The LSU gymnastics team advanced to the NCAA Super Six for the first time in school history by compiling a third-place score of 196.575 Thursday afternoon in session one of the NCAA Championships at the Stegeman Coliseum.

The Southeastern Conference owned the first session as Florida (196.900) and Alabama (196.650) also advanced to the Super Six. Three-time defending national champion Georgia, Utah and Stanford advanced from the second session. The Super Six will take place Friday at 5 p.m. CT.

LSU will have the same rotation for the Super Six as it did for the preliminary session. The Tigers will start with a bye before floor. Following the floor, the Tigers will compete on vault. LSU will take its second bye in the fourth rotation. The Tigers will compete on bars in the fifth rotation before closing out the competition on beam.

In the previous 19 trips the Tigers have made it to the NCAA Championships, they have never advanced to the Super Six. The Tigers best finish came in 1988 when they finished fourth in Salt Lake City. This was before the Super Six format was introduced.

Since the Super Six was introduced in 1993, the Tigers have finished seventh three times - 2007, 2004 and in 1993 (tied for seventh).

“It was our determination and desire that got us to the Super Six,” LSU head coach D-D Breaux said. “It’s about knowing every time you are in the weight room you are working out for a reason. It’s about every time you put something extra in your routine, that you may not be comfortable with at first, you work at it until you are comfortable.”

The Tigers were led by sophomore sensation Susan Jackson who earned three first-team All-America honors with her second place all-around score of 39.50. The Spring, Texas native also earned All-America honors on beam (t2-9.850) and floor (t4-9.90). Jackson earned firs-team All-America honors on floor last season.

Also earning first-team All-America honors were junior Ashleigh Clare-Kearney and sophomore Summer Hubbard. Clare-Kearney, who was named Co-SEC Gymnast of the Year, earned the accolade on bars (t1-9.950) and floor (t4-9.990.)

Hubbard earned All-America honors with her third place score of 9.925 on bars.

Jackson, Clare-Kearney and Hubbard will each participate in the individual event finals on Saturday beginning at 5 p.m.

“I have to applaud our upperclassman for continuing to push the freshman and sophomores,” Breaux commented. “They never let up and helped our team rise to the occasion.”

On floor, the Tigers were led by first-team All-SEC selections Clare-Kearney and Jackson who each posted a 9.90 to tie for fourth overall. Kristi Esposito and Samantha Engle each posted a solid 9.825 to round out LSU’s top four marks.

In the third rotation, LSU was on vault where Jackson continued her strong outing by scoring 9.875 to tie for third.

Each team had completed two events at the end of the third rotation and the Tigers were in the lead with a score of 98.300. Fellow SEC squads Florida (98.275) and Alabama (98.150) trailed LSU at the midway point.

The Tigers carried their momentum into the fifth rotation on bars by posting a solid 49.450. Clare-Kearney tied for first among all competitors by scoring a 9.950. Hubbard earned her All-American accolade by tying for third with a score 9.925.

The Tigers maintained their position in the top three in the final rotation on Beam with a score of 48.825 to punch their ticket to the Super Six. Jackson capped off her All-American performance by finishing second on beam with a score of 9.850.