FORT WORTH, Texas — Meet after meet, Haleigh Bryant showed why she was considered the best gymnast in the country.
Thursday night, she proved it.
There were times this season when Aleah Finnegan shined brighter than everyone else on floor.
In the NCAA gymnastics semifinals, she was at her absolute best once again.
The LSU teammates not only led the Tigers to a place in Saturday’s NCAA finals, they also carved a piece of history for themselves.
Bryant won the NCAA all-around title with a four-event score of 39.7125, edging out 2020 Olympian Jade Carey from Oregon State and Florida’s Leanne Wong (both at 39.700).
Finnegan won the NCAA floor individual championship with a score of 9.9625, holding off two semifinals’ worth of contenders. Eight gymnasts tied for second on floor at 9.95, among them LSU’s KJ Johnson, the Southeastern Conference floor co-champion.
Finnegan became the 11th LSU gymnast to win an NCAA individual title, following in the footsteps of her older sister Sarah. She won the 2017 and 2019 NCAA bars titles, making them the only pair of NCAA title-winning sisters in program history.
"It’s an honor to represent LSU on the highest stage in our sport," Finnegan said Friday at a team pep rally in downtown Fort Worth. "There’s no other word to describe it other than ‘blessed.’ ”
Bryant becomes just the second LSU gymnast to win the NCAA all-around crown, joining Susan Jackson who won in 2010. Bryant also won the 2021 NCAA vault title as a freshman.
It’s been a season for the ages for the senior from Cornelius, North Carolina, who has been a model of both consistency and excellence in 2024.
In 62 routines, Bryant has scored 9.90 or better 57 times (92%) and scored 9.95 or better 29 times (47%), with eight of those scores perfect 10s. She has 18 career 10.0 scores, making her the nation’s active leader and ranking ninth all time.
"I haven’t done this by myself," Bryant said. "I really want to thank everyone for their support."
Tuesday, Bryant received the AAI Award, given to the nation’s top senior gymnast. She is also in the running for the Honda Award.
Finnegan posted three perfect 10s on floor this season, but her performance at Dickies Arena on Thursday night was perhaps as good as any of them. A 2024 Olympian representing The Philippines, Finnegan had perfect 10s on floor this season against Auburn, at Florida and in the NCAA Fayetteville regional. She has seven total 10s for her career, tied for sixth in program history with Lloimincia Hall.
Tigers earn postseason All-America honors
Seven LSU gymnasts earned a total of 16 postseason All-America honors.
To be a postseason All-American, a gymnast must finish in the top eight in her respective event.
Bryant earned all five All-America honors (all-around, vault, bars, beam, floor), making her the only LSU gymnast to record all five in the regular season and postseason. Senior Kiya Johnson earned three All-America awards (all-around, floor, beam), as did freshman Konnor McClain (bars, beam, floor).
Senior Savannah Schoenherr was All-American on vault and beam. Three Tigers earned one All-America honor each: Finnegan (floor), Sierra Ballard (beam) and KJ Johnson (floor).