LSU Athletics
BATON ROUGE, La. – The No. 2 LSU Gymnastics team (6-1-1, 2-0 SEC) takes down No. 17 Auburn (1-5, 0-5 SEC) by a final score of 198.325-196.825 for a top-20 victory inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Friday night.
A crowd of 11,171 watched the Tigers mark a season-high 198.325 win over Auburn to extend their home win streak to 18 straight wins in the PMAC. LSU hasn’t lost a meet at home since January 16, 2023.
The night was highlighted by a perfect 10 from sophomore Kailin Chio, who claimed her first perfect score on floor and third of her career. She finished the night with a 39.875, tying the second highest all-around score by an LSU gymnast in school history. The only other Tigers to reach that mark are Haleigh Bryant (2023) and April Burkholder (2003).
The LSU floor squad also matched the program record score with their 49.775 on the night.
LSU swept all five event titles on the night over Auburn. Chio took home the all-around with a career-high 39.875. She added three more event titles to her resume, claiming vault (9.975), beam (9.975), and floor with a perfect 10.000, bringing her total titles to 41 in her career and 17 this season. McClain took home her first title of the season and 16th of her career, claiming the bars title with her 9.975.
The Purple and Gold Tigers started the night on vault, where sophomore Lexi Zeiss led off with a 9.850 followed by a career-high 9.875 from sophomore Victoria Roberts in the second spot. Graduate senior Courtney Blackson followed in the third spot with a 9.625 ahead of a season-high 9.950 from sophomore Kaliya Lincoln in the fourth spot. Junior Amari Drayton earned a 9.900 in the fifth slot before a near-perfect 9.975 from sophomore Kailin Chio to match her season-high and bring the rotation total to a season-high 49.550.
At the end of the first rotation, LSU’s 49.550 led Auburn’s 48.950.
The second rotation saw LSU move to bars, where Zeiss got things going with a 9.875 before senior Ashley Cowan delivered her own 9.875 in the second slot. Junior Madison Ulrich delivered a 9.900 in spot three ahead of a solid 9.925 from Chio in the fourth spot. Freshman Nina Ballou made her LSU bars debut and scored a 9.900 in spot five followed by a season-high 9.975 from junior Konnor McClain to close out the rotation and help boost LSU’s bars total to a season-high 49.575.
It was two season high performances for LSU at the halfway point of the meet as the home team extended its lead over Auburn, 99.125-98.175.
Rotation three brought the Purple and Gold Tigers to the beam, where Zeiss led off on her third event for the night with a 9.850. It was her first appearance in the lead off spot on beam. Senior Emily Innes made her first appearance on beam and scored a 9.825 in spot two ahead of a 9.900 from Drayton in spot three. Lincoln and McClain added a 9.875 and 9.675 in spots four and five, respectively. Chio anchored the rotation with a huge 9.975 to take the beam total to a 49.425.
LSU held its lead over Auburn heading to the final rotation of the night, 49.425-49.250.
It was floor time for the Purple and Gold Tigers as Innes opened up the fourth rotation with a 9.925 to match her season-high in the leadoff spot. The second and third spot delivered back-to-back 9.925’s, as Ballou notched a career-high 9.925 ahead of junior Kylie Coen’s 9.925 in the third position. Drayton kept the momentum rolling with a strong 9.950 in the fourth spot before a perfect 10.000 routine from Chio in the fifth spot, her first on floor and third of her career. Lincoln closed out the night in the anchor spot with a huge 9.975 to move the rotation score to a 49.775, matching the highest floor score in program history.
No. 2 LSU delivered a season-high 198.325 to defeat Auburn’s 196.825 on the night. It was their second score of 198+ this season and the second highest score in the country currently.
The Tigers will hit the road for a battle of the nation’s top two teams, facing No. 1 Oklahoma on Friday, February 20 at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN2.
**LSU PRESS RELEASE**
