Olivia Dunne clinches the SEC championship with LSU, and Angel Reese celebrates ecstatically.
Olivia Dunne led LSU Gymnastics made history on Saturday night at the Smoothie King Center by winning their sixth conference title. They did it by scoring 198.075 in the second session of the SEC Championships, demonstrating their dominance. For the squad ranked third in the country, this was a noteworthy accomplishment.
The Tigers’ outstanding performance at the championships tied the program’s greatest score, and they finished first out of eight teams who competed in both sessions.
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Jay Clark, the head coach, was incredibly proud of what his team had accomplished.
“It means everything to be able to bring this home. This is a great group and I’m very proud of how they’ve gone about their business all year long. The SEC is a gauntlet, and to come in here and be able to do it at home in front of our fans was pretty special. LSU is a special place,” Clark said.
With impressive performances setting the tone for LSU, the competition began with the vault rotation. Among the standout routines were Kiya Johnson’s outstanding 9.925 with her Yurchenko double, Haleigh Bryant’s excellent 9.975 in the anchor position, and KJ Johnson’s Yurchenko full, which earned a 9.875. Olivia Dunne scored a 9.800 to finish in third place.
Keeping up their momentum, LSU moved to the bars rotation, where Ashley Cowan recorded a career-high matching score of 9.950 and Bryant delivered a great effort to achieve a 9.925.
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Konnor McClain stole the stage on the third rotation on beam, scoring a flawless 10, while Bryant carried on her amazing night with a 9.950.
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A superb floor routine that resulted in a program-record score of 49.675 helped the Tigers to seal their triumph. Bryant achieved a noteworthy score of 39.800 to win the all-around competition.
What was the response of Angel Reese?
Haleigh Bryant, Ashley Cowan, Konnor McClain, KJ Johnson, and Kiya Johnson are the five SEC champions who have won individual titles, demonstrating LSU’s superiority beyond winning as a team. Adding to their already remarkable legacy in the SEC gymnastics scene, Bryant and Kiya Johnson won their second individual titles.
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In general, LSU’s victory at the SEC Championships demonstrated their skill, tenacity, and unwavering commitment to collegiate gymnastics excellence.
It was expected that Angel Reese, who is close to Dunne and cheered her on throughout the SEC Championships, would be present to respond to her friend’s success.
She showed her support for LSU’s gymnastics team’s victory by sharing a photo of them on Instagram.
