SEC Gymnastics Week 10 Recap: LSU on top of their game, Georgia falters again

Week 10 was full of non-conference competition for the SEC gymnastics teams. No. 3 LSU, No. 4 Florida, No. 6 Kentucky, and No. 9 Alabama continue to post the highest scores, while No. 20 Georgia and No. 14 Auburn fluctuate weekly. No. 12 Arkansas and No. 13 Missouri are looking consistent as we inch closer to the postseason.

Read on to get an in-depth recap of Week 10’s meets.

#3 LSU & #14 Auburn @ Podium Challenge

Final score: LSU: 198.425, Auburn: 197.050, George Washington: 195.100, Texas Woman’s University: 194.725

LSU

“This was our best performance this year regardless of score from top to bottom and the best we’ve seen all year long through all four events,” LSU Head Coach Jay Clark said. “The team was loose, they were relaxed, and they handled business right. They didn’t let the score get to them and they didn’t let any distractions get to them.”

The Tigers are on their A-game with a 198.425 away score. LSU is on fire and they are coming in hot for the postseason. Haleigh Bryant is making history nearly every meet, and last weekend, she scored consecutive 10s on vault and bars. She is now the all-around record-holder for LSU after her 39.925.

Bryant’s score on the night is also the second best all-around score in SEC history and all-time fourth-best in NCAA history. She has now recorded a perfect score on every event in 2024, making her only the 10th gymnast in NCAA history to record that achievement. 

LSU came out with a bang hitting a new season-high vault score of 49.675. Bryant performed flawlessly in the anchor spot, claiming her ninth perfect score on vault and the event win. Bryant did not take her foot off the gas as she headed right into bars and picked up her 16th career perfect score, helping the Tigers reach a 49.575.

Beam was the lowest event score of the night with a 49.5. Bryant claimed the apparatus title with a 9.95. LSU set the highest floor NQS in LSU and NCAA history following their 49.675 floor score. Bryant and Kiya Johnson split the floor title after both scoring near-perfect 9.975s.

The Tigers will host North Carolina on Friday, March 15 @ 8:30 p.m. ET. 

Auburn

“I think the team did really well considering some of the circumstances this week,” Auburn Head Coach Jeff Graba said. “We’ve battled sickness and injury this week and put quite a few new people into lineups. Breaking a 197 on the road after all that is really good for this team.”

The Tigers kicked off the meet on bars scoring a 49.125. Cassie Stevens led the team with a 9.9. Auburn then moved to beam, where they put up a 49.425. Stevens once again led with a 9.925. 

Auburn scored their highest score of the meet on floor with a 49.475. Gabby McLaughlin was the highest score with a 9.925. Julianne Huff scored a new collegiate-best 9.875 on the event. The Tigers’ lowest apparatus total was on vault with a 49.025. Stevens led the team with a 9.9.

The Tigers will head to Nashville on Saturday, March 16 @ 8:30 p.m. ET to compete against Kentucky, Ohio State, and Fisk in the inaugural Kidney Care meet.

#4 Florida @ Nebraska quad meet

Final score: Florida: 197.700, Nebraska: 197.150, Lindenwood: 196.325, Eastern Michigan: 193.600

“We had some new players step into different roles and different parts of the lineup today,” Florida Head Coach Jenny Rowland said. “So lots of new, lots of different, and yet this team stepped up to the challenge and accepted what they needed to do tonight.”

Victoria Nguyen won her first all-around title as a Gator with her overall score of 39.625. It was freshman Skylar Draser’s first time competing in the all-around, and she put up a 39.45.

Florida started on bars and posted a 49.4. Leanne Wong claimed the title with a near-perfect 9.975. Florida moved to beam and put up their highest score of the meet with a 49.55. Nguyen scored a 9.95 to lead the Gators and claim the event title.

The lowest event score of the night was on floor (49.225). Nguyen scored a 9.875, leading the rotation for the Gators. Florida scored a 49.525 on vault in the last rotation, led by a 9.95 from Anya Pilgrim, which won the event title.

The Gators return home on Friday, March 15 @ 7 p.m. ET to host a quad meet against NC State, Iowa State, and Long Island University. 

#6 Kentucky @ North Carolina

Final score: Kentucky: 197.800 – North Carolina: 196.525

The Wildcats crushed the Tar Heels this weekend, adding a great score to their away NQS. Kentucky’s 197.800 ties their program best away score set last season at Illinois. Raena Worley achieved perfection for the fourth time this season on floor, which helped her win her 28th all-around victory with a score of 39.7.

A 49.5 on bars started the meet off for Kentucky. A new career-high 9.95 for Delaynee Rodriguez earned her her first event win on the apparatus. She shared the win with UNC’s Lali Dekanoidze. Cecily Rizo also scored a new career-high 9.9. 

The lowest event score of the night was a 49.25 on vault. Isabella Magnelli, Makenzie Wilsonl and Worley led the Wildcats with 9.875s. They split a four-way share of the vault title with UNC’s Dekanoidze. 

Worley’s 10 helped lead the floor rotation to a 49.6. Magnelli went 9.95, and Creslyn Brose handed in a 9.925. The Wildcats ended the meet with a 49.45 on beam. Worley and Magnelli each earned a 9.925 to split the event title. 

Kentucky will head to Nashville on Saturday, March 16 to compete in the Kidney Care meet at 8:15 p.m. ET against Ohio State, Auburn, and Fisk.

Quad meet @ #9 Alabama

Final score: Alabama: 198.000, Minnesota: 197.400, Illinois: 196.075, Talladega: 191.000

Luisa Blanco was the star of the show on senior night in Tuscaloosa. Blanco is the first Alabama gymnast in 19 years to record multiple perfect 10s in the same meet. Her 39.85 all-around score is now tied as the highest all-around score in program history. 

Blanco’s stellar night started on vault, where she scored her first 10 to propel the Tide to a new season-high 49.5 event score. The lowest event score of the night was a 49.25 on bars. Blanco was the leader of the event with a 9.95 and shared the title with Illinois’ Mia Takekawa.

Another season-high score was reached on beam with a 49.525. Gabby Gladieux and Lilly Hudson each scored a 9.95 and shared the event title with Minnesota’s Sarah Moraw. This was Hudson’s first meet competing in the all-around, and she scored a 39.575.

The Tide’s 49.725 on floor became the second highest score in program history on the event. Hudson posted a 9.95, Gladieux posted a 9.975, and for the final routine in her home arena, Blanco scored another 10.

The Tide will head to Oklahoma on Sunday, March 17 to take on the Sooners at 3:45 p.m. ET. 

#1 Oklahoma @ #12 Arkansas

Final score: Oklahoma: 198.350 – Arkansas: 197.275

The Gymbacks had a solid meet on Sunday even though they lost by over a point to No. 1 Oklahoma. 

Arkansas started on vault with a 49.35. Lauren Willliams and Leah Smith led the Razorbacks, each with a 9.925, and split the vault title with Oklahoma’s Hannah Scheible. On bars, Arkansas put up their lowest score of the meet (49.025). Jensen Scalzo had the highest score for the team with a 9.875.

A 9.9 from Sirena Linton in the anchor spot helped push the Razorbacks to a 49.3 on beam. Arkansas finished with a 49.6 on floor. Frankie Price once again stole the show in the anchor spot with a 9.95, and Hailey Klein scored a career-high 9.9.

The Gymbacks will be back at home on Friday, March 15 at 8 p.m. ET to host Nebraska.

Quad meet @ #13 Missouri

Final score: Denver: 197.625, Missouri: 197.375, New Hampshire: 195.250, S.E. Missouri: 193.150

The Tigers may have fallen to No. 11 Denver this past weekend, but they reached two new season-high rotation scores on bars and floor. Missouri also had 11 routines post a score of 9.9-or-above, which is a high for the team this season. 

Missouri started on vault with a 49.075. Jocelyn Moore competed her Yurchenko 1.5 and was the highest score for the team with a 9.875. The bars lineup excelled, not only reaching a season-high score, but also scoring a new program record with a 49.6. Amaya Marshall scored a career-best 9.925. Mara Titarsolej and Sienna Schreiber each scored a 9.95 to be part of a four-way tie for the event title. 

A 9.925 from Schreiber and two 9.9s from Amari Celestine and Grace Anne Davis helped the Tigers reach a 49.075 on beam. Freshman Kennedy Griffin made her beam debut and scored a 9.8. A 49.625 floor score is a season-high and also now holds the second-best floor score in program history. Griffin and Schreiber each scored a 9.95 to claim a share of the floor title. 

The Tigers will head to Illinois next weekend to take on Arizona, S.E. Missouri and Illinois on Sunday, March 17 @ 3 p.m. ET. 

#20 Georgia @ #7 Michigan

Final score: Michigan: 197.075 – Georgia: 196.300

The GymDogs took a turn in the wrong direction on the road against Michigan, scoring a measly 196.3. This is a 1.25 point drop from their previous week’s score of 197.550.

Georgia started on bars with a 48.65. The high scorer was anchor Lily Smith with a 9.95, and she won the event title. Smith also shared the all-around title with Michigan’s Gabby Wilson with a score of 39.5.

The Bulldogs continued to struggle on vault, only putting up a 48.95. Anchor Ady Wahl was the top score with a 9.875. Georgia scored their highest event score on floor in the third rotation with a 49.45. Wahl scored a career-best 9.925, and Holly Snyder scored a career-best 9.9. Smith led the team again in the anchor spot with a 9.95. 

Five scores of 9.85 made up Georgia’s 49.25 beam total. Naya Howard, JaFree Scott, Jaydah Battle, Anya Turner, and Smith were a part of a seven-way beam win with two Michigan gymnasts.

The GymDogs will head to Nashville next weekend to compete at the Kidney Care meet. Georgia will face Maryland, Pittsburgh, Iowa, and Talladega on Saturday, March 16 @ 2 p.m. ET.