TIGER RAG NEWS SERVICES
LSU gymnastics associate head coach Courtney McCool Griffeth added another prestigious honor to an already decorated career when she was inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame on Saturday night in Phoenix.
The 2026 class also featured 2016 Olympian and eight-time world championship team member Logan Dooley, two-time world team champion Kara Eaker, 2020 Olympian and 17-time U.S. medalist Camilla Feeley, longtime gymnastics athlete, coach and contributor Tim Klempnauer and the acrobatic pair of Maren Merwarth and Jessica Renteria.
McCool Griffeth, 38, was inducted into the women’s artistic category as an athlete.
“Being inducted into the Hall of Fame is a true honor,” she said. “Growing up in the sport, competing for my country, competing collegiately, and now getting to coach the sport I love, makes my heart explode with so much joy and gratitude. Gymnastics and the people in my life have had the greatest impact on me and have made me so much of who I am. Thank you to my family, my coaches, my teammates, my friends, the athletes and teams I’ve had the honor of coaching, and so many more who have loved and supported me throughout my life.
“I’m so thankful for each and every one of you who has given me steadfast encouragement in the pursuit of my gymnastics dreams and impacted my life in ways I can’t fully put into words. I am forever grateful. Thank you USA Gymnastics for this tremendous honor.”
A native of Kansas City, Missouri, McCool Griffeth’s path to the Hall of Fame began when she was a member of the 2004 U.S. Olympic team that earned the silver medal at the Athens Games. She also earned silver on floor exercise and bronze on balance beam at the 2004 U.S. Championships.
McCool Griffeth continued her success at Georgia, where she competed under current LSU gymnastics head coach Jay Clark. During her collegiate career from 2007-10, she helped the GymDogs capture three consecutive NCAA team championships from 2007-09 and won the 2008 NCAA individual championship on floor exercise, making her a four-time NCAA champion.
Following her competitive career, McCool Griffeth transitioned into coaching and choreography, a career that has now spanned more than a decade. She held coaching positions at Texas Woman’s, Arkansas and Utah prior to coming to LSU in 2022.
McCool Griffeth has played an integral role in LSU’s success on the national stage, particularly with her main event – the floor exercise. She was named Region One assistant coach of the year in 2024 when the Tigers won the national championship.
The LSU floor team has remained one of the nation’s best under McCool Griffeth’s leadership. In her five seasons with the Tigers, she has helped lead LSU to an NCAA-record 49.725 national qualifying score, program record floor performances and multiple No. 1 finishes nationally. She has coached the Tigers to 23 All-America honors, 14 perfect 10s and three SEC floor champions with one NCAA individual title on floor.
With McCool Griffeth, LSU advanced to the NCAA Championship final in 2026 and finished as the national runner-up to Oklahoma with a score of 198.0750, the second-highest in an NCAA final in program history.
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