth-place finisher Stanford by .075. That's seventy-five one-thousandths of a point. In the evening session, UCLA and Utah ended the meet tied down to the one-thousandth. So, in keeping with NCAA rules, the 6th competitor's score (normally discarded), was added into the mix to decide which team would advance to the Super Six. The final score: Utah by .075.
The 2009 Super Six Lineup - Looks At Lot The SEC
LSU Tigers
Alabama Crimson Tide
Arkansas GymBacks
Florida Gators
Georgia GymDogs
Utah Utes
Tiger Bites From Lincoln
- A friendly Utah fan with an "I Hate The SEC" T-shirt on accosted the Tigers in the team hotel this afteroon. After several pictures and friendly jabs, the man walked off to join his fellow Red Rocks supporters.
- D-D Breaux, normally among the most jittery of Tigers before any meet, was so calm and collected this afteroon that she nearly missed the team bus from the hotel to the arena. Good natured jabs from the team greeted her aboard the bus as she arrived.
- CBS play-by-play man Tim Brando, in Lincoln to broacast the Super Six, told me last night that, considering the magnitude of the situation, he considered the LSU comeback yesterday among the best-ever in collegiate sports. CBS will air today's National Championship on May 9 at 1pm.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Tigers Win And Advance To The Super Six National Championship!
Behind a season-high vault score of 49.450, the LSU Tigers clawed their way out of a deep early hole and have advanced to the second Super Six in school history!
Here are the final standings:
Georgia 197.450 - ADVANCES
Florida 196.375 - ADVANCES
LSU 196.300 - ADVANCES
Stanford 196.225
Penn State 196.100
Oklahoma 195.825
Here are the final standings:
Georgia 197.450 - ADVANCES
Florida 196.375 - ADVANCES
LSU 196.300 - ADVANCES
Stanford 196.225
Penn State 196.100
Oklahoma 195.825
NCAA Competition Day Has Arrived!
The LSU Tigers have arrived inside the Devaney Center in Lincoln, Nebraska this crisp Thursday morning to take part in the NCAA National Gymnastics Championships. Competition begins at 1:00 pm Central Time and you can catch all the action inside The Geaux Zone FREE of charge.
Here are a few tidbits for you in advance of today's competition.
Head Coach D-D Breaux participated in yesterday's coaches' and athlete's press conference and had some interesting quotes. You can watch the action here. D-D's portion of the conference is a few minutes into the video.
Live stats from today's first session can be found here.
Video of today's action from Lincoln will be streamed LIVE and FREE at this link.
A nice round-up article on each team is in the Lincoln Journal Star. Check it out here.
Sheldon Mickles has a nice piece in today's The Advocate about LSU in the NCAA's. Read more about it here.
After a bit of uncertainty on the LSU vault and floor lineups, the lineups have been set. Here's how the Tigers will compete in today's first session:
Rotation 1 - Balance Beam
Gloria Johnson
Sabrina Franceschelli
Samantha Engle
Summer Hubbard
Ashleigh Clare-Kearney
Susan Jackson
Staci Schwitkis- alternate
Rotation 2 - Floor Exercise
Kayla Rogers
Gloria Johnson
Sabrina Franceschelli
Summer Hubbard
Susan Jackson
Ashleigh Clare-Kearney
Samantha Engle - alternate
Rotation 3 - Vault
Kayla Rogers
Sabrina Franceschelli
Gloria Johnson
Staci Schwitkis
Susan Jackson
Ashleigh Clare-Kearney
Ashley Lee – alternate
Rotation 4 - Uneven Bars
Staci Schwitkis
Sabrina Franceschelli
Samantha Engle
Summer Hubbard
Susan Jackson
Ashleigh Clare-Kearney
Lauren Klein - alternate
All Around
Sabrina Franceschelli
Susan Jackson
Ashleigh Clare-Kearney
Here are a few tidbits for you in advance of today's competition.
Head Coach D-D Breaux participated in yesterday's coaches' and athlete's press conference and had some interesting quotes. You can watch the action here. D-D's portion of the conference is a few minutes into the video.
Live stats from today's first session can be found here.
Video of today's action from Lincoln will be streamed LIVE and FREE at this link.
A nice round-up article on each team is in the Lincoln Journal Star. Check it out here.
Sheldon Mickles has a nice piece in today's The Advocate about LSU in the NCAA's. Read more about it here.
After a bit of uncertainty on the LSU vault and floor lineups, the lineups have been set. Here's how the Tigers will compete in today's first session:
Rotation 1 - Balance Beam
Gloria Johnson
Sabrina Franceschelli
Samantha Engle
Summer Hubbard
Ashleigh Clare-Kearney
Susan Jackson
Staci Schwitkis- alternate
Rotation 2 - Floor Exercise
Kayla Rogers
Gloria Johnson
Sabrina Franceschelli
Summer Hubbard
Susan Jackson
Ashleigh Clare-Kearney
Samantha Engle - alternate
Rotation 3 - Vault
Kayla Rogers
Sabrina Franceschelli
Gloria Johnson
Staci Schwitkis
Susan Jackson
Ashleigh Clare-Kearney
Ashley Lee – alternate
Rotation 4 - Uneven Bars
Staci Schwitkis
Sabrina Franceschelli
Samantha Engle
Summer Hubbard
Susan Jackson
Ashleigh Clare-Kearney
Lauren Klein - alternate
All Around
Sabrina Franceschelli
Susan Jackson
Ashleigh Clare-Kearney
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Wednesday Update From Lincoln, Nebraska
The LSU Tigers’ trip to the NCAA National Gymnastics Championships in Lincoln, Nebraska couldn’t have been smoother on Tuesday afternoon. The charter jet was “wheels up” from Baton Rouge at 3:05 p.m. Just before 5:00 p.m., LSU touched down in the Capital of Cornhusker-land.
After settling in to the Embassy Suites team hotel, many of the Tigers took in a movie at the nearby Grand Theatre, while others hit restaurants and shopping. Head Coach D-D Breaux, with Assistants Bob Moore and Philip Ogletree, led a contingent to nearby Misty’s Steakhouse – one of the most renowned steakhouses in America. I recommend the ribeye. It was good – very, very good.
A team breakfast at 8:00 a.m. started the Tigers’ Wednesday. And, as I write this update, LSU is completing its practice inside the Bob Devaney Center on the Nebraska State Fairgrounds in Lincoln. This is the second time the Devaney Center has hosted the national championships for women’s gymnastics. In 2003, UCLA won their 4th of 5 national titles here.
This evening, LSU will have a team dinner and an early bed time because it’s off to the arena at about 9:30 a.m. Thursday morning. Open stretch begins at 10:45 a.m., then warm-ups followed by the competition at 1:00 p.m.
Tigers Sport New T’s At Nationals Practice Session
Custom designed practice T-shirts have been a staple of Nationals practice day for a number of years. This year is no different. The Tigers stole the show as they arrived in the Devaney Center sporting an all-black T-shirt with the word “WITNESS” across the front in white letters. On the back are the last names of each gymnast and the Eye of the Tiger. Check out the pictures of the Tigers wearing their shirts in the photo gallery.
On the other hand, Utah took a different approach to its custom T-shirt. In large letters on the back: "New Year, Our Year." Just below that in small letters: "2009 National Champions." Wow, predicting a win? Both are shots at defending national champion Georgia - with which the Utes share nearly three decades of bad blood.
Seedings & Pairing For The National Championships
Here are the seedings and pairings for the 2009 NCAA Gymnastics Championships. Five teams from the Southeastern Conference makeup the Final 12 schools competing for a berth in the Super Six – and ultimately a national championship. Three SEC teams (LSU, Florida, Georgia) are in Thursday afternoon’s session while two (Arkansas, Alabama) compete in the evening.
SESSION 1 – 1pm Central Time Thursday
#1 seed Georgia 394.955 NQS
#4 seed LSU 393.635 NQS
#5 seed Florida 393.490 NQS
#8 seed Oklahoma 393.065 NQS
#9 seed Stanford 393.025 NQS
#12 seed Penn State 392.040 NQS
SESSION 2 – 7pm Central Time Thursday
#2 seed Utah 394.865 NQS
#3 seed Alabama 393.925 NQS
#6 seed Oregon St. 393.320 NQS
#7 seed UCLA 393.205 NQS
#10 seed Arkansas 392.740 NQS
#11 seed Illinois 392.715 NQS
The top three scoring teams from each session advance to the Super Six on Friday evening.
Can The Tigers Score Big?
Well, in the words of a famous American politician “You betcha!” Eight of the final 12 teams competing for the National Championship have scored better than 197.000 this season. Of the 8, only 4 have scored 197.400 or better. Those teams: Georgia, Utah, Oregon St., and...LSU.
Top Guns Remain 3, 4 In Nation
Senior Ashleigh Clare-Kearney and junior Susan Jackson enter the NCAA Championships as the 3rd and 4th ranked all-arounders nationally. LSU is one of two teams in the NCAA Championships with two gymnasts ranked in the all around Top 10. Utah is the other team.
With No Home Team, Ticket Sales Sluggish
According to local media reports, fewer than 2,000 tickets have been sold for the championships in Lincoln – a low number no doubt a reflection on the lack of a “home” team. Host Nebraska finished third in their regional two weeks ago and failed to make the final 12.
To put that in perspective, the lowest cumulative attendance (all four sessions combined) of all-time for the NCAA gymnastics championships is 21,269. That occurred in 1989 when Georgia hosted nationals for the first time.
Nationals Old Hat For Some, New Fit For Others
The NCAA began sanctioning women’s gymnastics in 1982. Since that year, one team has made EVERY national championship – Utah. That’s 28 years in a row for the Utes. By contrast, Illinois is making their first-ever appearance on the big stage. LSU is one of only 6 programs in the country to have competed at Nationals 20 years or more.
Here are the number of times each of this year’s Final 12 have made it to the championship:
Utah 28 times
Alabama 27
Florida 27
Georgia 26
UCLA 25
LSU 21
Oregon St. 19
Penn St. 16
Stanford 10
Oklahoma 9
Arkansas 3
Illinois 1st time ever
Thursday’s Probable LSU Line-Up
Rotation 1 - Balance Beam
Gloria Johnson
Samantha Engle
Summer Hubbard
Susan Jackson
Ashleigh Clare-Kearney
Staci Schwitkis- alternate
Rotation 2 - Floor Exercise
Kayla Rogers
Summer Hubbard
Gloria Johnson or Sam Engle
Staci Schwitkis
Susan Jackson
Ashleigh Clare-Kearney
Gloria Johnson or Sam Engle - alternate
Rotation 3 - Vault
Kayla Rogers
Gloria Johnson
Staci Schwitkis
Sabrina Franceschelli
Susan Jackson
Ashleigh Clare-Kearney
Ashley Lee – alternate
Rotation 4 - Uneven Bars
Staci Schwitkis
Summer Hubbard
Samantha Engle
Sabrina Franceschelli
Susan Jackson
Ashleigh Clare-Kearney
All Around
Sabrina Franceschelli
Susan Jackson
Ashleigh Clare-Kearney
Mike’s Eye On The Tigers
At the conclusion of today’s practice, the Tigers appear confident, loose, and ready to compete. With the specter of never making the Super Six a thing of the past, LSU should have little reason for distractions.
This afternoon, one Tiger gymnast told me that if each of her teammates hits routines tomorrow, there is no reason why LSU should not advance into Friday’s Super Six for the second time in school history. The Tigers are that talented. And I agree.
Specifically, here’s what I will be watching for on Thursday:
- The Tigers start on beam and that means ACK does too. Does she break her string of falls on the apparatus? I believe she does – and then runs the table on the all around.
- Who takes the third spot on floor? It’s a critical decision. Will it be an ailing Gloria Johnson who gutted out a 9.80 at regionals? Or will Sam Engle make a return to the floor lineup? Engle has not competed floor since early February. However, she looked spectacular in practice today and that has thrown her into contention for a spot in the lineup.
- Do the normally rock-solid starting three in the beam, floor, vault, and bars lineups remain so under the hot white spotlight of national competition? Kayla Rogers, Staci Schwitkis, and Gloria Johnson have been terrific all season in the lead-off positions.
Many have emailed and bugged me for my Super Six predictions so here goes. From Session 1, I like LSU, Georgia and Stanford. From Session 2, I like Utah, Alabama, and UCLA. I think it shapes up to be the most competitive Super Six in recent memory with three teams from east of the Mississippi River facing off against three teams from west of the Big Muddy.
Normally, I would say “Until Next Week” in this spot on the blog. But, there is no next week. The time is now. The moment has arrived. Let’s see if someone new can win the National Championship. This could be the year.
After settling in to the Embassy Suites team hotel, many of the Tigers took in a movie at the nearby Grand Theatre, while others hit restaurants and shopping. Head Coach D-D Breaux, with Assistants Bob Moore and Philip Ogletree, led a contingent to nearby Misty’s Steakhouse – one of the most renowned steakhouses in America. I recommend the ribeye. It was good – very, very good.
A team breakfast at 8:00 a.m. started the Tigers’ Wednesday. And, as I write this update, LSU is completing its practice inside the Bob Devaney Center on the Nebraska State Fairgrounds in Lincoln. This is the second time the Devaney Center has hosted the national championships for women’s gymnastics. In 2003, UCLA won their 4th of 5 national titles here.
This evening, LSU will have a team dinner and an early bed time because it’s off to the arena at about 9:30 a.m. Thursday morning. Open stretch begins at 10:45 a.m., then warm-ups followed by the competition at 1:00 p.m.
Tigers Sport New T’s At Nationals Practice Session
Custom designed practice T-shirts have been a staple of Nationals practice day for a number of years. This year is no different. The Tigers stole the show as they arrived in the Devaney Center sporting an all-black T-shirt with the word “WITNESS” across the front in white letters. On the back are the last names of each gymnast and the Eye of the Tiger. Check out the pictures of the Tigers wearing their shirts in the photo gallery.
On the other hand, Utah took a different approach to its custom T-shirt. In large letters on the back: "New Year, Our Year." Just below that in small letters: "2009 National Champions." Wow, predicting a win? Both are shots at defending national champion Georgia - with which the Utes share nearly three decades of bad blood.
Seedings & Pairing For The National Championships
Here are the seedings and pairings for the 2009 NCAA Gymnastics Championships. Five teams from the Southeastern Conference makeup the Final 12 schools competing for a berth in the Super Six – and ultimately a national championship. Three SEC teams (LSU, Florida, Georgia) are in Thursday afternoon’s session while two (Arkansas, Alabama) compete in the evening.
SESSION 1 – 1pm Central Time Thursday
#1 seed Georgia 394.955 NQS
#4 seed LSU 393.635 NQS
#5 seed Florida 393.490 NQS
#8 seed Oklahoma 393.065 NQS
#9 seed Stanford 393.025 NQS
#12 seed Penn State 392.040 NQS
SESSION 2 – 7pm Central Time Thursday
#2 seed Utah 394.865 NQS
#3 seed Alabama 393.925 NQS
#6 seed Oregon St. 393.320 NQS
#7 seed UCLA 393.205 NQS
#10 seed Arkansas 392.740 NQS
#11 seed Illinois 392.715 NQS
The top three scoring teams from each session advance to the Super Six on Friday evening.
Can The Tigers Score Big?
Well, in the words of a famous American politician “You betcha!” Eight of the final 12 teams competing for the National Championship have scored better than 197.000 this season. Of the 8, only 4 have scored 197.400 or better. Those teams: Georgia, Utah, Oregon St., and...LSU.
Top Guns Remain 3, 4 In Nation
Senior Ashleigh Clare-Kearney and junior Susan Jackson enter the NCAA Championships as the 3rd and 4th ranked all-arounders nationally. LSU is one of two teams in the NCAA Championships with two gymnasts ranked in the all around Top 10. Utah is the other team.
With No Home Team, Ticket Sales Sluggish
According to local media reports, fewer than 2,000 tickets have been sold for the championships in Lincoln – a low number no doubt a reflection on the lack of a “home” team. Host Nebraska finished third in their regional two weeks ago and failed to make the final 12.
To put that in perspective, the lowest cumulative attendance (all four sessions combined) of all-time for the NCAA gymnastics championships is 21,269. That occurred in 1989 when Georgia hosted nationals for the first time.
Nationals Old Hat For Some, New Fit For Others
The NCAA began sanctioning women’s gymnastics in 1982. Since that year, one team has made EVERY national championship – Utah. That’s 28 years in a row for the Utes. By contrast, Illinois is making their first-ever appearance on the big stage. LSU is one of only 6 programs in the country to have competed at Nationals 20 years or more.
Here are the number of times each of this year’s Final 12 have made it to the championship:
Utah 28 times
Alabama 27
Florida 27
Georgia 26
UCLA 25
LSU 21
Oregon St. 19
Penn St. 16
Stanford 10
Oklahoma 9
Arkansas 3
Illinois 1st time ever
Thursday’s Probable LSU Line-Up
Rotation 1 - Balance Beam
Gloria Johnson
Samantha Engle
Summer Hubbard
Susan Jackson
Ashleigh Clare-Kearney
Staci Schwitkis- alternate
Rotation 2 - Floor Exercise
Kayla Rogers
Summer Hubbard
Gloria Johnson or Sam Engle
Staci Schwitkis
Susan Jackson
Ashleigh Clare-Kearney
Gloria Johnson or Sam Engle - alternate
Rotation 3 - Vault
Kayla Rogers
Gloria Johnson
Staci Schwitkis
Sabrina Franceschelli
Susan Jackson
Ashleigh Clare-Kearney
Ashley Lee – alternate
Rotation 4 - Uneven Bars
Staci Schwitkis
Summer Hubbard
Samantha Engle
Sabrina Franceschelli
Susan Jackson
Ashleigh Clare-Kearney
All Around
Sabrina Franceschelli
Susan Jackson
Ashleigh Clare-Kearney
Mike’s Eye On The Tigers
At the conclusion of today’s practice, the Tigers appear confident, loose, and ready to compete. With the specter of never making the Super Six a thing of the past, LSU should have little reason for distractions.
This afternoon, one Tiger gymnast told me that if each of her teammates hits routines tomorrow, there is no reason why LSU should not advance into Friday’s Super Six for the second time in school history. The Tigers are that talented. And I agree.
Specifically, here’s what I will be watching for on Thursday:
- The Tigers start on beam and that means ACK does too. Does she break her string of falls on the apparatus? I believe she does – and then runs the table on the all around.
- Who takes the third spot on floor? It’s a critical decision. Will it be an ailing Gloria Johnson who gutted out a 9.80 at regionals? Or will Sam Engle make a return to the floor lineup? Engle has not competed floor since early February. However, she looked spectacular in practice today and that has thrown her into contention for a spot in the lineup.
- Do the normally rock-solid starting three in the beam, floor, vault, and bars lineups remain so under the hot white spotlight of national competition? Kayla Rogers, Staci Schwitkis, and Gloria Johnson have been terrific all season in the lead-off positions.
Many have emailed and bugged me for my Super Six predictions so here goes. From Session 1, I like LSU, Georgia and Stanford. From Session 2, I like Utah, Alabama, and UCLA. I think it shapes up to be the most competitive Super Six in recent memory with three teams from east of the Mississippi River facing off against three teams from west of the Big Muddy.
Normally, I would say “Until Next Week” in this spot on the blog. But, there is no next week. The time is now. The moment has arrived. Let’s see if someone new can win the National Championship. This could be the year.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Tigers Defend Regional Championship, Punch Ticket To Nationals
It came down to the last gymnast on the last event on Saturday evening in Columbus, Ohio. With the NCAA Central Regional Championship on the line, LSU's Susan Jackson needed at least a 9.875 on balance beam to defend the Tigers' regional title. The junior from Spring, Texas, who found herself the lone gymnast performing at the time, methodically nailed a 9.925 to lock up both the team title and the All-Around title for herself.
It was a truly clutch performance by Jackson. As the anchor of the beam lineup, she competed after two of her teammates suffered miscues on the beam. Junior Summer Hubbard was 75% through a flawless routine when a wobble forced her hands down onto the beam. After the mandatory deduction, Hubbard scored 9.65 - a score the Tigers hoped to throw out.
Senior Ashleigh Clare-Kearney, who had fallen on beam three consecutive weeks leading up to regionals, nailed the portion of her routine that caused her so much earlier trouble. However, something went wrong in the last 5 seconds of her routine in Columbus. A 9.600 or better would lock up the All-Around title, but it was not to be. On a relatively simple maneuver, Clare-Kearney fell off the beam and recorded a score of 9.350.
That set the stage for Jackson to save the day for the Tigers - giving LSU its 6th Regional Championship and 18th berth in the National Championships.
NCAA Pairings Announced
The NCAA has seeded the 12 teams participating in the in the 2009 National Gymnastics Championships next week in Lincoln, Nebraska. Each team's regional score was added to its Regional Qualifying Score (RQS) prior to the regionals. The sum is the NQS, or National Qualifying Score. Teams are then simply ranked from highest to lowest NQS.
LSU received a top 5 seed for the second year in a row. A NQS of 393.635 has given the Tigers a #4 national seed, just behind #3 seed Alabama and ahead of #5 seed Florida. Georgia and Utah are 1-2 seeds, respectively. In all, 5 of the 7 SEC teams have advanced to the Nationals - the most of any conference.
The twelve teams are divided into two six-team sessions. Seeds 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, and 12 are paired together and will compete in next Thursday's afternoon session. Here's a complete breakdown:
After finishing on beam at both the SEC and Regional meets, the Tigers will actually start on beam in the afternoon session of the NCAA's. LSU seems to have drawn the most favorable rotation order in many years at nationals. Here's the official rotation for LSU:
Rotation 1 - BEAM
Rotation 2 - BYE
Rotation 3 - FLOOR EXERCISE
Rotation 4 - VAULT
Rotation 5 - BYE
Rotation 6 - BARS
Travel And Practice Schedules
Head Coach D-D Breaux has announced the Tigers will travel next Tuesday to Lincoln. Exact travel plans have not been set, but with classes resuming from spring break on Monday, the team will attend a full day of classes prior to traveling.
Wednesday is practice day inside the Bob Devaney Center, which is located on the Nebraska State Fairgrounds. LSU will practice at 11 a.m.
Doors to the arena for Thursday's competition open at 10:45 a.m. and the competition begins at 1:00 p.m. Friday's Super Six competition begins at 7:00 p.m.
It was a truly clutch performance by Jackson. As the anchor of the beam lineup, she competed after two of her teammates suffered miscues on the beam. Junior Summer Hubbard was 75% through a flawless routine when a wobble forced her hands down onto the beam. After the mandatory deduction, Hubbard scored 9.65 - a score the Tigers hoped to throw out.
Senior Ashleigh Clare-Kearney, who had fallen on beam three consecutive weeks leading up to regionals, nailed the portion of her routine that caused her so much earlier trouble. However, something went wrong in the last 5 seconds of her routine in Columbus. A 9.600 or better would lock up the All-Around title, but it was not to be. On a relatively simple maneuver, Clare-Kearney fell off the beam and recorded a score of 9.350.
That set the stage for Jackson to save the day for the Tigers - giving LSU its 6th Regional Championship and 18th berth in the National Championships.
NCAA Pairings Announced
The NCAA has seeded the 12 teams participating in the in the 2009 National Gymnastics Championships next week in Lincoln, Nebraska. Each team's regional score was added to its Regional Qualifying Score (RQS) prior to the regionals. The sum is the NQS, or National Qualifying Score. Teams are then simply ranked from highest to lowest NQS.
LSU received a top 5 seed for the second year in a row. A NQS of 393.635 has given the Tigers a #4 national seed, just behind #3 seed Alabama and ahead of #5 seed Florida. Georgia and Utah are 1-2 seeds, respectively. In all, 5 of the 7 SEC teams have advanced to the Nationals - the most of any conference.
The twelve teams are divided into two six-team sessions. Seeds 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, and 12 are paired together and will compete in next Thursday's afternoon session. Here's a complete breakdown:
2009 NCAA Championship Field | |||||
| Seed | School | Region Score | RQS | NQS |
|
| 1 | Georgia | 197.70 | 197.255 | 394.955 | Southeast Region champion |
| 2 | Utah | 197.675 | 197.190 | 394.865 | West Region champion |
| 3 | Alabama | 197.00 | 196.925 | 393.925 | Northeast Region champion |
| 4 | LSU | 196.875 | 196.760 | 393.635 | Central Region champion |
| 5 | Florida | 196.775 | 196.715 | 393.49 | North Central Region champion |
| 6 | Oregon State | 196.80 | 196.520 | 393.32 | Central Region runner-up |
| 7 | UCLA | 196.625 | 196.580 | 393.205 | North Central Region runner-up |
| 8 | Oklahoma | 196.60 | 196.465 | 393.065 | Northeast Region runner-up |
| 9 | Stanford | 196.20 | 196.825 | 393.025 | South Central Region runner-up |
| 10 | Arkansas | 196.30 | 196.440 | 392.74 | South Central Region champion |
| 11 | Illinois | 196.70 | 196.015 | 392.715 | West Region runner-up |
| 12 | Penn State | 195.80 | 196.240 | 392.04 | Southeast Region runner-up |
| No-shade denotes teams in LSU's session of April 16 NCAA Championship team qualifying | |||||
After finishing on beam at both the SEC and Regional meets, the Tigers will actually start on beam in the afternoon session of the NCAA's. LSU seems to have drawn the most favorable rotation order in many years at nationals. Here's the official rotation for LSU:
Rotation 1 - BEAM
Rotation 2 - BYE
Rotation 3 - FLOOR EXERCISE
Rotation 4 - VAULT
Rotation 5 - BYE
Rotation 6 - BARS
Travel And Practice Schedules
Head Coach D-D Breaux has announced the Tigers will travel next Tuesday to Lincoln. Exact travel plans have not been set, but with classes resuming from spring break on Monday, the team will attend a full day of classes prior to traveling.
Wednesday is practice day inside the Bob Devaney Center, which is located on the Nebraska State Fairgrounds. LSU will practice at 11 a.m.
Doors to the arena for Thursday's competition open at 10:45 a.m. and the competition begins at 1:00 p.m. Friday's Super Six competition begins at 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
NCAA Regional Afternoon Update
Each of the six teams is warming up inside St. John Arena here on the campus of Ohio State University. LSU is nearly complete with its warmup - currently on balance beam (the last event).
The Tigers will compete in this order today:
Rotation 1 - BYE
Rotation 2 - Floor Exercise
Rotation 3 - Vault
Rotaton 4 - BYE
Rotation 5 - Uneven Bars
Rotation 6 - Balance Beam
Here's our broadcast schedule for today:
5:00 p.m. CDT on the air at LSUSports.net
Rotation 1 guest - Head Coach D-D Breaux, recap LSU opponents today, set other regionals
Rotation 4 guest - LSU Chancellor Dr. Mike Martin, recap other regional action
Post meet - Recap meet highlights, Head Coach D-D Breaux, recap other regionals, look ahead
The Tigers will compete in this order today:
Rotation 1 - BYE
Rotation 2 - Floor Exercise
Rotation 3 - Vault
Rotaton 4 - BYE
Rotation 5 - Uneven Bars
Rotation 6 - Balance Beam
Here's our broadcast schedule for today:
5:00 p.m. CDT on the air at LSUSports.net
Rotation 1 guest - Head Coach D-D Breaux, recap LSU opponents today, set other regionals
Rotation 4 guest - LSU Chancellor Dr. Mike Martin, recap other regional action
Post meet - Recap meet highlights, Head Coach D-D Breaux, recap other regionals, look ahead
NCAA Regional Morning Update
With a bright morning sun and temperature at freezing, the LSU Tigers awoke this morning to regional day in Columbus, Ohio. The Renaissance Hotel in downtown Columbus is the official meet hotel. Each of the teams has a fan presence inside the hotel which makes for a fun atmosphere.
LSU started the day with "Power Circle" - the Tigers' pre-meet ritual during which each competing gymnast performs a walk-though of their routine. Assistant Coach Philip Ogletree led Power Circle this morning as D-D Breaux and Bob Moore attended a NCAA meeting in the team hotel. The team seemed very loose and ready for the day ahead - a welcome sign after the travel adversity the Tigers experienced this week.
The official team lunch was next up on the agenda. It's same lunch that follows the Tigers wherever they travel - grilled chicken, rice and steamed vegetables. LSU will depart the team hotel at 2:45 pm Eastern Time and head directly to St. John Arena, which is about 15 minutes away. Open stretch begins at 3:45 pm Eastern and official warmups about 30 minutes after that.
St. John Arena is a venerable facility with Ohio State Big Ten Championship banners hanging high in the rafters from as far back as 1925. One of the portals inside the arena has an impressive photo of Jesse Owens, taken during his time as a Buckeye. Looking around the arena yesterday, the movie "Hoosiers" came to mind. With the wooden seats, high balconies and old banners, it's easy to picture Jimmy Chitwood coming into the game to run the picket fence. Yet, I digress.
Fans will literally sit on top of the action tonight. The seating areas slope steeply up to the balcony. The competition floor is tight but comfortable. One corner of the floor exercise is nearly inside a lower level portal.
It should make a for a great setting for the NCAA Central Regional this evening. Our broadcast starts at 5pm Central Time inside The Geaux Zone on LSUSports.net. I'll update the blog again prior to the start of the meet.
LSU started the day with "Power Circle" - the Tigers' pre-meet ritual during which each competing gymnast performs a walk-though of their routine. Assistant Coach Philip Ogletree led Power Circle this morning as D-D Breaux and Bob Moore attended a NCAA meeting in the team hotel. The team seemed very loose and ready for the day ahead - a welcome sign after the travel adversity the Tigers experienced this week.
The official team lunch was next up on the agenda. It's same lunch that follows the Tigers wherever they travel - grilled chicken, rice and steamed vegetables. LSU will depart the team hotel at 2:45 pm Eastern Time and head directly to St. John Arena, which is about 15 minutes away. Open stretch begins at 3:45 pm Eastern and official warmups about 30 minutes after that.
St. John Arena is a venerable facility with Ohio State Big Ten Championship banners hanging high in the rafters from as far back as 1925. One of the portals inside the arena has an impressive photo of Jesse Owens, taken during his time as a Buckeye. Looking around the arena yesterday, the movie "Hoosiers" came to mind. With the wooden seats, high balconies and old banners, it's easy to picture Jimmy Chitwood coming into the game to run the picket fence. Yet, I digress.
Fans will literally sit on top of the action tonight. The seating areas slope steeply up to the balcony. The competition floor is tight but comfortable. One corner of the floor exercise is nearly inside a lower level portal.
It should make a for a great setting for the NCAA Central Regional this evening. Our broadcast starts at 5pm Central Time inside The Geaux Zone on LSUSports.net. I'll update the blog again prior to the start of the meet.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Meet Thirteen: The 2009 NCAA Central Regional
The Road to the Super Six got off to a bumpy start for the fifth-ranked LSU Tigers. Thursday was to be travel day to Columbus, Ohio, site of the 2009 NCAA Central Regional. However, inclement weather and a mechanical failure on one of the Tigers’ Delta Airlines flights out of Baton Rouge caused the entire trip to be scrubbed for the day.
Thanks to quick calls by D-D Breaux and with solid support of the LSU Athletic Department, a charter flight was arranged for the Tigers for Friday morning – direct from Baton Rouge to Columbus.
The only down side to arriving Friday is that it is mandatory practice day in St. John Arena on the campus of Ohio State University. LSU was originally scheduled to practice at 1:00 p.m. Central Time – just two hours after landing. But Thursday evening D-D petitioned the NCAA to move the practice time to later in the day. Thankfully, the request was granted.
Now, with all the travel woes behind them, the Tigers can focus squarely on the task at hand – winning the regional and advancing to the NCAA Championships two weeks from now.
25 Years Straight- A Historical Achievement
The NCAA began sanctioning Women’s Gymnastics in 1982. With the #1 seed to this year’s Central Regional, LSU has reached the “playoffs” of gymnastics an incredible 28 of 29 years. The 2009 berth marks 25 straight years the Tigers have advanced to a regional.
According to staff historian and LSU gymnastics SID Jake Terry, here’s how the Tigers have finished:
First place – 5 times
Second place – 12 times
Third place – 8 times
That means LSU has earned a trip to the NCAA Championships (by finishing first or second in a regional) 17 times in 28 years – truly a remarkable accomplishment.
ACK #1 In LSU History
The floor exercise has proven a girl’s best friend – Ashleigh Clare-Kearney, that is. Her floor performance at the SEC Championships was great enough to earn her second conference title in as many years. In so doing, the senior from Manchester, Connecticut secured her 110th career individual title – putting her atop the LSU record book. For her career, ACK has 26 floor titles, 34 vault, 18 bars, 10 beam, and 25 All Around. The previous school record was held by April Burkholder who, between 2003-2006, collected 109 titles.
Susan Jackson ’09 SEC Beam Champion
Junior Susan Jackson earned the SEC balance beam championship with a 9.90 in Nashville. Jackson earned first team All-SEC for the second year in a row. Courtney Kupets of Georgia and Casey Jo Magee of Arkansas shared the title with Jackson, both scoring identical 9.90. For Jackson it was her 6th career beam title and 26th overall. That mark is good enough for second among current Tigers.
2009 NCAA Central Regional Competition
By finishing the regular season ranked 5th nationally, LSU received one of six #1 seeds in NCAA Regionals. For opponents, the Tigers have drawn #2 seed Oregon State (ranked 8th nationally), #3 seed Ohio State (ranked 17th), #4 seed Kent State (ranked 22nd), #5 seed Kentucky (ranked 24th), and #6 seed Michigan State (ranked 26th).
The Beavers of Oregon State are a tremendous team and hail from a resurgent Pac-10 Conference. Their top score of the 2009 regular season was 197.500 – a tenth better than LSU’s top team score of the season. Beam and floor are the Beavers strong suits – ranking 5th and 10th nationally, respectively. Two gymnasts to watch for in the black and orange are Mandi Rodriquez (7th nationally in the All Around) and freshman Leslie Mak (4th nationally on bars).
The host team, Ohio State Buckeyes, have a season high team score of 196.475 and finished 5th in the Big Ten. Watch for a solid effort on the uneven bars – the Buckeyes rank 16th nationally at 49.000.
The Kent State Golden Flashes could be the sleeper team of this regional. More hot than cold of late, KSU has scored 196.750 this season. The Flashes are best on floor exercise where they rank 14th with a RQS of 49.175.
Mo Mitchell’s Kentucky GymKats are a familiar SEC team for the LSU Tigers. The two cats tangled in Lexington this season with the Tigers posting one of their highest road scores of the season. UK has one of the country’s best freshman in Whitney Rose, who was named SEC Freshman of the Year. She averages 39.100 in the All Around.
Michigan State makes two Big Ten teams in this year’s Central Regional. The Spartans are coming off a disappointing sixth-place finish in the conference championships two weeks ago. They do have one of the country’s best beam performers in Kelsey Morley. She ranks 3rd in the nation on the event at 9.915 RQS. Watch for Morley to advance to the NCAA Championships as an individual event specialist.
Do some of these teams look familiar to Tiger fans? They should. Ohio State, Kent State, and Kentucky all competed with LSU in last season’s NCAA Central Regional in the Maravich Center on the LSU campus. It was a great night for the Tigers as LSU scored a school record regional score of 197.625.
National Rankings
Here are the final regular season point standings followed by each team's RQS and ranking trend since last week. The Top 18 teams received seedings of 1-3 in the 6 regionals being hosted around the country. Eleven of LSU’s opponents finished the season ranked in the Top 25.
1 Georgia 197.255 0
2 Utah 197.190 0
3 Alabama 196.925 +1
4 Stanford 196.825 -1
5 LSU 196.760 -1
6 Florida 196.715 0
7 UCLA 196.580 0
8 Oregon State 196.520 +1
9 Oklahoma 196.465 +1
10 Arkansas 196.440 +1
11 Auburn 196.390 -3
12 Penn State 196.240 +3
13 Nebraska 196.095 0
14 Illinois-Champaign 196.015 +2
15 Missouri 196.005 -2
16 Michigan 195.985 -2
17 Ohio State 195.735 +1
18 Minnesota 195.710 -1
19 Boise State 195.590 +4
20 Denver 195.430 NR
21 West Virginia 195.390 -1
22 Kent State 195.335 +2
23 Iowa State 195.070 +2
24 Kentucky 195.295 0
25 Arizona 195.280 -6
By event, here’s how LSU ranks heading into the NCAA Regionals:
• Bars (49.335), 4th in nation
• Vault (49.295), 5th in nation
• Beam (49.105), 9th in nation
• Floor (49.180), 12th in nation
ACK and Susan Jackson 3-4 In Nation
LSU’s “Top Guns” have risen to the occasion of late. Senior Ashleigh Clare-Kearney and junior Susan Jackson finished the regular season ranked 3rd and 4th, respectively, in the All Around nationally. LSU is the only #1 regional seed that has two gymnasts inside the Top 10 in the All Around.
Here’s how they stack up in individual events:
• Ashleigh Clare-Kearney, 1st in nation on floor (9.945 RQS)
• Ashleigh Clare-Kearney, 4th in nation on vault (9.930 RQS)
• Ashleigh Clare-Kearney, 5th in nation on bars (9.910 RQS)
• Susan Jackson, 12th in nation on vault (9.900 RQS)
• Susan Jackson, 14th in nation on bars (9.885 RQS)
• Susan Jackson, 16th in nation on beam (9.880 RQS)
• Summer Hubbard, 25th in nation on beam (9.870 RQS)
• Ashleigh Clare-Kearney, 3rd in nation in All Around (39.515 RQS)
• Susan Jackson, 4th in nation in All Around (39.505 RQS)
Saturday’s Probable LSU Regional Line-Up
Vault
Kayla Rogers
Gloria Johnson
Staci Schwitkis
Sabrina Franceschelli
Susan Jackson
Ashleigh Clare-Kearney
Ashley Lee – alternate
Uneven Bars
Staci Schwitkis
Summer Hubbard
Samantha Engle
Sabrina Franceschelli
Susan Jackson
Ashleigh Clare-Kearney
Lauren Klein – alternate
Balance Beam
Gloria Johnson
Samantha Engle
Summer Hubbard
Susan Jackson
Ashleigh Clare-Kearney
Staci Schwitkis- alternate
Floor Exercise
Kayla Rogers
Summer Hubbard
Gloria Johnson
Staci Schwitkis
Susan Jackson
Ashleigh Clare-Kearney
All Around
Susan Jackson
Ashleigh Clare-Kearney
Mike’s Eye On The Tigers
No doubt about it, the Tigers are hungry. The SEC Championships were a bit of a “downer” for LSU – not for the order of finish, necessarily – but for the overall team score. Bars and beam were a bit disappointing for the Tigers, and hand a hand in the resulting 196.500 team score. LSU trailed only Alabama heading into the final competitive rotation in Nashville, yet finished in 4th place.
But that was then, and this is the post-season. It’s time for this year’s Tigers to turn it on and reach their full potential. Truth is, LSU has not reached it's high water mark yet this year.
Here’s what I will be looking for in Saturday’s Regional meet:
- Will ACK stay on beam? She’s fallen three weeks in a row. If she stays on, look for her to dominate this NCAA Regional meet.
- Look for Susan Jackson to score big on vault. This is her time of year and she has some making up to do. Only 4 times this season has the defending NCAA vault champion scored 9.90 or better. It’s time to close the deal and defend her title.
- Watch for a resurgent Sabrina Franceschelli. She returned to the All Around line-up two meets ago and has, for the most part, excelled. Look for a 39.200+ from her on Saturday.
- How will the younger Tigers react to the tough travels and long two days that it took to reach Columbus? Will they focus or fold? LSU cannot afford to have any gymnast fold under pressure.
The heat is on! A repeat regional title and return to the NCAA Championships is on the line. I look for the Tigers to hit 196.750 and punch their ticket to Lincoln, Nebraska.
Our airtime from the St. John Center is 5 p.m. Central Time Saturday evening. Join us live – and free – in the Geaux Zone at LSUSports.net.
Until next week, GEAUX TIGERS!
Mike
Thanks to quick calls by D-D Breaux and with solid support of the LSU Athletic Department, a charter flight was arranged for the Tigers for Friday morning – direct from Baton Rouge to Columbus.
The only down side to arriving Friday is that it is mandatory practice day in St. John Arena on the campus of Ohio State University. LSU was originally scheduled to practice at 1:00 p.m. Central Time – just two hours after landing. But Thursday evening D-D petitioned the NCAA to move the practice time to later in the day. Thankfully, the request was granted.
Now, with all the travel woes behind them, the Tigers can focus squarely on the task at hand – winning the regional and advancing to the NCAA Championships two weeks from now.
25 Years Straight- A Historical Achievement
The NCAA began sanctioning Women’s Gymnastics in 1982. With the #1 seed to this year’s Central Regional, LSU has reached the “playoffs” of gymnastics an incredible 28 of 29 years. The 2009 berth marks 25 straight years the Tigers have advanced to a regional.
According to staff historian and LSU gymnastics SID Jake Terry, here’s how the Tigers have finished:
First place – 5 times
Second place – 12 times
Third place – 8 times
That means LSU has earned a trip to the NCAA Championships (by finishing first or second in a regional) 17 times in 28 years – truly a remarkable accomplishment.
ACK #1 In LSU History
The floor exercise has proven a girl’s best friend – Ashleigh Clare-Kearney, that is. Her floor performance at the SEC Championships was great enough to earn her second conference title in as many years. In so doing, the senior from Manchester, Connecticut secured her 110th career individual title – putting her atop the LSU record book. For her career, ACK has 26 floor titles, 34 vault, 18 bars, 10 beam, and 25 All Around. The previous school record was held by April Burkholder who, between 2003-2006, collected 109 titles.
Susan Jackson ’09 SEC Beam Champion
Junior Susan Jackson earned the SEC balance beam championship with a 9.90 in Nashville. Jackson earned first team All-SEC for the second year in a row. Courtney Kupets of Georgia and Casey Jo Magee of Arkansas shared the title with Jackson, both scoring identical 9.90. For Jackson it was her 6th career beam title and 26th overall. That mark is good enough for second among current Tigers.
2009 NCAA Central Regional Competition
By finishing the regular season ranked 5th nationally, LSU received one of six #1 seeds in NCAA Regionals. For opponents, the Tigers have drawn #2 seed Oregon State (ranked 8th nationally), #3 seed Ohio State (ranked 17th), #4 seed Kent State (ranked 22nd), #5 seed Kentucky (ranked 24th), and #6 seed Michigan State (ranked 26th).
The Beavers of Oregon State are a tremendous team and hail from a resurgent Pac-10 Conference. Their top score of the 2009 regular season was 197.500 – a tenth better than LSU’s top team score of the season. Beam and floor are the Beavers strong suits – ranking 5th and 10th nationally, respectively. Two gymnasts to watch for in the black and orange are Mandi Rodriquez (7th nationally in the All Around) and freshman Leslie Mak (4th nationally on bars).
The host team, Ohio State Buckeyes, have a season high team score of 196.475 and finished 5th in the Big Ten. Watch for a solid effort on the uneven bars – the Buckeyes rank 16th nationally at 49.000.
The Kent State Golden Flashes could be the sleeper team of this regional. More hot than cold of late, KSU has scored 196.750 this season. The Flashes are best on floor exercise where they rank 14th with a RQS of 49.175.
Mo Mitchell’s Kentucky GymKats are a familiar SEC team for the LSU Tigers. The two cats tangled in Lexington this season with the Tigers posting one of their highest road scores of the season. UK has one of the country’s best freshman in Whitney Rose, who was named SEC Freshman of the Year. She averages 39.100 in the All Around.
Michigan State makes two Big Ten teams in this year’s Central Regional. The Spartans are coming off a disappointing sixth-place finish in the conference championships two weeks ago. They do have one of the country’s best beam performers in Kelsey Morley. She ranks 3rd in the nation on the event at 9.915 RQS. Watch for Morley to advance to the NCAA Championships as an individual event specialist.
Do some of these teams look familiar to Tiger fans? They should. Ohio State, Kent State, and Kentucky all competed with LSU in last season’s NCAA Central Regional in the Maravich Center on the LSU campus. It was a great night for the Tigers as LSU scored a school record regional score of 197.625.
National Rankings
Here are the final regular season point standings followed by each team's RQS and ranking trend since last week. The Top 18 teams received seedings of 1-3 in the 6 regionals being hosted around the country. Eleven of LSU’s opponents finished the season ranked in the Top 25.
1 Georgia 197.255 0
2 Utah 197.190 0
3 Alabama 196.925 +1
4 Stanford 196.825 -1
5 LSU 196.760 -1
6 Florida 196.715 0
7 UCLA 196.580 0
8 Oregon State 196.520 +1
9 Oklahoma 196.465 +1
10 Arkansas 196.440 +1
11 Auburn 196.390 -3
12 Penn State 196.240 +3
13 Nebraska 196.095 0
14 Illinois-Champaign 196.015 +2
15 Missouri 196.005 -2
16 Michigan 195.985 -2
17 Ohio State 195.735 +1
18 Minnesota 195.710 -1
19 Boise State 195.590 +4
20 Denver 195.430 NR
21 West Virginia 195.390 -1
22 Kent State 195.335 +2
23 Iowa State 195.070 +2
24 Kentucky 195.295 0
25 Arizona 195.280 -6
By event, here’s how LSU ranks heading into the NCAA Regionals:
• Bars (49.335), 4th in nation
• Vault (49.295), 5th in nation
• Beam (49.105), 9th in nation
• Floor (49.180), 12th in nation
ACK and Susan Jackson 3-4 In Nation
LSU’s “Top Guns” have risen to the occasion of late. Senior Ashleigh Clare-Kearney and junior Susan Jackson finished the regular season ranked 3rd and 4th, respectively, in the All Around nationally. LSU is the only #1 regional seed that has two gymnasts inside the Top 10 in the All Around.
Here’s how they stack up in individual events:
• Ashleigh Clare-Kearney, 1st in nation on floor (9.945 RQS)
• Ashleigh Clare-Kearney, 4th in nation on vault (9.930 RQS)
• Ashleigh Clare-Kearney, 5th in nation on bars (9.910 RQS)
• Susan Jackson, 12th in nation on vault (9.900 RQS)
• Susan Jackson, 14th in nation on bars (9.885 RQS)
• Susan Jackson, 16th in nation on beam (9.880 RQS)
• Summer Hubbard, 25th in nation on beam (9.870 RQS)
• Ashleigh Clare-Kearney, 3rd in nation in All Around (39.515 RQS)
• Susan Jackson, 4th in nation in All Around (39.505 RQS)
Saturday’s Probable LSU Regional Line-Up
Vault
Kayla Rogers
Gloria Johnson
Staci Schwitkis
Sabrina Franceschelli
Susan Jackson
Ashleigh Clare-Kearney
Ashley Lee – alternate
Uneven Bars
Staci Schwitkis
Summer Hubbard
Samantha Engle
Sabrina Franceschelli
Susan Jackson
Ashleigh Clare-Kearney
Lauren Klein – alternate
Balance Beam
Gloria Johnson
Samantha Engle
Summer Hubbard
Susan Jackson
Ashleigh Clare-Kearney
Staci Schwitkis- alternate
Floor Exercise
Kayla Rogers
Summer Hubbard
Gloria Johnson
Staci Schwitkis
Susan Jackson
Ashleigh Clare-Kearney
All Around
Susan Jackson
Ashleigh Clare-Kearney
Mike’s Eye On The Tigers
No doubt about it, the Tigers are hungry. The SEC Championships were a bit of a “downer” for LSU – not for the order of finish, necessarily – but for the overall team score. Bars and beam were a bit disappointing for the Tigers, and hand a hand in the resulting 196.500 team score. LSU trailed only Alabama heading into the final competitive rotation in Nashville, yet finished in 4th place.
But that was then, and this is the post-season. It’s time for this year’s Tigers to turn it on and reach their full potential. Truth is, LSU has not reached it's high water mark yet this year.
Here’s what I will be looking for in Saturday’s Regional meet:
- Will ACK stay on beam? She’s fallen three weeks in a row. If she stays on, look for her to dominate this NCAA Regional meet.
- Look for Susan Jackson to score big on vault. This is her time of year and she has some making up to do. Only 4 times this season has the defending NCAA vault champion scored 9.90 or better. It’s time to close the deal and defend her title.
- Watch for a resurgent Sabrina Franceschelli. She returned to the All Around line-up two meets ago and has, for the most part, excelled. Look for a 39.200+ from her on Saturday.
- How will the younger Tigers react to the tough travels and long two days that it took to reach Columbus? Will they focus or fold? LSU cannot afford to have any gymnast fold under pressure.
The heat is on! A repeat regional title and return to the NCAA Championships is on the line. I look for the Tigers to hit 196.750 and punch their ticket to Lincoln, Nebraska.
Our airtime from the St. John Center is 5 p.m. Central Time Saturday evening. Join us live – and free – in the Geaux Zone at LSUSports.net.
Until next week, GEAUX TIGERS!
Mike
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