As autumn begins, LSU gymnastics inches closer to the start of competition.
After making it to the semifinals in the 2025 season, excitement stirs around the idea of another deep postseason run for the previous No. 1 team.
The recent release of the official 2026 roster has boosted enthusiasm, as it features both new and familiar faces.
Let’s look at what gymnasts will make an impact on the competition floor ahead of the season.
When analyzing the team’s 2025 statistics, there are some gymnasts who stick out among the numbers and could definitely be score leaders in 2026.
Kailin Chio showed remarkable performances in her freshman year, posting scores that challenged stars like Haleigh Bryant and Aleah Finnegan. After earning some of the team’s highest scores on each event, there is no doubt that the sophomore is an overall difference maker.
After obtaining a season-high all-around score of 39.800, both her consistency and perfect 10 potential will make Chio a leader on this year’s roster.
Also looking to have an impact on the all-around is junior transfer Madison Ulrich. Competing for the University of Denver last season, she had season highs of 9.900 and above on all four events and an all-around high of 39.575.
Coming into the 2026 season as a first-year Tiger, the five-star recruit will be a popular contender as she deepens the talent on this roster.
Key gymnasts such as Amari Drayton and Kaliya Lincoln will likely be the team’s top vaulters alongside Chio and Ulrich. Drayton has a clear strength in power-focused events like floor and vaulting, and Lincoln’s steady score contributions add consistency to the lineup.
With both gymnasts posting 2025 season averages above 9.800, they’ll be key contributors to the event that could help set LSU apart throughout upcoming competition.
Moving on to the second rotation, junior Konnor McClain quickly became one of LSU’s top bar workers, leading the team with a 2025 season high of 9.975, a team-best she shared with Bryant.
The balance beam is a historically tricky event for LSU. This year, however, some new names could be the solution.
Senior Emily Innes, a transfer who competed for Washington in 2025, brings a career-high 9.900 on beam and potential to help stabilize LSU’s event rotation.
Alongside Innes, McClain also proved herself dependable under pressure, with a 9.850 season average and 9.950 career high on the balance beam.
Leading one of the most electric events is junior Kylie Coen. Tying both Bryant and Finnegan with a season high of 9.975 on floor exercise, Coen is one of the standout artistic performers on the team.
With her is sophomore Lincoln, who boasts highs of 9.925 on floor and 9.950 on vault.
Beyond event score leaders, a few of the team’s backbones will make a return, having proven the importance of putting up a quality score when needed.
Veteran Chase Brock is one, adding useful depth on the vault and floor rotations. Although she only competed in six out of sixteen meets last season due to an Achilles injury, the graduate student averaged above 9.800 on both events and achieved a season-high score of 9.925 on vault.
Leah Miller, Lexi Zeiss and transfer Courtney Blackson could also add scoring dependability in the face of lineup shuffles. While they don’t often earn the highest scores on their respective events, the ability to put up results above 9.800 will be critical to keep LSU ahead of the competition.
The 2026 roster also includes freshmen Nina Ballou, Molly Brinkman, Haley Mustari and Elyse Wenner, as well as redshirt freshman Zoe Miller. Their added potential will be key for lineup depth this season.
There’s still lots of time until the start of gymnastics season at LSU, but soon, Tiger fans will be shifting from Saturdays at Death Valley to Friday nights in the PMAC. When they do, the 2026 team will be ready to try to reclaim its No. 1 spot back.
