It is not very often that a coach casts a shadow of doubt on his own team. However, when such rare occurrences do happen, the onus is on the team to restore back the faith. And that is exactly what the LSU women’s gymnastics team did with their coach, Jay Clark. Coming into this year’s competition, the LSU had a lot of pressure on their shoulders. After all, being the defending champion, there were huge expectations from Olivia Dunne and co. But ahead of the SEC championships, beloved coach Jay Clark dropped a bombshell.

Ahead of the finals on Saturday, LSU Tigers’ coach, Jay Clark was asked about who he thought the best team was. Surprisingly, Clark did not take the name of his own team! Instead, he opined that looking at the level of gymnastics displayed this season, Oklahoma was a deserving contender for the number one spot. Clark stated, “Oklahoma should be No. 1. They’ve been the most consistent team from start to finish.” However, Clark also acknowledged his own team saying that they have been gaining in confidence with each passing game. He said that the Tigers have “been increasingly more and more consistent and our scoring potential has gone up dramatically.” Yet, Clark continued by saying that Oklahoma was looking like a proper champion material. 

Now, it is unknown whether Clark had the intention to tease out the best from the girls but nonetheless, his words worked like magic. In what was an incredible display of quality gymnastics, the LSU Tigers indeed clinched their sixth SEC championship title with a phenomenal score of 198.200- the best ever in all the years of LSU’s participation in the championships. Immediately, an elated Jay Clark took a 360-degree turn from his previous statement.

In a recent interview with The Advocate, Clark heaped praises on the likes of Olivia Dunne and Haleigh Bryant. Clark stated, “I’m not one who is hung up on ranking and scores… But I think it is a testament to the resilience and growth of our pursuit and the process this team has been through.” However, the most surprising line came right at the end from Jay Clark.

Fully convinced about who the final boss was after the brilliant display, Clark opined, “They’ve put in the work to be the No. 1 overall seed.” Now, that is something that would sound like music to Olivia Dunne and others’ ears. Meanwhile, going up against some stiff competition, the LSU Tigers showed their resilience and merit in every manner possible.

LSU girls defend their SEC title as Bryant and Dunne lead the celebration

LSU Gymnastics cemented its dominance in the SEC last Saturday! Clinching its sixth conference championship with a powerful performance the girls left no doubt about the Tigers’ status as the team to beat.

The No. 2 Tigers outperformed top-ranked Oklahoma with a score of 198.200, while the Sooners finished with 197.925, followed by Florida and Missouri. Some standout performers of the night were Haleigh Bryant, Aleah Finnegan, and Kailin Chio. Bryant had an especially eventful night. The Georgia native took home the title of the Top Gymnast of the Day with her all-around score of 39.725. She also claimed one-half of the beam title, with which her total count of individual SEC titles now stands at five. Aleah Finnegan was no less extraordinary, claiming the other half of Haleigh Bryant’s beam title. Both Finnegan and Bryant scored a 9.925 on the beam on Saturday. Freshman Kailin Chio is also not forgetting the SEC championships soon. Chio delivered one extraordinary performance after another, scoring 9.950 in the beam and the floor event. But it is what the team did as a whole that counts!

The team’s collective effort helped them secure 49.600 on bars, 49.450 on beam, and 49.625 on the floor. While the bars and the beam score are the highest in all these years of LSU gymnastics’ SEC participation, the floor score is the second-highest ever. It was truly a historical night and even though Livvy Dunne was absent from the mat, she was there in spirit. 

 Olivia shared her excitement on Instagram, writing, “Purple reign 4ever,” and posted a video of confetti raining down as she and her teammates celebrated their victorious feat. With the SEC win now secured, it is just a matter of time before the world gets to watch how the LSU Tigers perform at the NCAA finals. Will they be able to keep up this phenomenal form? We would like to believe that they will. What are your thoughts? Let us know below!