The LSU Tigers have one of the most talented freshmen classes in the country. The Tigers welcome in some big recruits with outstanding talent this fall. These five talented ladies will look to help LSU rebound after a disappointing finish last season. The Tigers missed out on the Super Six last season and will look to prove that was a fluke this season. The Tigers have lots to look forward to as they welcome in Julianna Cannamela, Sarah Finnegan, McKenna Kelley, Lexie Priessman and Kaitlyn Szafranski. Along with talent these gymnasts bring a great deal of experience that will be an asset to this team.

 

TOGETHER WE WIN...Let the journey begin ðŸÂÂÂ’ÂÂÂœ #geauxtigers

A photo posted by Lexie Priessman (@lpriessman2016) on Sep 16, 2015 at 2:04pm PDT

Julianna Cannamela
Julianna Cannamela is a freshman from Weddington, NC where she trained at Southeastern Gymnastics. Cannamela was a level 10 gymnast coached by Ludmilla Shobe and Galina Meliakina. Cannamela is a four time JO Nationals qualifier. In 2012 she placed 2nd on bars and all-around at the JO National Championships. In 2014 she won the bars title, 2nd on floor and 3rd all-around at regionals. Cannamela comes to LSU as a very balanced gymnast in the all-around and will look to make an impact early for the Tigers.

Jay Clark on Julianna Cannamela
Julianna is an incredibly gifted athlete who probably has as much talent as anybody in the country. She has had a tremendous amount of success at the JO level and is a very balanced all-arounder. She can do it all tumble, vault with power and she has a nice line and a grace to her gymnastics as well. We will need to rely on her early in the all-around. Based on what we're losing from the seniors this year, Julianna will be a key player for us right out of the gate to contribute on every event.

Sarah Finnegan
Sarah Finnegan is a talented freshman from St. Louis, Missouri. Finnegan comes to LSU with a very impressive resume including being the 2012 Olympic team alternate. Finnegan spent her elite training with Al and Armine Fong at GAGE. Finnegan will bring great talent and experience to the Tigers and will looks to make a big impact as a freshman. She brings international experience and success with her from the 2010 Pan American Championships and 2012 City of Jesolo Trophy. Finnegan is known for her elegant and graceful gymnastics and we will an outstanding all-around gymnast for the Tigers. Finnegan sat out 2013 due to injury and returned in 2014 while competing for St. Louis Gymnastics Center.

DD Breaux on Sarah Finnegan
It an incredible addition because Sarah is such a fine young lady. Her gymnastics is phenomenal, but when you add to that how much of a wonderful person she is, we are truly excited to have her in this class.

Lexie Priessman
Lexie Priessman is another talented freshman from Cincinatti, Ohio. Priessman spent many years training at CGA before moving to Perfection Gymnastics School. Unfortunately Priessman has had a string of injuries since 2012, but is looking to stay healthy and make a big impact for the Tigers. Priessman is a four-time U.S. National Team Member, who is a very dynamic athlete that will boost the Tiger roster on all four events. Priessman claimed the 2012 Visa (now P&G) Championships junior all-around title in addition to being a member of gold medal winning U.S. Team at the 2012 Pacific Rim Championships. Priessman captured the floor title at the 2013 Secret U.S. Classic, which followed up outstanding 2011 and 2012 seasons that saw her win the all-around titles at Visas (2012), City of Jesolo Trophy (2012) and the Japan Junior International (2011). Priessman is starting the fall coming back for an injury, but look for her to fight her way into the all-around when healthy.

Jay Clark on Lexie Priessman
“Lexie has an incredible amount of athleticism and a huge vocabulary of skills. She can do anything: she can flip, she can twist, and everything has big dynamics, loads of power and a nice look to it. When healthy she's really the total package. There's not an event that will be weak for her in college. Lexie has a great personality as well. When she was on her visit we jokingly nicknamed her "the Mayor of Happyville"’ because she's always laughing, having a good time and seeing the positive in everything. Nothing ever seems to get her down. Even when she has had an injury she always bounces back pretty quickly with her attitude. She's just a great person, and we're excited about the opportunity to have her on the team.

McKenna Kelley
McKenna Kelley is a freshman from Houston, Texas where she trained at Stars Gymnastics. Kelley may have followed her mother, Mary Lou Retton, into the sport of gymnastics, but her success has made it clear that she's making a name of her own. Kelley has garnered a number of titles including 2014 Junior Olympic National Floor Champion, as well as the all-around titles for the Texas Prime meet, Pikes Peak Cup, California Classic. Most notably, however, is Kelly's co-champion title from the prestigious 2014 Nastia Liukin Cup. With power and precision, Kelley will surely be a heavy hitter for the Tigers.

DD Breaux on McKenna Kelley
McKenna has had a tremendous surge in her success in the last two years, and she has received outstanding coaching from Dan and Ashly Baker at Stars Gymnastics. McKenna is really strong on floor, and that's probably the event she's most known for. However, she is also incredibly solid on beam and vault, and she does well on bars. If you had to characterize her gymnastics, the first thing that comes to mind is power. She's a powerful, athletic young lady with loads of personality and leadership qualities that I think we can build a team around. She is very similar to Bugs [Ashleigh Gnat] in terms of what they bring from a personality standpoint.

Kaitlyn Szafranski
The final senior for the Tigers is Kaitlyn Szafranski from Orefield, Pennsylvania. Szafranski trained as an elite gymnast at Parkettes Gymnastics but moved back to level 10 to prepare for college. She claimed the bars and floor titles at the 2014 Region 7 Championships. Szafranski also won titles on bars, floor and the all-around at the 2014 Pennsylvania State Championships, and she placed second on vault and beam. Szafranski swings a mean set of bars and will be heavily relied on out of the gate, but she definitely has the ability to also break into the vault and floor lineups.

DD Breaux on Szafranski
Kaitlyn comes from Parkettes Gymnastics, a very storied club program that has produced many Olympians. Her biggest standout event is probably uneven bars although she is very good on both vault and floor. She has a quiet, unassuming personality and is very pliable and coachable. She exhibits the kind of character that you want on our team with the way she conducts herself in her life. Kaitlyn will be a great addition in multiple levels in the community, as a teammate and with her gymnastics. We are excited to have her.

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