LSU Gymnastics is back to winning ways! And a sea of over 13,082 gymnastics fans in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center watched them do so. They took down No. 9 Missouri by a score of 198.000-197.175 for a rather comfortable win. However, the main brownie point for the fans was to watch super senior Haleigh Bryant’s comeback. But not many know that it happened with great difficulty.
This particular meet featured LSU Gymnastics bagging 49.550 on the beam, which was a season-high for the Tigers. And it came after Ballard opened the beam with a bang, (a season-high score of 9.875), only for Kylie Coen to continue the streak with a 9.90. Next up was Konnor McClain who glided the team to a 9.95, a position from where Bryant and Finnegan could anchor the team to a comfortable win. And while LSU head coach Jay Clarke was particularly happy, he revealed some concerning details about Haleigh Bryant’s condition.
In the post-Missouri press conference, LSU Gymnastics head coach Jay Clarke commented on the team’s beam performance. He said, “I thought it was fabulous, I thought it was, I mean, those first, those first four got up there.” However, about Haleigh Bryant, he revealed, “You know Haleigh’s, we had a little thing, I guess whatever I had is kind of run through several of them and Haleigh’s got a little respiratory thing going, I didn’t. she was coughing and sniffing and doing things she didn’t seem herself going into that but you know Haeligh’s just getting her leg under her.”
Well yes, Haleigh Bryant was undergoing a respiratory issue during her beam performance, per what Jay Clarke revealed. However, she still stood up on the mark and matched the expectations of the rest of the team. And that’s what helped bring out the whole show, as Clarke appreciated, “I thought Aaliyah’s routine up until the dismount was, I mean, again, I mean those first four were really really strong and I’m pleased with that beam set. I am super pleased with the whole meet really. There are still places to improve obviously.”
But, the commendable aspect here would be how Haleigh bounced back in the final rotation despite struggling physically. The fifth and final rotation was floor exercise, where Haleigh Bryant anchored the team with a season high 9.95. She was able to match the momentum set by Finnegan’s 9.750 and take the LSU gymnastics to an all-around season-high score of 49.475. But this is hardly the first time when Haleigh Bryant’s defied an injury.
LSU Gymnastics star Haleigh Bryant tackled another injury this season
December 2024, at the LSU Gymnastics 101 event, Haleigh Bryant ended up injuring her ACL. But even then, she was pushing hard to get back each day. She said, “I think right now I’m feeling really good. Definitely taking it day by day, definitely doing everything I can outside of the gym, whether it’s fueling my body or going to PT every single day. And I think it’s going really really well.” Clearly, the progress has shown.
However, she is still not back completely. LSU Gymnastics head coach, Jay Clarke affirmed that there still isn’t a timeline guaranteed for her. Although she is in a good spot, they’ll be looking to add another event to her roster soon. Do you think that will happen by the next meet? Let us know below!
The post Concerned LSU Gymnastics Coach Reveals Major Hurdle That Continues to Delay Haleigh Bryant’s Full Comeback appeared first on EssentiallySports.
