LSU Tigers women's gymnastics
Women's gymnastics team of Louisiana State University
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The LSU Tigers women's gymnastics team [n 1] represents Louisiana State University in NCAA Division I women's gymnastics.[4] The team competes in the Southeastern Conference and is coached by Jay Clark. The team's home venue is the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
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| LSU Tigers women's gymnastics | |
|---|---|
| |
| Founded | 1975 (50 years ago) |
| University | Louisiana State University |
| Head coach | Jay Clark[1] (5th season) |
| Conference | SEC Division I Division |
| Location | Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
| Home arena | Pete Maravich Assembly Center (Capacity: 13,472) |
| Nickname | Tigers |
| Colors | Purple and gold[2] |
| National championships | |
| 2024 | |
| Four on the Floor appearances | |
| 2019, 2023, 2024, 2026 | |
| Super Six appearances | |
| 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018 | |
| NCAA Tournament appearances | |
| 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 | |
| Conference championships | |
| 1981, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2024, 2025 | |
History
The gymnastics program was founded in 1970. In 2008, LSU made their first Super Six appearance. The team also made Super Six appearances in 2009, 2013 and 2014. In both the 2016 and 2017 seasons, the program made the Super Six and finished second at the 2016 and 2017 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships.[5][6] Also in 2017, LSU won back-to-back SEC Regular Season and SEC Championship Meet championships.[7] In 2018, LSU again won back-to-back SEC Regular Season and SEC Championship Meet championships and reached the Super Six.[7]
In 2019, LSU won the SEC Championship Meet in New Orleans and made an appearance in the first-ever Four on the Floor in NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championship. The team finished second overall for the third time in school history.
In 2022, LSU placed fifth at the SEC Championships with a score of 196.725 despite entering the competition with the No. 2 seed.[8][9][10] No. 6 LSU placed third behind No. 11 Missouri and No. 22 Iowa in the first session of the semi-final of the Raleigh regional;[11] this eliminated them from the postseason, leading to an 18th-place finish nationally.[12]
In 2023, the team began hosting the annual Purple and Gold Podium Challenge at the Raising Cane's River Center Arena in Downtown Baton Rouge.[13][14]
At the 2024 NCAA women's gymnastics tournament LSU earned their first National Championship team title.[15]
Championships
Individual NCAA champions
| LSU Tigers Individual NCAA Championship Titles | |||||
| Gymnast | All-Around | Vault | Uneven Bars | Balance Beam | Floor Exercise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeanie Beadle | 1977[n 2] | ||||
| Nicki Arnstad | 2002 (tie) | ||||
| April Burkholder | 2006 | ||||
| Susan Jackson | 2010 | 2008 | 2010 | ||
| Ashleigh Clare-Kearney | 2009 | 2009 (tie) | |||
| Rheagan Courville | 2013 (tie) 2014 (tie) | ||||
| Ashleigh Gnat | 2017 (tie) | ||||
| Sarah Finnegan | 2017 (tie) 2019 | ||||
| Kennedi Edney | 2017 2019 (tie) | ||||
| Haleigh Bryant | 2024 | 2021 (tie) | |||
| Aleah Finnegan | 2024 | ||||
| Kailin Chio | 2025 | ||||
Conference championships
- SEC Regular Season champions (6): 1981, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2025
- SEC Championship Meet champions (6): 1981, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2024, 2025
NCAA Championship appearances
Arena and facilities
Pete Maravich Assembly Center
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The Pete Maravich Assembly Center is a 13,215-seat multi-purpose arena in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The arena opened in 1972 and is home of the LSU Tigers gymnastics team. It was originally known as the LSU Assembly Center, but was renamed in honor of Pete Maravich, a Tiger basketball legend, shortly after his death in 1988. The Maravich Center is known to locals as "The PMAC" or "The Palace that Pete Built," or by its more nationally known nickname, "The Deaf Dome," coined by Dick Vitale.
The slightly oval building is located directly to the north of Tiger Stadium, and its bright-white roof can be seen in many telecasts of that stadium. The arena concourse is divided into four quadrants: Pete Maravich Pass, The Walk of Champions, Heroes Hall and Midway of Memories. The quadrants highlight former LSU Tiger athletes, individual and team awards and memorabilia pertaining to the history of the LSU Tigers gymnastics team.[16]
LSU Gymnastics Training Facility
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The LSU Gymnastics Training Facility is the practice venue for the LSU Tigers gymnastics team. The new facility opened in 2016 and provides 38,000 square feet of training and team space.
LSU Strength and Conditioning facility
The LSU Tigers basketball strength training and conditioning facility is located in the LSU Strength and Conditioning facility. Built in 1997, it is located adjacent to Tiger Stadium.[17] Measuring 10,000-square feet with a flat surface, it has 28 multi-purpose power stations, 36 assorted selectorized machines and 10 dumbbell stations along with a plyometric specific area, medicine balls, hurdles, plyometric boxes and assorted speed and agility equipment.[18] It also features 2 treadmills, 4 stationary bikes, 2 elliptical cross trainers, a stepper and stepmill.[19]
Raising Cane's River Center Arena
The Raising Cane's River Center Arena (originally the Riverside Centroplex Arena and commonly known as the River Center Arena) is a multi-purpose arena in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The arena which opened in Downtown Baton Rouge in 1977 has an 8,900-seating capacity for sporting events.
Head coaches
| Name | Seasons | All W/L/T | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackie Walker | 1974–1977 | 21–1–0 | .955 |
| D-D Breaux | 1978–2020 | 800–410–8 | .660 |
| Jay Clark | 2020–present |
Roster
| Name | Height | Year | Hometown | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nina Ballou | 4-11 | FR | Boca Raton, FL | American Twisters |
| Courtney Blackson | 5-5 | GS | Elk Grove, CA | Byers Roseville |
| Molly Brinkman | 5-3 | FR | Chandler, AZ | Gold Medal Gymnastics |
| Chase Brock | 5-4 | GS | Atlanta, GA | Gymnastix Training Center |
| Kailin Chio | 5-4 | SO | Henderson, NV | Gym Cats |
| Kylie Coen | 5-6 | JR | Bedford, TX | Empire Gymnastics Academy |
| Ashley Cowan | 5-3 | SR | Hillsborough, NC | Bull City Gymnastics |
| Amari Drayton | 5-1 | JR | Spring, TX | World Champions Centre |
| Emily Innes | 5-1 | SR | Pittsburgh, PA | Gymkhana Gymnastics |
| Alexis Jeffrey | 5-3 | GS | Warrensburg, MO | GAGE |
| Kaliya Lincoln | 5-1 | SO | Frisco, TX | WOGA |
| Konnor McClain | 5-2 | JR | Las Vegas, NV | Gymcats Gymnastics |
| Leah Miller | 5-1 | JR | Raleigh, NC | Arizona Dynamics |
| Zoe Miller | 5-2 | R-FR | Spring, TX | World Champions Centre |
| Haley Mustari | 5-6 | FR | Edmond, OK | Dynamo Gymnastics |
| Victoria Roberts | 5-3 | SO | Belle Chasse, LA | Edge Gymnastics |
| Tori Tatum | 5-6 | GS | Chanhassen, MN | Twin City Twisters |
| Madison Ulrich | 5-2 | JR | Fort Mill, SC | Southeastern Gymnastics |
| Elyse Wenner | 5-3 | FR | Breinisville, PA | Stallone Gymnastic |
| Lexi Zeiss | 5-2 | SO | Omaha, NE | Twin City Twisters |
Coaching staff
- Head coach: Jay Clark
- Assistant coach: Garrett Griffeth
- Assistant coach: Courtney McCool Griffeth
- Assistant coach: Haleigh Bryant
- Director of Operations: Katie Copeland
Past Olympians
- Shanyn MacEachern
(1996) - Sarah Finnegan (2012 alternate)
- Ruby Harrold
(2016) - Aleah Finnegan
(2024)
