The NCAA season is on the horizon, and all eyes are on the defending champions, LSU. The Tigers won their maiden title last year, joining a rather exclusive list of just eight programs to do so. Leading from the front was the star, Haleigh Bryant.

To say that the NCAA and SEC All-Around Champion had a terrific season would be an understatement. With 31 scores above 9.950 and a season average of 9.900, Bryant was decisive in the title run. Having elected to use the fifth year of eligibility, alongside Sierra Ballard, Bryant would have been ready to hit the ground running this season as well. However, her injury at the Gymnastics 101 meet on December 16 thwarted her hopes.

Despite being sidelined, the LSU star is ready to get behind her team. Her injury did not stop her from expressing her excitement for LSU’s first season meet against Iowa State. In a recent Instagram story, she shared an LSU Gymnastics post reminding fans of the upcoming meet at the PMAC.

The post’s caption read, “Been waiting for this one… Happy Meet Week‼️”. Sharing the same on her story, the gymnast wrote “Geaux time”, echoing the common cheer for all LSU athletics. Additionally, she also posted pictures of herself and some of her teammates with the following caption:

“🔜 PMAC this Friday. See you there.”

Eager to see their veteran back, LSU fans made their excitement known via comments on the post. One fan wrote, “I can’t wait to see you 💜.” In a similar vein, another fan said, “CANT WAIT TO SEE YOU KILL ITTTT.” 

We agree, guys. The wait to see her on the beam is quite painful!

Bryant suffered the injury that sidelined her while executing a vault during the LSU Gymnastics meet. As per coach Jay Clark, it was the same elbow she “tweaked” last spring in nationals. She, however, did not realize it until later when she woke up with a swelling in the elbow. Imaging revealed elbow bursitis around Bryant’s UCL. While Clark has assured that “her arm feels good functionally day by day,” the team has decided to “err on the side of caution” as a precaution against an aggravated case.

LSU’s roster remains impressive even without Haleigh Bryant

Haleigh Bryant’s initial absence is definitely a tremendous blow for the Tigers. On top of that, there is still some uncertainty around KJ Johnson. One of the biggest contributors to the title win, Johnson was absent from the off-season opener event. Being asked to comment upon Johnson’s absence, Clark said, “KJ’s an internal matter. I don’t have much to say on that.”

Now the “internal matter” could be something as simple as maintaining a good GPA, or something more serious. We don’t know.

Despite such big absences, LSU will not be too disheartened. Reason? Their freshmen roster. In fact, Clark was much more impressed by the rookies than he was by the seniors after Gymnastics 101. He said some seniors looked timid while “some of the freshmen seemed to have more poise.”

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The rookies include 2024 U.S. Olympic Alternate Kaliya Lincoln. At the moment, she is dealing with an injury. But she is sure to take the vault and floor by storm. The rookie list also includes five-star recruit Kailin Chio.

All in all, one thing is for sure. LSU fans are up for an exciting season. Konnor McClain is returning after an Achilles tear. Haleigh Bryant is also on the road to full recovery. Add to that some favorable update on the KJ Johnson situation and an impressive set of rookies, LSU is sure to be a force to be reckoned with this season as well.