LSU Gymnastics Tops Kentucky 198.050-195.725 To Win 16th Straight Home Meet

January 23, 2026 Andre Champagne Gymnastics, More LSU Sports 0
Courtney Blackson, LSU
LSU graduate student Courtney Blackson earns a 9.950 on bars in LSU's 198.050-195.725 win over Kentucky on Friday night (Photo by LSU Athletics).

By ANDRE CHAMPAGNE, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter

The No. 4 LSU gymnastics team defeated Kentucky 198.050-195.725 on Friday night to win its 16th straight home meet in front of 13,516 fans at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, marking the third largest crowd in LSU gymnastics history. The Tigers’ 198.050 score was their highest of the season yet.

“They look forward to coming in here and I think we feed off of that energy that our fan base gives us,” head coach Jay Clark said following the win against Kentucky. “The key is, you can’t get dependent on it because you’ve got to go to other places where there’s not 13,000 people. And so we love being in here. They relish competing well in this environment here and it was just what we needed.”

Sophomore Kailin Chio put together another incredible performance, taking home her second all-around title this season, with a total score of 39.775.

“I’m seeing a lot of growth in her and it’s little things, intangibles,” Clark said. “It’s not about the skills that she does. It’s about the approach that she takes and how she reacts to circumstances and those kinds of things and how she’s communicating the routine. She’s continuing to do what she’s done.”

Heading into Friday’s meet, Clark emphasized that his team needed to do better on vault. The Tigers did just that.

Sophomore Lexi Zeiss started the meet off with a bang for LSU (3-1-1, 1-1 Southeastern Conference). Zeiss scored a 9.900 in the lead off spot. In her first-ever fault for the Tigers, junior Konnor McClain earned a 9.825. Next, freshman Nina Ballou totaled a 9.750 in her first vault performance in the PMAC. Junior Amari Drayton followed with a 9.700. Sophomore Kaliya Lincoln scored a 9.825 in the fifth spot. Chio anchored with a team-high 9.950 to bring the Tigers total to 49.250.

LSU led Kentucky (0-5, 0-2 SEC) 49.250-48.975 after the first rotation and moved to bars for the second rotation of the night.

Zeiss led off for the Tigers once again, scoring a 9.925 on an impressive routine. Senior Ashley Cowan followed the strong start with a 9.875. Junior Madison Ulrich scored a 9.850 in her first routine in the PMAC. Chio followed with a 9.900, her second score of 9.900 or better of the evening. Senior Courtney Blackson used all the momentum in the building and earned a 9.950. McClain anchored with a 9.900, bringing LSU’s total to 49.550 on bars. The Tigers’ 49.550 tied for their best score this season on bars.

LSU held a comfortable 98.800-98.150 lead at the halfway point and moved to beam for the third rotation of the night.

Junior Kylie Coen led LSU off on beam with a strong 9.850. Zeiss followed with a 9.825. Drayton had her strongest routine of the night on beam, earning a 9.925. Lincoln matched Drayton’s score with a 9.925 after an impressive routine. In the fifth spot, McClain was nearly perfect, scoring a 9.950. And the Tigers weren’t done. Chio finished the third rotation off strong, anchoring with a perfect 10.000 to bring LSU’s total to 49.650 in beam, its highest score on beam this season and the second-highest beam score in the nation.

LSU led Kentucky 148.450-147.225 after three rotations and the Tigers headed to the floor for the final rotation of the night.

Senior Emily Innes led off with a strong 9.925 in her first routine of the night. Ballou followed with a career-high 9.900. In the third spot, Coen earned a 9.825. Drayton used momentum from her third routine of the night into her last, totaling a 9.900. Lincoln anchored with a team-high 9.950. LSU finished with a 49.600 on floor, bringing its total to 198.050.

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