On the flight home from Kentucky, the full impact of what was in store for Haleigh Bryant the rest of this season really hit home.
Seated not far from Bryant was LSU gymnastics teammate Kiya Johnson, a walking boot encasing the left Achilles tendon she shredded earlier that night. It was an injury that would require surgery and will sideline the senior All-American for the rest of the season.
The injury also left the role of the Tigers’ primary leader to Bryant.
For more than two seasons, Johnson and Bryant have been LSU’s dynamic duo. Now, when it comes to performing in gymnastics meets, there is just LSU’s dynamic single. The Tigers’ leader by example. The lead voice.
“I had to tell people we’re not done,” said Bryant, who leads No. 9-ranked LSU into Friday’s home meet with Georgia (8 p.m., SEC Network). “The season isn’t over. There’s so much left. I had to put everyone in the mindset that we have a lot left.”
Although she won the NCAA vault championship in 2021 as a freshman, Bryant has been at her best this season. When LSU has needed her most, Bryant has delivered, winning 13 individual titles in the Tigers’ five meets. That includes a perfect 10 on vault two weeks ago against Missouri and five all-around titles (competing in vault, bars, beam and floor) in all five meets.
The Cornelius, North Carolina, native now has 42 career titles, two more than Johnson.
“She’s the most consistent gymnast you could hope to see,” said junior Elena Arenas, who shared the SEC vault title with Bryant in 2021. “She’s putting in the numbers to get to that level.”
That level is being considered not only LSU’s team leader but also one of the nation’s preeminent gymnasts. Bryant ranks fourth in the nation in vault and seventh in the all-around, with at least a 9.95 on all four events.
LSU coach Jay Clark spoke to Bryant privately on that flight home from Kentucky about the leadership role she would have to assume with Johnson sidelined. The response has been exactly what Clark expected.
“I think she was going to do that anyway,” he said. “She’s a junior now. The maturation process is what it has been. That’s what I see every day. She may have felt a great sense of weight on her shoulders, but Haleigh is so unique.”
Unique in how she does her gymnastics, routines dominated by forward flips and passes that few other collegiate gymnasts would even dare attempt. Unique in her ability to consistently deliver stellar performances — 14 of her 20 routines this season have been 9.90s or better.
“I’m definitely proud of how I’ve done and the mindset everyone has had,” Bryant said. “I knew this team needed me every single day.”
It has taken work to take over the leadership role previously shared by two. By her own admission, Bryant isn’t the most vocal person in LSU’s gym. She prefers to, as she said, “put my head down and work."
“But I’ve had to come out of my shell a bit and work with everyone, to make sure we hold everyone accountable,” she said.
Even for a fellow upperclassman such as Arenas, when Bryant speaks through words or action, she knows it’s best to listen.
“We all encourage each other to step up and use our voices,” Arenas said. “What Haleigh says holds a lot of weight. She’s a role model in and out of the gym. I can go to her for advice and she’ll tell me what I need to hear.”
As Johnson showed, no gymnast is indestructible, and Bryant knows that all too well. She’s competing through nagging physical issues herself. Because LSU needs her four high-quality scores every meet, Clark said he and his staff have compensated by allowing her to taper her practice sessions down to the bare minimum.
“She could probably take two weeks off and perform at or near the level she’s at now,” Clark said. “There’s very little she needs to do from a physical aspect. And she’s in a good place mentally. She communicates well with us if she’s tired or fatigued, and we adjust based on her input.”
Johnson is eligible to return not only next season but also in 2025 because of her injury redshirt status and the fact the pandemic cut short her 2020 season. Until then, Bryant takes the lead, reminding everyone that LSU’s goals of returning to the NCAA championship meet and competing for the program’s first national title haven’t changed.
“The talent and skill is there,” she said. “It’s all mental at this point.”
Bryant is the embodiment of that.
SEC standings
Team SEC Pct. Overall Pct. Season Avg.
Florida 3-0 1.000 6-0 1.000 197.700
Kentucky 2-1 .667 4-2 .667 197.025
Auburn 1-1 .500 3-3 .500 197.306
Missouri 1-1 .500 4-1 .800 196.681
LSU 1-2 .333 1-4 .200 197.040
Alabama 1-2 .333 2-2 .500 196.831
Georgia 1-2 .333 5-4 .556 196.515
Arkansas 1-2 .333 2-2 .500 196.475
Last week’s results
Friday’s results
Arkansas 197.475, LSU 197.250
Kentucky 197.825, Alabama 197.375
Auburn 197.175, NC State 196.125
Florida 197.900, Georgia 196.850
Sunday’s results
Missouri 196.800, Texas Woman’s 194.350, Lindenwood 191.525
Friday’s schedule
Georgia at LSU, 8 p.m. (SEC Network)
Kentucky at Missouri, 5 p.m. (SEC Network)
Auburn at Alabama, 6:30 p.m. (SEC Network)
Florida at Arkansas, 6:45 p.m. (SECNetwork+)
All times CST