Kailin Chio Shines as LSU Gymnastics Defeats Arkansas
The No. 2 LSU gymnastics team secured a 198.075-197.100 victory over No. 8 Arkansas on Friday night, fueled by a historic performance from sophomore Kailin Chio, who earned three perfect 10s.
LSU Celebrates Senior Night with a Win
The Tigers celebrated Senior Night in front of over 13,000 fans at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, achieving their fifth score of 198.000+ this season. Sophomore Kaliya Lincoln emphasized the impact of the graduating seniors, stating, “I really think our senior class this year has been incredible leaders and just really showed us the way and gave us standards that we strive and follow.”
Chio’s Historic Performance
Kailin Chio was the standout performer, earning perfect 10s on vault, beam, and floor. This brings her season total to nine perfect scores and her career total to ten. Chio’s performance mirrors that of former LSU gymnast Haleigh Bryant, who also achieved three perfect 10s in a single meet on March 10, 2023, against West Virginia.
Event Breakdown
Vault
LSU started strong with a 49.525 on vault, their third-highest vault score of the season. Chio led the way with her first perfect 10 of the night, building on strong performances from Victoria Roberts (9.000) and Kaliya Lincoln (9.950).
Uneven Bars
The Tigers continued with a 49.525 on the uneven bars, led by Lexi Zeiss’s 9.850 and Madison Ulrich’s 9.900. Despite a fall from Courtney Blackson, resulting in a 9.300 (which was dropped from the team score), Konnor McClain anchored the event with a 9.950.
Balance Beam
LSU maintained momentum on the balance beam, with Lincoln scoring a 9.900 and McClain earning a 9.925. Chio then delivered her second perfect 10 of the night on the beam.
Floor Exercise
The Tigers finished strong on the floor exercise, with Emily Innes (9.850), Nina Ballou (9.900), Kylie Coen (9.900+), and Amari Drayton (9.900+) setting the stage for Chio’s third perfect 10. Lincoln closed out the meet with a 9.975, securing the win for LSU.
Looking Ahead
LSU will now begin the postseason at the SEC championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on March 21 at 7 p.m. Head coach Jay Clark expressed his enthusiasm for the upcoming challenges, stating, “I love meets like this coming up more than I do the ones that you go into where you’re supposed to win…Because you’ve just got to go attack it with everything you’ve got and just let it fly.”
Kailin Chio, a Henderson, Nevada native, is a 2021 Junior Pan American Games champion on floor exercise and a 2025 NCAA champion on vault. LSU Sports
Chio is the first LSU gymnast to record three perfect 10s in a single meet since Haleigh Bryant accomplished the feat on March 10, 2023, against West Virginia. Tiger Rag