Flames erupted, music boomed and fans cheered inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Wednesday night, a scene very reminiscent of an LSU gymnastics home meet.
There was one big difference, though. At this gathering in the PMAC, the main attraction wasn鈥檛 Haleigh Bryant鈥檚 vault performance or Konnor McClain鈥檚 beam routine or Aleah Finnegan on floor. It was a wood and glass national championship trophy, finally brought home to take up residence at LSU after the Tigers triumphed Saturday in the NCAA championship meet in Fort Worth, Texas.
鈥淟ouisiana, for all the knocks people around the country want to give us, is the most talented state in the country,鈥 said James Williams, chairman of the LSU Board of Supervisors鈥 athletic committee. 鈥淲e put our best and our brightest against your best and your brightest and we let that do the talking.鈥
The Tigers were at last the best and brightest on the NCAA championship stage after four previous runner-up finishes from 2014-19. LSU is just the eighth school to win the women鈥檚 gymnastics title since it became an NCAA sport in 1982, and it鈥檚 the 52nd national title in school history.
The celebration of that title had a familiar ring to it. This was LSU鈥檚 third national championship in just over a year, with the parade threading the same route through the north side of the campus as did the women鈥檚 basketball victory parade last April. It even came complete with an appearance by women鈥檚 basketball coach Kim Mulkey, who hugged a number of LSU gymnasts as they finished the parade to go inside the PMAC.
鈥淚t never gets old,鈥 said LSU president William F. Tate IV, who earlier was at the state capitol with the team for LSU day.
The No. 2 national seed entering the NCAA gymnastics tournament, the Tigers were the top seed still standing when No. 1 and two-time reigning champion Oklahoma was shockingly eliminated in Thursday鈥檚 semifinals.
LSU led after two of the four rotations Saturday, then fell a fraction behind No. 5 Utah as the Tigers finished on beam and the Red Rocks finished on vault. As LSU leadoff beam gymnast Sierra Ballard was about to start her routine, she could see to the right that Utah鈥檚 first vaulter fell on her landing.
Emboldened, Ballard went 9.95 on beam, a career-high score for the senior.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the calmest I鈥檝e ever been competing on beam,鈥 Ballard said. 鈥淲atching that girl fall in front of me, I just knew. You open the door, and I鈥檓 going to kick it in.鈥
LSU coach Jay Clark alluded to the concurrent drama during and right after nationals that had Georgia pursuing him to return to his alma mater along with assistant coaches Garrett Griffeth, Courtney McCool Griffeth (a former Georgia gymnast) and Ashleigh Gnat. Sources said contract extensions and raises are in store for LSU鈥檚 coaches, ensuring that they will be back to lead the program.
鈥淗ere鈥檚 what I know,鈥 Clark said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e LSU Tigers. We鈥檙e staying here and we鈥檙e just getting started. We love the team that鈥檚 here and the team that's coming back. It鈥檚 about to get crazy around here.鈥
Clark recognized longtime former LSU coach D-D Breaux, who got a standing ovation. Breaux hired Clark after he was fired at Georgia in 2012.
A number of former LSU gymnasts were in the crowd, among them two-time NCAA champion Ashleigh Clare-Kearney Thigpen, formerly a volunteer assistant coach for the Tigers.
鈥淭he team and the staff have been so gracious about making the alumni feel a part of this,鈥 Thigpen said. 鈥淭his senior class is the last one I worked with. They鈥檙e all such great young women. I do feel like a proud mom.鈥
Though someone in the audience shouted 鈥淥ne more year!鈥 when Bryant got up to speak, there were no official announcements about which of LSU鈥檚 seniors who can return for a fifth or sixth year in 2025 will do so. However, during introductions, SEC co-floor champion Kiya Johnson was mentioned as having competed in her last season.
Despite that, Johnson is eligible to return for a sixth year in 2025. Also with decisions to make are Bryant, Olivia Dunne, Ballard, Chase Brock and Alyona Shchennikova, who missed the entire season with an Achilles tendon injury.
In an appearance on NBC鈥檚 鈥淭oday鈥 show Monday, Dunne said she is still weighing her options but that 鈥渨inning the national championship makes me want to come back.鈥 Bryant posted on her Instagram account Tuesday that 鈥淭he million dollar question will be answered in approximately 5-7 business days.鈥