In Pictures: Aleah Finnegan, Haleigh Bryant, and other LSU gymnasts undergo intense practice session ahead of Florida Gators clash

Haleigh Bryant, Aleah Finnegan, and other LSU gymnasts underwent an intense training session on Thursday (Jan. 16) ahead of the team's third clash of the season against Florida Gators. The Lady Tigers kicked off their NCAA title defense with a dominant victory against Iowa State on January 3rd.

LSU Gymnastics Instagram handle shared glimpses of the Tiger's training session in a series of stories on January 16th, and while Olivia Dunne wasn't present, Haleigh Bryant and Aleah Finnegan were pictured perfecting their balance beam routines.

Haleigh Bryant and Aleah Finnegan during practice (via LSU Gymnastics Instagram handle)

Seniors Tori Tatum and Alexis Jeffery were pictured practicing on the uneven bars.

Alexis Jeffery and Tori Tatum during practice (via LSU Gymnastics Instagram handle)

While Bryant has remained sidelined due to an injury so far, Finnegan has impressed in her absence and scored a nation-leading 39.725 in the all-around competition as LSU defeated Iowa State 197.300-194.100 in the season opener.

Finnegan led the scoring in the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad meet as well, and tied for second in the all-around competition. With significant contributions from Kailin Chio and Lexi Zeus, LSU managed to post 197.650 for a second-place finish to Oklahoma, who scored 197.950.

The Lady Tigers are currently ranked No. 2 and will take on No. 7 Florida Gators inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Friday (Jan. 17) for their SEC home opener.

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"Just step three in the process" - LSU Gymnastics coach Jay Clark ahead of SEC home opener against Florida Gators

2024 LSU Archive - Heach Coach Jay Clark (Source: Getty)

LSU Gymnastics are the defending SEC Champions after winning their fifth title last year, and after starting their NCAA title defense on a high note against Iowa State, the Tigers are hoping for a similar start to the conference week.

“We’ve had a strong start to the year so far and our mindset doesn’t change as we enter conference competition this week. We want to continue to move forward each week," head coach Jay Clark said (via LSU Gymnastics).

Clark praised the team for impressive performances in the last two meets and claimed they would look to carry the momentum into the SEC title defense.

"We had a great score on the road last weekend, and now we’re just looking to build off of that and focus on the next five minutes in front of us. This team has done exactly what it needs to do so far, and this week is just step three in the process. We’re excited to get back in front of our home fans for a big matchup against a top 10 team and hopefully get our first sell-out of the year!" he added

The Tigers have faced the Gators 124 times so far, and the latter leads the head-to-head tie 78-46.