The No. 3 LSU Tigers kick off the 2015 season with a visit from the University of Iowa GymHawks this Friday in the Pete Maravich Center at 7:30 p.m. CT. The last time this Big 10 versus SEC matchup met was in 2012 and the Tigers defeated the GymHawks 196.30 to 195.70.

 

IOWA

Iowa finished 38th in the national rankings last season, just two spots shy of qualifying to an NCAA Regional as a team. The GymHawks will be lead by their five returning individual competitors from the NCAA Minneapolis Regional: Sophomore Alie Glover, freshman Angel Metcalf, and junior Sydney Hoerr were selected as all-around competitors, while freshman Jordyn Doherty was chosen to compete on vault and freshman Mollie Drenth competed on floor.

LSU

Coming off the best season in school history with their third place finish at both the NCAA Super Six Team Final and SEC Championships, the Fighting Tigers are hungry for more in 2015.  The Tigers have lost six seniors, most notably one of the nation’s top all-arounders in 2014 in Kaleigh Dickson and LSU’s all-time leader in uneven bars titles with Sarie Morrison.

Photo from lsu_gym on Instagram

LSU will be lead by a tremendous set of experienced upperclassmen. Three-time reigning SEC Floor Champ Lloimincia Hall holds the LSU record for most career perfect 10.0s on floor with five and will continue to be staple in the all-around for the Tigers. As one of the most consistent all-arounders in the country last season, six-time All-American Jessie Jordan will provide the Tigers with poise and confidence as she is expected to again anchor the beam lineup as she has done for the last three seasons. Ashleigh Gnat is coming off a formidable freshman campaign where she supplied big scores on vault, beam and floor and will be looking to break into the bar lineup in 2015. Assuredly at the helm of the 2015 Fighting Tigers is the remarkable Rheagan Courville. An elite all-arounder and one of the best gymnasts in LSU history, Courville is the Two-time reigning NCAA vault national champion, school-record 16-time All-American, three-time SEC champion, three-time All-SEC performer, two-time Central Region Gymnast of the Year and 2013 SEC Gymnast of the Year. 

Watch Rheagan Courville score a perfect 10.0 on vault at the 2014 Metroplex Challenge!

Neophytes on the Tigers roster will add much needed depth especially on bars and beam. Myia Hambrick has  finished as the national runner-up on beam in 2012, 2013 and 2014 at J.O. Nationals, but has the potential to break into all four lineups. Another talented all-arounder with the potential to see action as a freshman is Erin Macadaeg, who  placed second in the all-around and captured the beam and floor national titles at the 2014 J.O. National Championships. 


Watch Lloimincia Hall score a perfect 10.0 on floor!

With a squad of 12 returners that include seven All-Americans and 11 letterwinners and the addition of three talented rookies, the 2015 season holds tremendous possibility for the Tigers.

Related:
NCAA Gymnastics Season Openers