LSU is currently sitting on top of the world. Or at least, the Southeastern Conference. If you caught the 2025 SEC Women's Gymnastics Championship at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, you saw exactly why this conference is basically the "Group of Death" for NCAA gymnastics.
The Tigers didn't just win; they nuked the record books with a 198.200. That is the highest score LSU has ever put up at a conference meet. Honestly, it was a statement. For years, people talked about the "Big Three" in the SEC—Florida, Alabama, and Georgia—but the shift in power toward Baton Rouge is no longer a trend. It’s the new reality.
But here is the thing people get wrong: they think the SEC is just about who has the biggest stars. It’s not. It is a war of attrition where a 9.900 is sometimes the "bad" score in a rotation.
The Oklahoma Invasion and Why the 2025 Meet Changed Everything
You can't talk about the SEC Women's Gymnastics Championship without mentioning the elephant in the room: Oklahoma.
The 2025 season was the Sooners' first year in the SEC. For a decade, they dominated the Big 12 like it was a hobby. Everyone wondered if the SEC’s "Friday Night Heights" atmosphere would rattle them. It didn't. They finished second with a 197.925.
They nearly pulled it off, too. Faith Torrez was a literal machine, grabbing a share of the beam title and winning floor outright with a perfect 10.0. Seeing OU and LSU go toe-to-toe in the same building felt like a preview of the National Championship.
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What happened to the old guard?
- Florida: They took third (197.825). Close, but a few small hops on landings kept them from the title. Selena Harris-Miranda was the bright spot, nailing a 10.0 on vault.
- Missouri: Probably the most underrated team in the country. They finished fourth (197.400). Mara Titarsolej is a name you should know—she dropped a perfect 10 on bars.
- Alabama: Fifth place. For a program with 10 SEC titles, finishing middle of the pack feels weird. But that’s how deep this conference is now.
The Haleigh Bryant Factor
If you want to understand why LSU is back-to-back champions, you look at Haleigh Bryant. She is arguably the greatest gymnast to ever wear the purple and gold.
At the 2025 championship, she won the All-Around title for the second year in a row with a 39.725. She also grabbed a share of the beam title. Most people think of her as a vault specialist because of her front handspring pike half, but she has become an anchor in every sense of the word.
What’s crazy is the depth behind her. You have Aleah Finnegan (who shared that beam title) and Konnor McClain. When you have an Olympic-level talent like McClain in your lineup, and she's not even your "star" that day, you're in a good spot.
Looking Toward 2026: The Stakes are Higher
We are currently in the 2026 season, and the preseason polls tell a wild story. All nine SEC teams are ranked in the top 15 nationally.
Oklahoma is currently the #1 team in the WCGA Preseason Poll, followed by LSU at #2 and Florida at #3. Basically, the SEC Women's Gymnastics Championship is essentially a mini-National Championship.
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The coaching moves are also getting spicy. Georgia bringing in Cécile Canqueteau-Landi (Simone Biles' coach) as co-head coach is a massive "we aren't playing anymore" move. The GymDogs have struggled lately—finishing 7th in 2025—but the recruiting class they have coming in for 2026 and 2027 is terrifying.
Fresh Faces to Watch
- Hezly Rivera (Florida): A 2024 Olympic gold medalist. She's heading to Gainesville. Her beam work is elite.
- Kailin Chio (LSU): The 2025 SEC Freshman of the Year. She’s already proved she can handle the pressure of the big stage.
- Lily Smith (Georgia): She’s been the lone bright spot for Georgia recently, and she started the 2026 season with three first-place finishes against Ohio State.
Why the SEC Championship is Harder Than Nationals
I know that sounds like hyperbole. It isn't.
At Nationals, you have teams from the Pac-12 (well, what's left of it) and the Big Ten that bring a different "vibe." But the SEC is a pressure cooker. The judging is notoriously tight, and the crowds are hostile.
When you're at the SEC Women's Gymnastics Championship, there is no "easy" rotation. You don't get to rest on vault. You don't get a break on floor.
One thing people often overlook is the "Session I vs. Session II" dynamic. The bottom four seeds compete in the afternoon, and the top four compete at night. In 2025, Kentucky and Alabama were in that afternoon session. It is incredibly hard to win the overall title from the afternoon session because the judges tend to "hold" their scores for the big guns at night.
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Actionable Insights for Fans and Bettors
If you are planning to follow the road to the 2026 championship, keep these things in mind.
First, watch the NQS (National Qualifying Score). In the SEC, home scores are often inflated. Look for the teams that post 197.5+ on the road. Those are the ones that won't crumble when they get to a neutral site like Birmingham or New Orleans.
Second, pay attention to the "event specialists." Teams like Missouri and Arkansas might not have the depth to win the team title, but they have individuals like Mara Titarsolej or Joscelyn Roberson who can steal individual titles from the superstars.
Finally, keep an eye on the health of the "anchors." LSU lives and dies by Haleigh Bryant's consistency. Oklahoma needs Jordan Bowers and Faith Torrez at 100%. If one of those girls is resting a minor injury in March, the door swings wide open for a team like Florida to sneak in.
The 2026 championship is shaping up to be a three-way bloodbath between OU, LSU, and Florida. Don't be surprised if the winning margin is less than 0.050.
Your Next Steps:
- Check the current SEC standings on the official SEC website to see which teams are trending toward the evening session.
- Track the 10.0 counts for the season; teams with multiple "perfect" threats (like LSU and Oklahoma) have a much higher scoring ceiling in championship environments.
- Review the 2026 schedule to see when the top three teams face each other in the regular season, as these head-to-head matchups often dictate the mental edge heading into the post-season.