Amari Drayton, a freshman at LSU Gymnastics, recently stunned in her debut against the Ohio State Buckeyes on Friday night. Her amazing performance landed her an SEC award, and Jordan Chiles and Joscelyn Roberson were quick to congratulate the youngster.
Drayton, who hails from Texas, the hometown of Olympic and World Champion Simone Biles, was competing on the vault and the floor for the first time, donning the LSU Tigers’ purple and gold leotard.
The gymnast proved that she was a force to be reckoned with early in the meet when she landed her Yurchenko one-and-a-half on the vault. Her impeccable performance scored her a 9.925, helping her clinch silver in the event, behind teammate and senior Haleigh Bryant.
After the vault, Amari Drayton moved on to the floor, where she once again scored a 9.925, getting in on a share of the second place, and helping the Tigers to her victory.
Recognizing Drayton for her performance, she was awarded the SEC’s Co-Freshman of the Week, alongside fellow gymnast Lily Smith from Georgia.
Taking to her Instagram stories to congratulate the LSU freshman, Jordan Chiles wrote,
Joscelyn Roberson also took to her Instagram to wish Drayton, writing
Apart from the three big gymnastics entities who were left wowed by Drayton, LSU Gymnastics head coach Jay Clarke was also impressed.
Drayton, who was only a last-minute replacement for an injured teammate, was “spectacular” according to Clarke.
Amari Drayton and the LSU Gymnastics team will next be in action on January 13th. The Tigers, who are currently 5th on the Road to Nationals rankings, will take on UCLA, Utah, and Oklahoma, at the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad. The meet will take place at the Maverik Center in West Valley, Utah.
