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No. 3 LSU Gymnastics defeats No. 14 Alabama for first SEC road win

Feb 8, 2025 | 6:57 AM
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The No. 3 LSU Gymnastics team (6-2, 3-1 SEC) earned a road victory over No. 14 Alabama (1-4, 0-4 SEC) by a score of 197.300-197.075 on Friday night in Coleman Coliseum.
Freshman Kailin Chio claimed her second straight all-around title with her 39.650 on the night, which tied her career high all-around score.
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LSU claimed three event titles on the night: Chio on vault with a 9.975, junior Ashley Cowan and sophomore Konnor McClain shared the bars title with a 9.90, and Chio on beam with a 9.925.
“It was a gutsy win. I’m proud of the effort and fight,” said head coach Jay Clark. “It wasn’t pretty in every spot, but they got it done. We have a great group of kids and they fought their way through a crazy environment here tonight. We are certainly pleased we got the win, that’s big and helps us down the road.”
The Tigers opened the night on bars, where freshman Lexi Zeiss led off with a 9.75, followed by a strong 9.90 from junior Ashley Cowan. Senior Alexis Jeffrey scored a 9.80 in the third spot and was followed by a 9.85 from Chio in spot four. Senior Aleah Finnegan posted a 9.825 score in the fifth spot before McClain anchored with a strong 9.90. The 9.90 routines from McClain and Cowan was the joint-highest score on the event of the night and helped boost LSU’s rotation score to a 49.275.
At the end of the first rotation, LSU led by a margin of 49.275-49.175.
The second rotation saw LSU move on vault, where senior KJ Johnson led things off with a 9.825. Senior Chase Brock posted a 9.775 in spot two ahead of a 9.825 from Finnegan in the third spot. A 9.90 from sophomore Amari Drayton came in the fourth spot before Chio executed a near-flawless yurchenko one and half in spot five that earned a career-high 9.975. The rotation concluded with senior Haleigh Bryant’s first vault pass of the 2025 season, a stellar routine that earned a 9.925 scoreline and took LSU’s event total to 49.450.
At the halfway point of the meet, the Tigers were on top by a margin of 98.725-98.450
It was floor time for the Tigers as the third rotation opened with graduate student Sierra Ballard scoring a 9.775. The second spot saw freshman Kaliya Lincoln make her collegiate debut on the floor with an impressive 9.875. A pair of 9.90s followed as Chio earned hers in the third spot while Drayton scored hers in spot four. It was a 9.675 for Finnegan in the fifth spot after a step out on a pass, but Bryant anchored with a 9.875 to bring LSU’s floor tally to 49.325 for the event.
The Tigers led by a score of 148.050-147.575 heading to the final rotation of the night.
The final rotation of the night saw LSU on beam. The event opened with Ballard posting a 9.550 in the opening spot. Sophomore Kylie Coen scored a 9.825 in spot two ahead of a stellar 9.925 from Chio in the third spot. McClain added a 9.775 in the fourth spot, followed by a 9.85 from Bryant right after. The anchor routine was a veteran performance from Finnegan, who shrugged off her drop score from floor and posted a 9.875 to clinch a tough road victory for the Tigers. LSU’s final score on beam came out to a 49.250.
The victory marked LSU’s first road win in the SEC this season and was their fourth consecutive win over Alabama in the regular season.
Chio took home a total of three titles on the night, moving her career total to nine on the season. Cowan won her first bars title of the year, now with two in her career, and McClain won her third title this season, all coming on bars.
No. 3 LSU returns to action next week when the No. 1-ranked Oklahoma Sooners come to the Pete Maravich Assembly Center at 8 p.m. CT on Friday, February 14th. The meet will be broadcasted live on ESPN2.
Stay up to date with all things LSU Gymnastics by following the team’s social media channels @LSUgym on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
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