LSU head coach Jay Clark lauds Haleigh Bryant after first-ever NCAA Championships victory

LSU Tigers women's gymnastics team head coach Jay Clark has praised Haleigh Bryant for her brilliant performances after their first-ever title triumph at the NCAA Championships 2024.

At the NCAA Championships finals, Bryant placed first in the all-around with a score of 39.7125, tied with California Golden Bears' eMjae Frazier for the highest individual score during the team finals. This helped LSU win their first national championship in school history.

SEC Network streamed LSU’s NCAA win celebration on their platform. They shared a glimpse of coach Jay Clark’s statement praising the gymnast for her brilliance in this season on their X (formerly Twitter) platform, stating:

“Look, Haleigh Bryant, I don't care what you say. I love Joe Burrow and the rest of them. But by God, you'd be hard-pressed to find another athlete on this campus in the history of this place. That's what she's done.”

Clark, who played a key role in LSU’s victory, has been the head coach of the team since July 1, 2012, after resigning as the head coach of Georgia.

LSU clinched the national championship title with scores of 198.225. They finished ahead of the University of California (197.850), University of Utah (197.800), and University of Florida (197.4375), who came second, third, and fourth, respectively.

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A look at Haleigh Bryant's recent achievements

Haleigh Bryant of LSU competes on the floor during a gymnastics meet against Auburn at Neville Arena on February 10, 2023 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Stew Milne/Getty Images)

During the NCAA Championships 2024 semi-finals, Haleigh Bryant recorded a 39.7125 to win the individual all-around title. She previously bagged a national title in 2021 on vault apparatus.

The 22-year-old's performances throughout this season have seen her become one of the finalists for the Honda Award along with Leanne Wong, Jade Carey, and Jordan Bowers. This is the second instance of the gymnast being named as a finalist for the award as she was nominated last year as well.

Besides this, Bryant also won the SEC Gymnast of the Year 2024 title, voted by head coaches from each institution, and was recognized as the AAI Award winner for the year 2024.

Additionally, her other achievements at the NCAA Championships include finishing third in the balance beam in 2024 and third in the all-around in 2023. She is also a two-time Nastia Liukin Cup winner in the senior category.