No. 6 LSU falls to No. 3 Utah on the road in opener

SALT LAKE CITY — No. 6 LSU’s gymnastics team fell to No. 3 Utah on the road in the season opener by a final score of 197.275-196.725 on Saturday night in Salt Lake City.

However, the Tigers’ 196.725 was the highest score in a road season opener in program history.

“It was a solid start,” head coach Jay Clark said. “The difference in the meet is that we walked in almost all our landings throughout the meet, and they did not. We could have landed more than that. I am proud of the fight and the fact that we were able to move on the road and not fall. This is the beginning of the basics and we are very close to do what we want, and now we’ll move on to the next one and focus on getting better”

LSU kicks off rivalry night at the bar. Senior Kiya Johnson leads off with 9.775, followed by Elena Arenas with 9.75. Sophomore Alexis Jeffrey had a team-high 9.875 for her event debut. Aleah Finnegan added a 9.75 in fourth place and Alyona Shchennikova added another 9.775. Junior Haleigh Bryant anchored with a 9.825 to help the Tigers complete their first rotation with a 49.000 on the event.

Arenas opened the second rotation with a 9.85 on vault. Shchennikova and Finnegan followed with 9.825 and 9.85 in second and third place, respectively. Sophomore KJ Johnson added a 9.775 on the night. Kiya Johnson scored a 9.875 before Bryant scored a 9.900, taking the individual vault title along with Utah’s Makenna Smith. The Tigers scored a 49.300 on the event and had a score of 98.300 at the midway point.

Junior Sierra Ballard set the tone on floor by starting with a 9.825 while Shchennikova earned a 9.825 in second. Finnegan recorded a career-high 9.950 to take the title and Kiya Johnson closed with a 9.900 to help LSU finish with a 49.375 in the third rotation. Bryant also added a 9.875 in fifth place.

In the rotation last night, senior Kai Rivers led the way with a 9.7. Freshman Bryce Wilson and sophomore KJ Johnson had impressive debuts on Beam, scoring 9.775 and 9.725 respectively. Bryant had a strong routine and scored a 9.85 while Finnegan continued his dominant night, scoring a 9.900. The Tigers finished with a 49.050 on the beam to complete their fourth and final rotation on the road.

Both Haleigh Bryant and Aleah Finnegan finished as co-all leaders in the meet, both scoring 39.450 to share the night’s title.

Until Next Time

The Tigers continue on the road when they take on Kentucky next week on Saturday, January 13, at 6 pm ET on ESPN2.