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LSU raises 2024 women's gymnastics national championship banner

Wade-Peeryby:Wade Peery•01/03/25
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© Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The LSU gymnastics program enjoyed a magical year in 2024, bringing home the national championship. And on Friday night, they hoisted their national championship banner in their gym, with a packed house to enjoy the moment.

The Tigers were pushed to the edge by Cal, Utah and Florida, but neither of the Pac-12 outfits or their SEC rival could match the team effort from the Tigers.

“I love these kids so much and they did everything we asked them to, all year long,” head coach Jay Clark said on the ABC broadcast after the win. “They never complained, they were unselfish when they needed to be but it was hard, from time to time. We weren’t without adversity and we caught some breaks and made it interesting sometimes, but it feels fantastic and I’m just so happy for them. I’m speechless.”

LSU won with a final match score of 198.225. Cal finished in second place with 197.85, Utah finished third with 197.80 and Florida came fourth with 197.4375.

It was a tight race for the lead right to the very end and the Tigers needed a strong performance on the beam during the fourth and final rotation in order to secure the title. The job fell to Aleah Finnegan to close out the match for the Tigers, and she delivered.

The win made LSU the eighth program in NCAA history to win the national championship.

LSU returns plenty of talent for 2025

LSU returns a number of talented gymnasts as they hope to protect their crown in 2025.

Amari Drayton–Sophomore–the LSU star excelled on the floor and in NCAA play, tallying three scores of 9.90 or better. She also had five regular season scores of 9.925.

Kailin Chio–Freshman–She is the most polished member of the top-rated recruited class for LSU. She performed very well in the Tigers’ Gymnastics 101 exhibition.

Haleigh Bryant–Senior–She has accomplished a lot in four years at LSU: two national titles, three SEC titles, 94 individual awards, 18 perfect 10s, and 27 All-American awards.

Andrew Graham also contributed to this article.