LSU star Sarah Finnegan scores perfect 10 to capture crown
In front of a record crowd of 10,505 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, the LSU Tigers took home their third-straight SEC Gymnastics title. The Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation, and SMG bid upon and managed the highly successful championship with the support of the LSU Athletic Department.
“When we prepared the business proposal to attract the event, we knew the combined experience of the Sports Foundation and SMG, as well as the amenities in the Smoothie King Center, would be strong selling points,” said Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation President/CEO Jay Cicero. “Add in LSU drawing over 10,000 fans on a regular basis at their home meets, and you have a recipe for success.”
The electric crowd of more than 10,000 fans watched as some of the nation’s best gymnasts squared off. The Championships featured 4 top ten teams in the country and a host of highly rated individual athletes.
The tense competition capped off with LSU All-American Sarah Finnegan scoring a perfect 10 on the floor exercise to secure a victory for the Tigers. Finnegan was also named All Around Champion with a score of 39.800.
Finnegan’s scores propelled the Tigers team total to 197.850, narrowly edging the score of 197.750 posted by the University of Florida.