NCAA Gymnastics News: LSU’s Haleigh Bryant Soars Into Elite ‘Gym Slam’ Club With Near-Perfect Score Against Auburn

The LSU Tigers are soaring high and Haleigh Bryant has been a major driving force all the season. Scoring an incredible 39.850 against Alabama last weekend, Bryant made sure the NCAA gymnastics powerhouse went into the Podium Challenge with confidence. And once again, she proved just why she’s considered one of the best senior female gymnasts in the country. Facing off against George Washington, Texas Woman’s, and Auburn, Haleigh achieved another career milestone and stormed into a special club.

The Podium Challenge presented the perfect opportunity for the LSU Tigers to establish themselves as a force to be reckoned with. Walking away from the quad meet as the winners with a sensational 198.425, the LSU women’s gymnastics team is justifiably gearing up for the festivities. However, it was Haleigh who stole the night.

LSU star achieves NCAA gymnastics immortality

After the win, the official LSU Gymnastics Twitter account shared Bryant’s dream run with a jubilant post. “Hay continues to shine“, announces the post, and considering how Bryant’s night went, this is probably an understatement. Haleigh achieved a jaw-dropping 39.925 overall record with all of her individual scores being higher than 9.900. In the first rotation, Bryant picked up her first 10.000 on the vault and with that, stepped into an elite club of NCAA gymnastics.

Now, Haleigh boasts a Perfect 10 in all individual events at least once in her career, making her “gym slam” complete, revealed another social media post. With her latest achievement on the vault, Bryant is the 14th gymnast to achieve the highly impressive career milestone. Olivia Dunne’s teammate is also the 10th gymnast to achieve the coveted gym slam in a single season. Her latest feat puts her in the same league as OSU’s poster kid Jade Carey.

Bryant carried her momentum from the first rotation well into the third, where she recorded yet another 9.95 on the beam. The above post was made right after her beam routine when the NCAA gymnastics stalwarts were already leading their three opponents. However, Bryant’s phenomenal performances didn’t stop with just two rotations, and the LSU gymnastics account had to comment, “She’s not real” in another post. While Haleigh registered incredible scores on almost all the events, her teammates weren’t lagging far behind.

The LSU Tigers making every chance count

Aleah Finnegan scored a thrilling 9.900 on the vault in the first rotation, while Savannah Schoenherr hauled in a season-high 9.950. Thanks to these two, the Tigers achieved an impressive 49.675 in the vault event. In the second rotation, Olivia Dunne picked up 9.875 on her first time on the bars this season. One of the Tiger’s most recognized faces also showed her mettle.

Read more: NCAA Gymnastics News: Tiger’s Head Coach Unveils His ‘Holistic’ Approach to Balance Athletes’ Mental Wellbeing Ahead of LSU vs Alabama

On the floor exercise, Dunne again managed a 9.900, making sure the Tigers’ night ended on a high note. KJ Johnson also was awarded a much-deserved 9.950 in the floor event, while Kiya Johnson received a brilliant 9.900 on the beam.

Coming close to recreating her last week’s routine, Bryant scored 9.975 on the floor, naturally ending the night with the highest overall scores. As the Tigers look forward to hosting North Carolina next week, do you think Bryant will once again rise to the occasion? Share your predictions with us in the comments.