LSU’s Konnor McClain Bounces Back In A Big Way At NCAA Semifinals

By ANDRE CHAMPAGNE, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter

Nearly two weeks ago, LSU junior Konnor McClain took a scary fall on her bars routine in the Baton Rouge Regional Final. She injured her arm and it was uncertain whether she would be able to compete in Thursday’s NCAA Semifinals.

But she put those questions to rest when she returned to the lineup and made a statement. It was not LSU’s best performance, as it finished second with a score of 197.4375, edging No. 6 seed Georgia, which scored a 197.2625 in a dramatic finish in Session I of the NCAA Semifinals at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.

McClain knew she would be able to return after she finished her vault warmups.

“I had a little bit of a struggle in the warmup and I was like, ‘Oh man. Not again,’ but you know I was able to do it and just the build up to being here today, it was really hard because I would wake up sometimes and my arm would hurt and I just wouldn’t be able to practice that day, so I was definitely day-to-day, on and off,” McClain said after the meet on Thursday. “It was a struggle being here, but it was so fun being out there today.”

And you wouldn’t have been able to tell she was battling an injury based on her performance. She didn’t score lower than a 9.8250 across her three routines, highlighted by a big 9.125 to close out the bars lineup, which had struggled throughout the rotation, and an incredible 9.9500 on beam to give the Tigers a much-needed boost heading into the final rotation.

“I think Konnor finished out that bar rotation and we needed that,” sophomore Kailin Chio said after the meet. “Like, we really needed that and so hats off to her because she really kept us in it and without her bars set, we wouldn’t have been here now.”

THAT'S our closer.@_KonnorMcClain anchors with a 9.9125!

📺 ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/dzogj8RWR0

— LSU Gymnastics (@LSUgym) April 16, 2026

Chio might be right. LSU looked to be in trouble after its third event on beam, where it posted a concerning 49.2500. But McClain’s ability to deliver in the clutch gave her team new life.

Steady force. It's a 9.9500 for Kon!

📺 ESPN2 | @_KonnorMcClain pic.twitter.com/3CE2FRZObw

— LSU Gymnastics (@LSUgym) April 16, 2026

McClain said her ability to stay poised allowed her to come through in key moments.

“I just tell myself, ‘Your average is amazing,’ and so whatever I do, whether it’s an average bar routine, then it’ll be good enough for the team and so that’s just what I tell myself to calm myself down,” McClain said.

The joyous gymnast, who takes advantage of every opportunity to compete, said she takes pride in performing well for her team and coaches because she knows they do the same for her.

“Just being here with this team, I love this team with my whole heart, so just doing what I can do and bringing whatever scores we need to the team is just so special to me because I just love them and I want to do my best for them,” McClain said. “We have a saying. It’s “with each other, for each other,” and I think when I do my gymnastics, I really take that into consideration and it’s what I think about every single time I go out and compete.”

And LSU will certainly need to carry that mindset into Saturday’s national championship as it competes for its second title in three seasons at 3:00 p.m. CT. The Tigers will face top-seeded Oklahoma, No. 3 seed Florida and No. 15 seed Minnesota.