Move Over, Sooners: LSU Gymnastics Wins SEC Championship To Become No. 1 Team In The Nation
BATON ROUGE, LA - JANUARY 17: Haleigh Bryant of the LSU Tigers in action during a meet against the ... More Florida Gators on January 17, 2025 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Ava Duplechain/University Images via Getty Images)
There's a new top dog in women's college gymnastics. After a decisive win at Saturday's SEC Gymnastics Championship, the LSU Tigers enter the postseason as the No. 1 overall seed, ending the Oklahoma Sooners' reign at the top of the national leaderboard. Though the Tigers won the National title in 2024, their ascension to the top of the national rankings is unprecedented.
The Tigers are the first team to unseat OU as No. 1 overall since 2022. It's also the first time since 2014 that the Sooners are not the top team heading into the postseason. For the Sooners, a second-place seeding is uncharted territory.
Saturday's SEC Championship marked the LSU and Oklahoma's third meeting in 2025. Heading into the meet, the rivalry was split 1-1 on the season, with Oklahoma entering SECs as the No. 1 seed and LSU at No. 2.
The teams shared the 2025 SEC Regular-season title, but the Tigers did not have to share on Saturday. The Tigers clinched the meet with a huge 198.200, eclipsing No. 1 Oklahoma's 197.925 and followed by No. 3 Florida and No. 7 Missouri.
The score was the Tigers' best in program history and marked their 6th SEC Championship title. Extending their dominance in the conference, the Purple and Gold have now won five of the last eight SEC championships. Perhaps even more impressively, the Tigers led from start to finish
Fifth-year Haleigh Bryant was spectacular on Saturday, clinching the meet on vault and successfully defending her all-around title. Bryant also shared the beam title with teammate Aleah Finnegan.
BATON ROUGE, LA - FEBRUARY 14: Haleigh Bryant of the LSU Tigers in action against the Oklahoma ... More Sooners at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on February 14, 2025 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by LSU Athletics/LSU/University Images via Getty Images)
Finnegan, a 2024 Olympian for the Philippines, was the runner-up in the all-around race. Freshman phenom Kailin Chio continued her stellar rookie season, finishing fourth in the all-around and second on the floor.
In a press conference prior to Saturday's competition, Coach Jay Clark defended Oklahoma's number-one ranking. 'Oklahoma should be No. 1. They've been the most consistent team from start to finish,' Clark said.
While Clark attested that his team has 'been increasingly more and more consistent and our scoring potential has gone up dramatically," he wanted to make things clear: "as far as I'm concerned, (Oklahoma is) the No. 1 seed.'
However, on Saturday, the LSU Tigers were far and away 'the most consistent team from start to finish.' After seeing his Tigers deliver on the conference's biggest stage, Clark changed his tune.
'I'm not one who is hung up on ranking and scores,' Clark told The Advocate on Sunday. 'But I think it is a testament to the resilience and growth of our pursuit and the process this team has been through. They believe, and they've overcome some stuff and gotten better when they've been challenged. They've put in the work to be the No. 1 overall seed.'
With their win, they also enter the postseason at an advantage. The Tigers will now compete in Olympic order, the same event order they compete in at home meets: vault, bars, beam, and floor. The Tigers are undefeated at home in 2025.
'I told them they didn't have to share this one,' Clark said after the meet. If the Fightin' Tigers can continue their upward progression, they won't have to share the sport's biggest prize either.
Next up, LSU awaits its assignment for postseason competition. The NCAA Regional Selection Show will air on ESPNU on Monday, March 24 at 12 p.m. ET. The competitions are set for April 2-6 at the following campuses: Penn State, Alabama, Washington, and Utah.
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