LSU Gymnastics will need a bigger trophy case.
After capturing the SEC Championship this past weekend in New Orleans and heading into the NCAA Tournament ranked second, senior Haleigh Bryant has been named SEC Gymnast of the Year while Head Coach Jay Clark has been named Co-Coach of the Year, sharing the honor with Kentucky’s Tim Garrison.
Clark, in his fourth year at LSU, secured the program’s fifth SEC title and first under his tenure while bringing the Tigers to multiple milestones. LSU finished the season undefeated at home, had nine victories over top-20 opponents, and the highest score in program history (198.475) in a home win over #7 Arkansas.
The Tigers currently hold a National Qualifying Score of 198.215, which leads the country. It’s also the first time LSU has had a NQS higher than 198. The program also led the nation in attendance for the second time in program history with an average of 12,590 fans across six home meets with three sold-out crowds (most in program history).
Bryant was joined by Ashley Cowan, Konnor McClain, Kiya Johnson, and KJ Johnson on the All-SEC team for their performances in New Orleans at the SEC Championships. McClain was also named to the All-Freshman team.
Bryant, a Cornelius, North Carolina native, becomes the sixth Tiger to be named SEC Gymnast of the Year after recording a 9.975 on vault, 9.925 on bars, and 9.950 on both floor and beam. Bryant finished top 2 in each category and was named All-SEC for the third year. She also added individual titles in the vault and all-around.
Bryant was ranked as the top gymnast in the country in 10 of the 12 competition weeks this season with an NQS of 39.810 and the highest all-around score in the nation (39.925).
The senior ranked in the top 10 for every event for four consecutive weeks and owns an NQS above 9.9 in every event as well. Bryant has eight meets this season with scores of 9.9 or higher in every event and has been named Gymnast of the Week six times.
Bryant and the Tigers will head into the NCAA Tournament as the second national seed and will participate in the Fayetteville Regional, hosted by the University of Arkansas.