After 50 years, LSU gymnastics finally has its national title after outlasting California, Utah, and Florida Saturday afternoon at the NCAA gymnastics championships in Forth Worth with a score of 198.2250. And while it’s easy to attribute the success to star all-arounders Haleigh Bryant, Aleah Finnegan, and Kiya Johnson, when asked who would be considered the team’s unsung hero, Finnegan only had one answer.
“Can it be a coach? I would say Jay.”
Sitting to her left, LSU head coach Jay Clark, who had traded in his signature paper Powerade cup for a bottle of water, nearly choked from surprise.
“I’m sorry, Jay, no,” Finnegan insisted, countering Clark’s head shake and eye roll. “He wants it so bad for us every single day. Day in and day out when we go inside the gym, he truly makes us 1% better, and we could not be more thankful to have him as a head coach and have him as the leader on our team.”
Just like she had for two hours previously on the competition floor, sitting next to Finnegan in the small press conference room under Dickies Arena, Bryant backed her teammate up.
“Honestly, I didn’t even want to come do college gymnastics. I came here, and it’s been the best four years of my life. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him, and I’m…
