LSU gymnastics coach Jay Clark entering final rotation of national championship: ‘We’re in it’
The LSU gymnastics team is in the final leg of their quest to finish off this year as champions of the college gymnastics world. The Tigers are dangerously close as they find themselves in a tight contest down the stretch where Utah, California, and Florida.
As LSU prepares for its final rotation, head coach Jay Clark revealed his message to the team as they push towards capturing the national championship.
“It’s just stay focused on what we’re doing. And it’s the same message that I give them all the time. We’re three down; we got one to go. We knew this thing was gonna be tough. it’s supposed to be, right? I mean, it’s the best four teams in the country right now,” said Clark.
“It’s a great atmosphere, and we’re having fun here. [We] Could have used a little more execution there at the end on our landings. But man, we’re in it and it’s fun got to finish it out.”
LSU wins women’s gymnastics national championship
When the smoke finally settled on the final round of the gymnastics championship competition, it was indeed LSU that finished out on top, bringing home a national title and besting a crowded field of competitors. And it helps LSU shed an ignominious title: The best program to never be national champions.
That reality is no longer. And the Tigers got over the hump by a narrow margin.
Cal, Utah, and Florida pushed the Tigers to the edge, but neither the Pac-12 outfits nor their SEC rivals could match the Tigers’ team effort.
“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.