A return of the queen and two current stars
It’s back.
Less than a month after the conclusion of the 2024 NCAA women’s gymnastics season, an LSU gymnast is back in action alongside two future Tigers. 2024 SEC beam champion and member of the 2024 NCAA champions Konnor McClain makes her return to elite competition and will compete alongside incoming freshmen Kaliya Lincoln and Lexi Zeiss at the 2024 Core Hydration Classic in Hartford, Connecticut, Saturday. It’s the last opportunity for any athlete to earn a spot at the 2024 Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships in Fort Worth, Texas in two weeks, a competition that’s vital for earning a spot at the Olympic trials. Both athletes will compete in the second session of the seniors competition which will begin at 6:00 p.m. on CNBC and Peacock.
The second session features a stacked field that includes the last three Olympic all-around champions, Sunisa Lee, Simone Biles and Gabby Douglas, the first time a competition has ever featured three such athletes ever. Competing athletes have also combined to win eight Pac-12 titles, 14 SEC titles and eight NCAA titles. Those come from current and former collegians Konnor McClain, Leanne Wong, Trinity Thomas, Kayla DiCello, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey and Suni Lee. Konnor is the only one with an NCAA team championship.
The three current and future Tigers will compete in the all-around. Lexi will begin her meet on vault, Kaliya will begin her meet on bars and Konnor will begin her meet on beam. There’s a lot of excitement about Konnor’s return to elite for the first time in about a year, so it’ll be interesting to see how it goes. She is being coached by Garrett and Courtney Griffeth. The other two are looking to keep the momentum they’ve built the last couple of years.