The Alabama gymnastics team, ranked third nationally, narrowly lost to No. 2 LSU on Friday night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge. The final score was 197.975-197.600 in favor of LSU. Despite the defeat, Alabama recorded its second-highest road score of the season, continuing a trend from last week when it set its previous best at Auburn.
Chloe LaCoursiere led Alabama by scoring 9.950 on the uneven bars, securing her seventh title on that apparatus this season and her ninth overall event win. Ryan Fuller contributed with a season-high 9.900 on bars and matched that score later on beam for a career high. Jamison Sears added a 9.925 on floor, marking her seventh meet this season reaching or surpassing the 9.900 mark in that event.
Noella Marshall set a new personal best on vault with a score of 9.875 in just her second collegiate appearance, while Azaraya Ra-Akbar posted multiple scores of 9.900 across vault and floor.
Head coach Ashley Johnston praised her team’s performance after the meet: “What a night! I am so incredibly proud of this team for the toughness, the grit and the resiliency that they showed. To come out and compete in an environment like this is what it takes to prepare for being the best team in the country on the final night at a Final Four [national] championship. I’m also incredibly proud of how they continued to dig in, connect with each other and build off of each other. Even when it felt impossible to make the momentum go their way, they continued to create it. That LSU crowd was loud, they were rowdy and [we] continued to answer by creating our own noise, our own momentum and our own excitement.”
Johnston added: “Overall, being able to have the second-highest road score of the season is definitely trending in a great way for this team. They are excited for a rematch Sunday and are going to come in hungry and eager to continue to get better.”
Alabama opened competition with a 49.375 on uneven bars before posting a 49.300 on vault; Jordyn Paradise achieved her second consecutive vault score of at least 9.900 during this rotation as well.
On floor exercise, Alabama earned a rotation total of 49.500—the fifth straight meet achieving at least that mark—highlighted by strong performances from Ra-Akbar (9.900), Sears (9.925), and Gabby Gladieux (9.925).
The Tide closed out with balance beam where Fuller started with another career-high-tying routine (9.900) while Kylee Kvamme anchored with her own career-best (9.950).
Alabama will remain in Baton Rouge for another meet against LSU along with Arizona and North Carolina at the P&G Podium Challenge scheduled for Sunday, March 1.
