LSU gymnastics wins second consecutive SEC Championship

Olivia Dunne joined her LSU gymnastics team in celebration after they won the SEC Championship for the second year in a row. The championship took place this past weekend, with LSU beating top-seeded Oklahoma with a score of 198.200. LSU, ranked No. 2 going into the tournament, performed strongly throughout the competition. Gymnasts Lexi Zeiss, Ashley Cowan, and Kailin Chio had great starts on the bars. Sierra Ballard and Kylie Coen added points with solid routines on the beam. Notably, Konnor McClain, Haileigh Bryant, and Aleah Finnegan each scored 9.925 or higher. This helped LSU achieve a record score of 49.450 on the beam during the SEC Championships. LSU also scored 49.625 on the floor and 49.525 on vault. Haleigh Bryant won the individual SEC All-Around title for the second consecutive year, scoring 39.725. Meanwhile, Olivia Dunne, who has been injured, shared her excitement online. She posted "Purple reign 4ever" on her Instagram Stories, along with a celebration video featuring confetti. LSU hopes to win back-to-back NCAA championships, following Oklahoma, which achieved this feat in 2022 and 2023. Bryant aims to become the first gymnast since Oklahoma's Maggie Nichols to win back-to-back individual all-around titles.