In January, the LSU football team won its third national championship, sending the campus and state into frenzy.
But several lesser-known sports also had career seasons this year, including soccer and gymnastics, who had the best seasons in the history of their respective programs.
The soccer team began the season on an eight-match, unbeaten streak highlighted by a 2-2 tie Sept. 18 against No. 5 Texas in Austin.
The Tigers had their breakout weekend a few weeks later, blowing out No. 6 Tennessee, 3-0, before tying No. 21 Georgia, 1-1, two days later.
LSU's successful weekend earned the Tigers a spot in the national top 25 for the first time ever with a No. 19 ranking.
"I'm happy for the girls because they've worked extremely hard and deserve a result like this," said LSU coach Brian Lee following the Tennessee win. "We did a great job of staying mentally focused throughout the game and were able to finish it off in the second half."
LSU finished the regular season 12-5-7 and won the Southeastern Conference Western Division with a 5-2-4 conference record.
The Tigers continued their magical season in the NCAA Tournament, winning the school's first ever tournament game in a double-overtime, 1-0 decision against Samford.
Junior Roslyn Jones pushed through the historic goal for LSU, playing a header into the back of the net with just more than three minutes to play in double overtime.
Jones said she hopes to continue to build in her final season as a Tiger.
"There are lots of things to accomplish," Jones said. "It's possible. We all know great things can come."
Gymnastics followed soccer's lead in the spring and advanced to the Super Six for the first time in the history of the program.
The Tigers started the season as the No. 10 team in the country but were plagued early in the season by inexperience and an inconsistent beam routine.
Following a disappointing fourth-place showing at the SEC Championships, LSU peaked at the right time, scoring 197.625 at the NCAA Central Regionals.
Junior Ashleigh Clare-Kearney led the surge for the Tigers in the Central Regionals with a 39.825 score including a score of 10 on vault.
"It felt good," Clare-Kearney said. "I can't see so I really don't know what it looks like. The feeling of getting a ten is amazing."
LSU was not able to replicate its Central Regional score in the NCAA Preliminary Sessions but still qualified for their first-ever Super Six with a 196.575 score.
At Super Six, the Tigers were not able to perform the way they hoped, placing fifth, but LSU coach D-D Breaux said her underclassman roster learned many valuable lessons throughout the season.
"Am I pleased with begin fifth? Absolutely," Breaux said. "I'm proud of the effort from the girls this whole weekend."
Sophomore Susan Jackson finished her season in style the following night, winning the national championship on vault.
Jackson joined April Burkholder, Jeanie Beadle and Nicki Arnstad as the only individual national champions in LSU history.
"I don't think what happened has sunk in yet," Jackson said following the performance. "It was tough with three straight all-around performances. Tonight my legs were a little tired, but I was able to pull it off."
Both the men and women's track teams have also been on a blistering pace throughout the season with both currently holding the No. 1 spot in the nation.
In LSU's most recent meet, both Tigers teams dominated the Penn Relays, winning a meet-record six Championship of America titles in the three day meet.
"We've certainly had our share of history-making moments this weekend, and our kids can take a lot of pride in knowing that they accomplished something that no team has ever done before," said LSU track coach Dennis Shaver.
The Tigers hope to continue their dominance in the postseason with the team heading to the SEC Championships on May 15, before taking part in the NCAA Mideast Regionals on May 30.
---- Contact Casey Gisclair at cgisclair@lsureveille.com
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