LSU Athletics
BATON ROUGE, La. – The No. 2 LSU Gymnastics team (11-3-1, 5-3 SEC) closed their 2026 regular season at home with a victory over No. 8 Arkansas (5-7-1, 2-5-1 SEC) by a final score of 198.075-197.100 on Friday night inside the PMAC.
Tiger nation continued to show out in the PMAC for the final home meet of the year as 12,365 fans watched LSU take down Arkansas. The night was highlighted by sophomore Kailin Chio, who scored three perfect 10’s in all three events she competed in. She now owns 10 in her career, the second most by a gymnast in LSU history. Her career total includes five on beam, three on vault and two on floor.
With nine on the season, Chio also tied Haleigh Bryant’s record for the most perfect 10’s scored in a single season.
LSU’s victory on the night moved its home record to 5-0 and capped off another undefeated home mark in the regular season. The Tigers have now finished the home portion of the season undefeated for the third consecutive year, marking the first time in school history the program has accomplished that feat. LSU has achieved this record on seven previous occasions: 2025, 2024, 2018, 2017, 2014, 2010, and 1987.
LSU claimed four event titles on the night: Chio on vault, beam, and floor, going perfect on all three events she competed on and McClain on bars with her 9.950. The last time an LSU gymnast scored three 10’s in a single meet was Haleigh Bryant in 2024 against West Virginia. Chio now tied Bryant’s record for the most perfect 10’s scored in a single season with 10 currently.
The Tigers opened up the meet on vault, where sophomore Lexi Zeiss got things rolling with a 9.825 before graduate student Courtney Blackson scored a 9.775 in the second spot. Sophomore Victoria Roberts notched a 9.900 in the third spot ahead of a huge 9.950 for sophomore Kaliya Lincoln in the fourth spot. Junior Amari Drayton tallied a 9.850 in the fifth spot. Sophomore Kailin Chio anchored the rotation with a stuck landing and scored a perfect 10 to bring the rotation total to a solid 49.525.
After rotation one, LSU gained the lead over Arkansas, 49.525-48.800.
Rotation two saw the Tigers on bars, where Zeiss started off with a 9.850 in the leadoff spot. Senior Ashley Cowan added a 9.825 in the second spot before junior Madison Ulrich computed a 9.900 in the third spot. Graduate student Alexis Jeffery completed a 9.850 in the fourth spot ahead of a fall from Blackson that scored a 9.300. Junior Konnor McClain anchored the rotation with a stellar 9.950 to bring the rotation score to a 49.375.
LSU held their lead over Arkansas at the halfway point, 98.900-98.175.
The Tigers moved to beam for the third rotation, where junior Kylie Coen led off with a 9.750. Zeiss competed in the second spot to score a 9.825 before Drayton’s 9.825 in the third spot. Lincoln executed a 9.900 in spot four followed by a 9.925 for McClain in spot five. In the anchor spot, Chio matched her career-high with a perfect 10.000, her second of the night to bring the rotation total to a 49.475.
LSU extended their lead over Arkansas after three rotations, 148.375-147.600.
The Tigers closed out the night on the floor, where senior Emily Innes got the momentum going with a 9.850 in the leadoff spot followed by a 9.900 for freshman Nina Ballou in the second spot. Coen and Drayton competed in the third and fourth spots and scored a 9.925 and 9.900, respectively. Chio delivered another perfect 10.00 in the fifth spot, her third on the night, before Lincoln anchored the rotation with a near-perfect 9.975 to close out the night. The floor score for the Tigers totaled a 49.700.
LSU’s 198.075 defeated Arkansas’ 197.100, marking the squad’s third consecutive 198+ score this season and fifth total.
The Tigers had six exhibition routines on the night that started with a 9.800 for Innes on vault. In the second rotation, freshman Haley Mustari scored a 9.850 on bars and graduate student Tori Tatum scored a 9.700. In the third rotation, Innes scored a 9.825 on beam and Ulrich scored a 9.825. Fifth-year senior Kathryn Weilbacher made an appearance on floor and scored a 9.900.
McClain’s bars title pushed her total to 18, including four this season. The bars title marks the 11th of her career and fourth of the season. Chio has won 31 titles this season, with nine on vault, ten on beam, and five on floor. She currently sits at 54 titles in her career, the 11th most in LSU history.
Her 13 career beam titles ranks fifth most in LSU history while her 10 titles on the season is tied for second most in school history.
No. 2 LSU will head to Tulsa, Oklahoma for the 2026 SEC Gymnastics Championships, where the Tigers will compete as the No. 2 seed in the evening session at 7 p.m. CT on Saturday, March 21 inside the BOK Center.
