LSU Athletics
TULSA, Okla. – The No. 2 LSU Gymnastics team finished in third place in the 2026 SEC Championships with a 197.950 team score on Saturday night inside the BOK Center.
Florida claimed the team championship with a 198.175 to narrowly beat Oklahoma (198.150), LSU (197.950), and Alabama (197.475) in the evening session. The Tigers’ 197.950 scoreline marked the fourth highest score at an SEC Championship in program history.
Two Tigers claimed SEC individual titles on the night. Sophomore Kailin Chio took home the vault title with a 9.975 and claimed the all-around with a 39.775. Fellow sophomore Kaliya Lincoln took home a share of the floor title alongside three other competitors with her 9.950 score on the night. It’s the first SEC championship title for both athletes and marks the third consecutive year that multiple LSU gymnasts have claimed SEC title honors.
“I thought the kids fought hard tonight, which they’ve done all year,” head coach Jay Clark said after the meet. “I’m proud of the fight because that has to be there if you’re going to be a championship caliber team. We know where we left some things out there, and we’re disappointed but not defeated. We’ve got a month left of this season and I believe in this team. I know that we’re a championship-quality team and that we’ll bounce back.”
As the No. 2 seed, LSU opened the night on uneven bars. Sophomore Lexi Zeiss led off with a strong 9.900, followed by a 9.850 from senior Ashley Cowan in the second spot. The third spot saw junior Madison Ulrich score a 9.900 before Chio notched a stellar 9.950 in spot four. Graduate student Courtney Blackson earned a 9.875 in the fifth spot before junior Konnor McClain concluded the rotation with a 9.750.
The Tigers wrapped up the first rotation with a 49.475, good enough for second place behind Florida (49.525), and ahead of Alabama (49.425) and Oklahoma (49.325). The score tied for the second highest LSU has scored at SEC’s in school history.
Rotation two took LSU to the balance beam as junior Kylie Coen opened with a 9.850. Zeiss scored a 9.800 in the second spot before junior Amari Drayton earned a 9.850 in spot three. The back end of the lineup finished strong as Lincoln scored a 9.900 in the fourth spot ahead of a 9.950 from McClain in spot five. The anchor spot saw Chio grab a 9.950 to give the Tigers a solid 49.500 event score, matching their highest in program history at the SEC Championships.
At the halfway point, LSU led with a 98.975 ahead of Florida (98.950), Oklahoma (98.925), and Alabama (98.600).
The third rotation saw the Tigers on floor, where senior Emily Innes led off with a strong 9.900 routine. Freshman Nina Ballou scored a 9.875 in her first SEC Championship appearance before Coen earned a 9.900 in the third spot. Spot four saw Drayton score a 9.825 ahead of another 9.900 from Chio in the fifth spot. Lincoln anchored the floor rotation with a 9.950, the highest floor score of the night, to give the Tigers a 49.525 on the event.
Heading into the final rotation of the night, LSU’s 148.500 sat in second place behind Oklahoma (148.550) and ahead of Florida (148.375) and Alabama (148.000).
The final event of the night for LSU was vault. Zeiss scored a 9.875 in the opening spot before McClain scored a 9.850 in spot two. Sophomore Victoria Roberts matched her career-high with a 9.900 in the third spot ahead of a 9.850 from Lincoln in spot four. Drayton scored a 9.800 in the fifth spot before Chio wrapped up the night with a near-perfect 9.975, the highest vault score of the night, in the anchor spot to give LSU a 49.450 score in the event.
LSU wrapped up the night with a 197.950, the fourth highest score in program history at the SEC Championships and the highest score for the program in a non-title claiming outing.
For the individual titles, Chio (Vault, All-Around) and Lincoln (Floor) earned the first SEC individual titles of their careers and became the 30th and 31st individual gymnasts in program history to claim a conference title.
With three titles earned in Saturday’s meet, LSU gymnasts have now won a total of 59 individual SEC titles in program history. This year also marked the third consecutive year that LSU has had multiple gymnasts earn SEC titles, the longest consecutive period in program history.
“I’m really proud of Kaliya (Lincoln), she had something going on with her elbow this morning, and we weren’t sure that she was going to compete,” Clark said. “We were back and forth in warmups; she took her touches during warmups and then she did what she needed to do. She was a warrior for us tonight. Of course, (Kailin) Chio being Chio did amazing things as well. A lot of good stuff happened tonight.”
The road to the national championship will officially begin in Baton Rouge when No. 2 LSU hosts the 2026 Baton Rouge Regional from Wednesday, April 1 to Saturday, April 4. The Tigers will find out who will come to town at 11 a.m. CT on Monday, March 23 when the 2026 NCAA Selection Show airs on ESPNU. Tickets to the Baton Rouge Regional can be purchased here.
2026 SEC Gymnastics Championships Final Standings:
Finish, Team, Score
1. Florida – 198.175
2. Oklahoma – 198.150
3. LSU – 197.950
4. Alabama – 197.475
5. Georgia – 197.450
6. Missouri – 197.075
7. Arkansas – 196.975
8. Kentucky – 196.925
9. Auburn – 195.300
2026 SEC Individual Event Champions:
Vault
Kailin Chio, LSU, 9.975
Bars
Selena Harris-Miranda, Florida, 10.0
Beam
Faith Torrez, Oklahoma, 10.0
Floor
Mackenzie Estrep, Oklahoma, 9.95
Keira Wells, Oklahoma, 9.95
Kaliya Lincoln, LSU, 9.95
Gabby Gladieux, Alabama, 9.95
All-Around
Kailin Chio, LSU, 39.775
