Good afternoon Tiger Fans from the Great Northwest! The LSU Tigers gymnastics team is here in Corvallis, Oregon to start the 37th season of LSU Gymnastics against the Oregon State Beavers. Paige Cipolloni and Ashleigh Clare-Kearney will join me on the broadcast beginning at 9:00 pm Central time and we invite you to join us in the GeauxZone on LSUSports.net.
New Year, New Look Team
D-D Breaux begins her 34th year as LSU head coach tonight and she faces a season of rebuilding ahead after the departure of the winningest senior class in school history. In fact, when the Tigers arrive in Gill Coliseum this evening, it will mark the first time since 2006 that LSU has not returned its leading gymnast from the previous year. Expect 5 of the 8 freshmen on the 2011 roster to see action in tonight's first meet of the season. These newcomers will complement sophomores Shelby Prunty, Ericka Garcia, and Janelle Garcia along with junior All-American Ashley Lee. Samantha Engle, a second team All-American last season, is the Tiger's lone senior in 2011. She will be called on to provide important leadership to a team certain to search for its identity early this season.
Eight freshmen on this year's roster is the most since 2001. That number includes two redshirt freshmen (Kaleigh Dickson, Lanie Fleming) who sat out last season due to injuries. Likewise, one senior on this year's squad is the fewest since 2008.
Youth Ready To Roll
Tonight will mark the much anticipated debut of redshirt freshman Kaleigh Dickson (Oldsmar, FL-Lafleur's Gym). Dickson was set to be a solid contributor for the Tigers last season before a serious knee injury ended her year just prior to the start of the 2010 campaign. Though not in tonight's all-around, expect Dickson to claim a spot in each event in the coming weeks. The diminutive 4' 10" Sarah Zoldos (Clearwater, FL-Lafleur's Gym) is also in three events tonight. Don't let her size fool you, though. She is expected to be a mainstay for the Tigers on vault, bars and floor this year.
Tonight, Sarie Morrison (Dallas, TX-Metroplex Gym) becomes the first LSU freshman since April Burkholder (38.700 in 2003) to debut in the All-Around. Many eyes will be on this promising young freshman as she works to sharpen her routines throughout the season. Watch for freshmen Mckenzie Fox (bars) and Maliah Mathis (vault, floor) to make impacts as well.
ACK Back With The Program
Now a law school student at LSU, two-time National Champion Ashleigh Clare-Kearney has rejoined the Tiger gymnastics program as a volunteer assistant coach. She has choreographed each of the team's floor exercise routines this season.
Pre-Season Rankings Bode Tough Schedule Ahead
As has become the norm in Baton Rouge, the LSU gymnastics team faces another tough schedule of opponents in 2011. Nine of the the Tiger's opponents are ranked in the pre-season Top 25 with five of those in the Top 10. LSU will face 6 of these Top 25 opponents on the road and only 3 inside the Maravich Center.
A Look At Oregon State
LSU is repaying the Beaver's visit to Baton Rouge last season with tonight's meet here in Corvallis. LSU defeated Oregon State in the Maravich Center by nearly a point and a half in 2010, 196.925 to 195.525. But it was the Beavers who finished one spot ahead of LSU at the 2010 National Championships to end last season. Tonight marks the first time since 1981 that the Tigers and Beavers have dueled it out in a regular season dual meet in Corvallis.
Coach Tanya Chaplin begins her 14th year as gymnastics coach at Oregon State. Her team enters the 2011 campaign with a #8 pre-season ranking and last season's PAC-10 Freshman of the Year Makayla Stambaugh. Stambaugh, along with seniors Mandi Rodriguez and Laura-Ann Chong, led the Beavers to their highest-ever finish under Chaplin at the National Championships in 2010. Rodriguez and Chong are back with the program as graduate student assistants this season. So watch for Stambaugh, junior Leslie Mak, and junior Olivia Vivian to provide the scoring for OSU. Senior Jen Kesler could sit out tonight's meet with an injury.
Congratulations to Oregon State for starting its own live webcasts of home gymnastics meets in 2011. Welcome!
Mike's Eye On The Tigers
If this morning's walk-through was any indication, the 2011 LSU Tigers are a youthfully enthusiastic bunch. It's too early to think about wins and losses, instead it's important for LSU to focus on the long-term. That means tonight will be all about setting a baseline for performances to come. Expect some early jitters from this bunch of Tigers. But also expect them to improve significantly from week to week.
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