LSU Riding Momentum and Confidence Into NCAA Regional Finals

By ANDRE CHAMPAGNE, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter

The No. 2 seeded LSU gymnastics team continues to raise the bar each time it takes the floor and Thursday night was no exception.

In the second round of the Baton Rouge Regional at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, the Tigers posted a season-high and program-record NCAA Regional score of 198.375, finishing first and advancing to Saturday night’s regional final at 5 p.m.

Update that bracket 🐅 pic.twitter.com/rtuspB1sob

— LSU Gymnastics (@LSUgym) April 3, 2026

LSU will compete against No. 7 Stanford (17-5, 6-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), No. 10 Michigan (18-7, 6-3 Big Ten Conference) and No. 15 Clemson (12-9, 3-3 ACC). The Tigers (18-5-1, 5-3 Southeastern Conference) are aiming to reach the NCAA Semifinals in Fort Worth for the fourth consecutive year.

Head coach Jay Clark called LSU’s dominant performance the team’s most complete and impressive of the season.

“It was awesome,” Clark said after Thursday’s meet. “I mean, they left no doubt, no room for doubt, and what I told them at the end was that this should improve their confidence level, and they ought to be supremely confident going into Saturday.”

The Tigers’ strong postseason start not only secures their spot in the regional final but also boosts each gymnast’s confidence, a factor that can define seasons. Junior Konnor McClain, who has been on fire as of late, said the best is yet to come.

“I mean, going out there tonight, that’s still not our best, and we’re capable of so much more,” McClain said. “So it’s just really exciting knowing that there’s still more in us. We got out there, did that, and were having the time of our lives. It’s not over yet, so I think we’re just excited to keep stacking the days, keep it going, and get ready for Saturday.”

Sophomore Kailin Chio continued to prove why she’s one of the nation’s top gymnasts, earning two perfect tens on Thursday. Chio has now scored two or more tens in three meets this season and became just the second gymnast in program history to record two tens in an NCAA Regional. She currently holds 12 career perfect scores, six shy of tying Haleigh Bryant’s LSU record of 18.

We are literally witnessing history in progress.

– Second gymnast with two 10's in a meet at regionals.
– Third meet with two 10's or more
– 11 perfect scores this season, 12 in her career

Kailin Freakin' Ch10 🐐 pic.twitter.com/meLO1PFSkq

— LSU Gymnastics (@LSUgym) April 3, 2026

Clark praised Chio as an incredibly rare talent, but emphasized that her individual success relies on the team around her.

“She’s unbelievable,” Clark said. “I don’t know if she’s human sometimes, but she’s still one of 21. That’s awesome. But it doesn’t happen without everybody else going ahead of her. She didn’t do it in a vacuum.”

Looking ahead to Saturday’s regional final, Clark said recovery is key.

“We’ve just got to get off our feet for a day and recover,” Clark said. “Make sure they’re not getting dragged around town by family, friends, all the things. We need to use tomorrow to really rest up because we are still nursing some bodies and trying to make sure that we don’t run some people into a ditch, so to speak.