That’s how often sexual assaults occur in the U.S., according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network.
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month: Here’s how
BY COURTNEY BELL @courtebell09April 2024 marks the 23rd anniversary of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, dedicated to awareness and prevention of sexual assault, harassment and abuse.
To start the month, LSU’s Office of Civil Rights & Title IX held its second annual SAAM Kickoff Event on Thursday. The office and organizations like the Student Health Center, Student Government and the Iris Domestic Violence Center met on Tower Drive to raise awareness and teach students about the resources available to them.
Microbiology sophomore Molly Dreznick attended the event. As SG’s assistant director of service, she volunteered with SG to pass out refreshments to students.
“It’s really important to highlight the voices that are often kind of diminished, or kind of dismissed,” Dreznick said.
Seeing the number of organizations that participated in the event demonstrated how much support there was for survivors in the Baton Rouge community, she added.
“Looking around at all of these tables, there’s a lot of organizations that care a lot about sexual assault awareness, and making a difference in the community,” Dreznick said.
John Michael Sweat, the Empower candidate for student body president, said raising awareness is why SAAM events are so important.
“They teach them about what resources are available, which is the most important thing, I think,” Sweat said. “Finding out what you have on campus to use to support yourself.”
Sweat, the current SG director of academic affairs, said sexual violence is an issue that will take collaborative efforts across campus to solve.
“It’s a big problem, especially in the South,” Sweat said. “… A lot of people don’t feel safe, especially on campus, and I think that’s an issue that we need to tackle with various types of resources and organizations working together to solve it.”
Sexual violence is a prominent issue in the U.S., with a sexual assault occurring every 68 seconds, according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. Over half of women and almost a third of men have experienced some form of sexual violence involving physical contact during their lifetime, according to findings from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Many sexual assaults go unreported. Only about 5% of them, for example, are reported to police, a 2020 study from the Journal of Interpersonal Violence estimated.
At the event, some students said LSU should expand the Title IX office. Dreznick said the university could employ more people at the office and increase the awareness of confidential supporters on LSU’s campus.
Reporting from the Reveille has found many students don’t know what Title IX is or what the Title IX office does. After interviewing 10 randomly-selected students, the Reveille found four weren’t familiar with the office. Others knew little about Title IX and very few had a strong understanding of how the office functions.
Some who did know of Title IX said LSU should improve the office’s visibility on campus.
Biology sophomore Melanie Suarez said that she thought if the Title IX Office had a stronger social media presence, more students would be aware of who they are and the services they provide.
The Office of Civil Rights & Title IX is the primary resource on campus for survivors of sexual discrimination, misconduct and assault.
“Title IX works to provide a safe and supportive environment for students, faculty and staff who seek assistance with reporting incidents, supportive measures, learning more about processes and policies, or those who want to contribute to a positive learning environment,” the office’s website reads.
In the past, the office has struggled to uphold its mission.
An article from USA Today made waves on campus in 2020 when it revealed the Title IX Office failed to appropriately address reports of sexual assault and domestic violence. Ten female former LSU students sued the university over the issue.
The suit dragged for years. Then, in late March, the university settled by agreeing to pay the former students $1.9 million.
For Sexual Assault Awarness month, the office has several events planned.
The office will support the student organization Feminists in Action with the Take Back the Night event, on April 16, from 68:30 p.m. at Memorial Tower.
“[Take Back the Night] is one of the oldest violence prevention and awareness events that was started to support the mission of ending sexual violence in all forms by encouraging survivor stories and speak outs, providing resources and ending with a march and call to action,” Deputy Title IX Coordinator for Training and Prevention Miranda Brown and Deputy Title IX Coordinator for Response and Resolution Asha Murphy wrote in a message to the Reveille.
Title IX has also organized an event and social media campaign for the 25th anniversary of Denim Day on April 24 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. in Free Speech Alley.
Denim Day was started by the nonprofit Peace Over Violence after a ruling by the Italian Supreme Court overturned a rape conviction because the victim was wearing tight, denim jeans. There was implied consent, the court argued, because the victim must have helped the defendant take off the jeans. Peace Over Violence created Denim Day to shed light on the moral failure of victimblaming.
Students who attend Title IX’s Denim Day event can contribute to a denim quilt to symbolize solidarity and support for victims of sexual assault. The Title IX office encourages students and staff to wear denim and share pictures of
their outfits on social media.
While the Title IX office can help students report a sexual assault, some students aren’t sure if they want to make a formal report; on-campus confidential supporters can still provide support for those students. In fact, at the health center’s Lighthouse Program, all employees are confidential supporters, meaning they’re not required to file reports if a student tells them about a sexual assault.
Lighthouse works to support student survivors by connecting them with resources and helping them decide if they do or don’t want to make a report, Lighthouse Director Kreslyn Kelley-Ellis said.
Lighthouse can help gain academic flexibility for students who have experienced sexual violence, provide connections for temporary housing assistance and connect them to medical care and mental health services, either through the Student Health Center or off-campus providers.
Once students are established with the Lighthouse Program, all services related to their healing processes are free, including STI tests and evidence collection kits. Kelley-Ellis explained this is to protect student privacy.
“Because we are a confidential resource, we would never want parents to be flagged to know that this is going on if [students] don’t want them to know ...” KelleyEllis said. “Once they are established with us, if they need that extended care, any service they need here in the Student Health Center we cover.”
The Lighthouse Program has been advocating for student survivors for more than two decades. Founded in 2000, the program
LSU on April 2 agreed to pay $1.9 million to settle a major lawsuit brought by 10 former LSU students over the university’s handling of potential Title IX violations.
The lawsuit was filed in 2021 and alleged that LSU failed to investigate numerous cases of sexual misconduct, discrimination and domestic violence.
One high-profile aspect of the case surrounds former football player Derrius Guice. Abby Owens, one of the plaintiffs, said Guice raped her; another, Calise Richardson said he attempted to rape her. Samantha Brennan said Guice took a nude photo of her without her consent and then distributed it to members of the football team.
All said that when they told an LSU official what happened, they were ignored or ridiculed.
Later in his career, Guice was arrested on domestic violence charges, which ended in a settlement, and dropped by the NFL.
Another plaintiff was Kennan Johnson, who said she experienced anti-LGBTQ discrimination and verbal abuse from coaches Julia and Michael Sell. And another tennis player, Jade Lewis, experienced dating violence while at LSU. They, too, said their reports weren’t ad-
dressed properly by the university.
Lewis was in a relationship with former LSU football player
Drake Davis from 2017-2018. Her father and teammates reported that Davis would repeatedly abuse her; they said that
when they reported this to LSU, nothing was done.
LSU was eventually sanctioned $30,000 after being told
to release the tennis coaches’ phones, which, upon review, were wiped clean.
As time continued, a pattern of LSU’s dismissal and avoidance began to take shape. An article from USA Today found that, in three separate cases, “rather than expelling or suspending male students found responsible for sexual assault, LSU allowed them to stay on campus.” In some cases, the university allowed the men to stay in the same class as their victims.
USA Today also reported that multiple LSU officials knew what was happening and willfully ignored the accusations or swept them under the rug. The reporting also found that “at least nine LSU football players have been reported to police for sexual misconduct and dating violence since coach Ed Orgeron took over the team.”
To investigate the allegations, LSU hired the law firm Husch Blackwell to look into its handling of Title IX cases. The firm released its report in 2021, and found that LSU’s athletic department continuously decided not to alert the police or the Title IX Office of reports of sexual misconduct.
All of the women in the lawsuit said that in every single case, LSU failed to appropri-
Louisiana’s colleges and universities could soon have more control over tuition, fees and maintenance projects under bills the Legislature will consider.
The proposals seek to give higher education institutions more financial independence from the Legislature, whose members currently have final say on what they can charge students to attend and how they spend campus construction dollars
House Bill 940 by Rep. Chris Turner, R-Ruston, would allow schools to get money for some maintenance work without going through the annual legislative process to set aside funds for state projects. Currently, most deferred maintenance projects on college campuses have to go through the capital outlay process. Each school submits their new building projects and fix-it list to lawmakers, who get final say in what gets funded.
Turner said higher education leaders have asked instead for a set amount of money annually, which they could then decide how to spend themselves.
This would prevent long-needed maintenance projects from filling up House Bill 2, the annual capital outlay bill, he said.
Turner’s bill sets up a 10-year program through which the Legislature would appropriate up to $1.7 billion dollars, approximately equal to the current deferred maintenance backlog for all four state higher education systems, excluding those at university hospitals, which could be paid for with federal dollars.
Of that amount, the Southern University System would be allocated $153 million, the Louisiana Community and Technical College System would get $253 million, the University of Louisiana System would receive $523 million and $752 million would be set aside for the LSU System.
“These campuses, hopefully over the next seven to 10 years, can work on their projects and fix their deferred maintenance so we’re just not building buildings we cannot take care of,” Turner said in an interview.
The nearly $2 billion deferred maintenance backlog presents a huge problem on university campuses. Poor infrastructure
LSU, from page 3
ately address the situations and protect their students. LSU’s Title IX policy states it will protect people suffering from discrimination based on sex, which includes domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, stalking and more.
LSU’s Title IX Office also has a mandatory reporting policy for almost all LSU employees. The policy states that if a person sees or is told misconduct in any form has happened, they should immediately inform the Title IX Office and possibly the police.
LSU has denied any wrongdoing, stating that the plaintiffs’ problems were not LSU’s responsibility and that their behavior off-campus did not pertain to them. The settlement said the money should “not be construed as evidence or an admission of any liability, unlawful conduct, or other wrongdoing.”
Attached to the settlement is also a gag order stating neither party will talk about or respond to anything about the agreement.
“The Court has been advised that the parties in this matter have settled all of their claims and have agreed to amicably resolve this dispute,” the presiding judge wrote in the dismissal.
APRIL, from page 2
was originally called “Men Against Violence at LSU,” The group formalized its structure in 2003, becoming the Sexual Assault Victim Advocacy Program. In 2013, this became the Lighthouse Program, which was restructured in 2021 to provide additional visibility and a formal connection to the Office of Civil Rights & Title IX, KelleyEllis said.
In anticipation of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Lighthouse and the Student Health Center held a silent march through campus on March 26 to honor survivors.
“We want to let survivors know that they have a place to come and that we will believe them,” Kelley-Ellis said.
Since Kelley-Ellis started working at Lighthouse in September, she said, she’s seen the program’s impact. One way she’s tracked that impact is by calculating the retention — the number of students who reported assaults and remained enrolled at LSU — from fall 2023 to spring 2024.
Lighthouse measured a retention rate of almost 90%. That’s almost 15 points higher than the national average at 76.5%, Kelley-Ellis said.
“So many drop out of school, or just fail out of classes,” Kelley-Ellis said of student survivors. “But out of the students that came to us in the fall of 2023, 88.8% returned in the spring of 2024. And that’s why we’re here; we want to meet stu-
LEGISLATURE, from page 4
manifests in Americans with Disabilities Act compliance issues, leaky libraries, disruptions in laboratories and myriad problems that impact student life, working conditions and faculty research.
Turner said addressing the deferred maintenance backlog is an important tool for recruiting and retaining students.
A bill giving schools more control over tuition is also being billed as a measure to keep universities competitive. For years, schools have sought the freedom to set their own tuition. Currently, such a change requires a two-thirds vote of the Legislature.
House Bill 862 by Rep. Jason Hughes, D-New Orleans, would allow boards for the four university systems to set differential tuition for high-cost programs. Differential tuition is a tiered amount charged on top of base tuition for more expensive academic programs, such as labheavy programs in science or engineering.
Hughes’ bill allows boards to set differential tuition for any graduate, professional or specialized program as well as any undergraduate program the Board of Regents, the state oversight board for all higher education, identifies as “high-cost.”
“When you look at the cost
dents’ needs, but we also want to keep them in school so they can continue with life and realize their dreams.”
In an exit survey Lighthouse asks students to complete, Kelley-Ellis said 95% of Lighthouse members from fall 2023 reported the program was “relevant in meeting their needs” when combining the “agree” and “strongly agree” options. The survey also found that 89% of students would return to Lighthouse again if they needed the services provided.
“To me, that speaks volumes about our impact, on top of the retention rate,” Kelley-Ellis said.
The Lighthouse director urged students who are seeking support to utilize the services the program can provide.
“We are here to help [students] disclose their trauma in a safe environment and to get them connected to the resources they need in order to live the life they want to live,” KelleyEllis said.
Off-campus organizations will be emphasizing the importance of SAAM, too. Sexual Trauma Awareness and Response, also known as STAR, is a nonprofit that provides free supportive services to survivors of sexual violence throughout the state of Louisiana. STAR has three locations, including one branch on Corporate Boulevard in Baton Rouge.
STAR provides direct services, such as advocacy, counseling and legal representation to survivors. This includes constant support through a 24-hour ho -
of an engineering program, for example, faculty commands … higher pay, equipment is very expensive. There’s a very high cost of running those programs, and we need to ensure that the universities have the tools needed to remain competitive in those programs,” Hughes told the llluminator.
Hughes’ bill would not allow the systems to raise differential
tline, as well as accompaniment to legal hearings and access to individual and group counseling sessions.
Behind advocacy, the second most used service is counseling, Counseling Director Carly J. Smith said. Smith’s clients range from having recently experienced sexual violence to working through experiences from years ago.
“STAR does have a waitlist for individual counseling just like, unfortunately, everywhere else,” Smith said.
Long wait times for mental health services have become increasingly common; according to research from the American Psychological Association, mental health counselors nationwide are struggling to meet growing demand.
“But having immediate access to that advocacy-type crisis intervention as well as the group counseling is really crucial,” Smith said.
STAR also focuses on achieving social change through community involvement and prevention education, Social Change Director Derrick Lathan said. Through his engagement with the community, Lathan spreads STAR’s message against sexual violence by teaching consent and how to recognize red flags and sexual pressure.
“I work with a high school to talk about healthy relationships, economic empowerment and other things that would intersect with sexual violence and sexual violence prevention,” Lathan said.
tuition more than 10% per year.
His bill also gives systems control over mandatory fees for any program. Tuition and fees at Louisiana universities increased drastically during the 2010s, when the burden to finance higher education was shifted from the state to students.
Hughes said he didn’t believe the bill would make college unaffordable, but rather would of-
Lathan also has personal experience with LSU’s campus. He attended LSU for his bachelor’s degree and recently earned his doctorate exploring race, gender and education at the university. Lathan said his time at LSU had impacted the work he does at STAR.
“Being a student and a community partner at the same time, there’s a different level of investment that’s required in order to facilitate that ...” Lathan said. “In my time in undergrad to now, I’ve been able to see the prevalence of sexual violence, how the university responds to it, how communities respond to it and what students articulate they need in order to feel safe on campus.”
He echoed the importance of believing survivors, as LSU’s Lighthouse Program does.
“One of the more powerful moments — it sounds small — is being believed and not being paroled,” Lathan said. “It’s literally believing them, providing encouraging words, affirming the stories, affirming their decision with what they want to do with their stories.”
For SAAM, STAR’s Baton Rouge branch is hosting “All the STARs are Blooming,” a dinner with performances from drag stars at the East Baton Rouge River Center Library on April 13 to raise money for the organization and promote awareness and education. On April 25, STAR and other survivor groups will host Survivor Advocacy Day at the Capitol.
STAR works to bring positiv-
fer schools more flexibility. He pointed out his proposal would also allow schools to decrease tuition and fees without limitations.
The bill also requires schools to set up a waiver process for students with financial hardships.
The Hughes and Turner measures await a hearing in the House Committee on Education.
ity to the community through the services it offers and the events it holds. Lathan says positivity is important when dealing with the topic of sexual assault.
“Sometimes that requires us to do more fun things when we are talking about healing and empowering people,” Lathan said. “That doesn’t always have to be this doom and gloom thing. It’s important to us to make sure we are doing things that bring light to communities.”
Smith emphasized the importance of community in STAR’s work, explaining how being connected with the community is an important form of healing for survivors of sexual violence.
“It sort of circles back into healing as well because there is a place for individual therapy,” Smith said. “It’s, again, a really needed service. But then the healing that happens in a group or at a community space is just a very important aspect of healing, is that community aspect.”
Groups on LSU’s campus and around the state are working to teach and remind students of the importance of showing solidarity with survivors.
“Prevention starts with each person willing to find ways they can be better in their relationships,” Brown and Murphy wrote to the Reveille, “being prosocial bystanders that intervene when you witness something harmful or potentially harmful happening around you and by cultivating a community and culture of respect.”
Travis Scott and Fanatics’ Michael Rubin made an unexpected appearance at the LSU Barnes & Noble on Wednesday night to promote the release of a new merchandise collaboration between Fanatics, Lids, Cactus Jack and Mitchell & Ness.
This launch was part of Rubin and Scott’s tour of college campuses to release and promote the collection. The news broke after a series of posts on X (Twitter) and Instagram from Scott, Rubin and other affiliates that said they would see LSU students at the bookstore at midnight.
“THIS IS GOING TO BE INSANE,” Rubin said in an Instagram post on Wednesday.
“12:00 am LSU BOOKSTORE
IT’S A FUNCTION,” Scott posted to X (Twitter) just a few hours before the event.
There were lots of questions about the event among students. Before midnight, many students didn’t know if Scott or Rubin would be attending in person or via a live stream.
Even with some uncertainty about the appearance, students waited hours to see if Scott would show up in person. The official flyers advised that everyone begin lining up at 9 p.m. However, some students and other attendees were in line as early as 5 p.m.
A crowd gathered outside the Barnes & Noble as loud music blasted, people danced and a couple of fights broke out. Police officers on the scene had to break up multiple altercations happening in the crowd.
Jada Storey, film and TV freshman, said she made it to the front of the line, “only by the grace of God.” She said she had been waiting with her friend since 5 p.m.
“Everybody pushed me,” Sto -
rey said. “If I meet Travis, it’ll be worth it. I thought it would be better, but it’s okay, it’s for the experience.”
Christian Minor, a finance sophmore, said he had been in line since 5:30 p.m. He said he’s a fan of Scott, but it was really the clothes that drew him to the bookstore. Minor said things got a little hectic as the barricades to keep the line in order were knocked over.
“Something happened and everybody started pushing so the barriers that were in one line aren’t even there anymore. I got out of line and found a new way through,” Minor said.
A sport administration senior, who requested not to be named, reported that they witnessed a fellow student pass out right in front of them, who was soon allowed to return to the line. The student said in addition to being shoved by attendees and officers, tables and barricade poles were flung backward into the crowd.
Ardreuna Davis, communications studies sophmore, said things were escalating quickly outside. Even after Davis found her way into the store she was still visibly shaken.
“I’ve been out there for so long,” Davis said. “Someone kept getting mad and saying I was pushing them, but in reality I couldn’t even move.”
LSU spokesperson Abbi Rocha said LSUPD did not receive any complaints or reports of injuries from the event.
While the crowd continued waiting outside, students and attendees could begin entering the store five people at a time a few minutes after midnight. Scott greeted the first person through the door with a picture and autograph.
One student approached Rubin as he greeted customers and said, “Hey, Mr. Rubin, I need help
paying my college tuition.”
Angel Reese, other members of the women’s basketball team, Ryan Clark, and Jayden Daniels were also in attendance to greet fans and help with the check out line.
There were mixed reactions about the collection, but something that caught customers’ attention was the cost. Retail prices for the clothes started at $68 and went up to $160.
“It was worth it,” sport administration major, Amel Hollimon said. “But dropping $160 on a hoodie goes crazy!”
When mass communication sophomore Ella Hall found out on Monday that Scott was coming to LSU, she said that she thought it was an April Fool’s joke.
Hall found out about Scott’s visit because she was assigned by LSU to take pictures of the rapper meeting the LSU football team. She said that she was given this assignment two weeks in advance, but wasn’t told what it was about.
Scott and Rubin surprised the football team with new items from the collection prior to heading over to the bookstore event.
“When Travis and Michael walked into the building, I had the privilege to direct group photos and document interactions with them and the players,” Hall said.
While Scott and Rubin were interacting with the players, Hall was in charge of documenting everything. Hall said that while she was working on getting the team together for a group photo, Scott commented how she seemed like the football coach.
“You can tell Travis cares about his fans and is just excited to interact with them,” Hall said. “He’s very polite and has good intentions.”
Hall said that initially, she was nervous going into this because
of how big of a fan she is. Scott and Rubin were nice and respectful to the players and Hall, which she said was a good reminder that “we are all people no matter our title.”
Scott also made an appearance at an after party held at Fred’s, packing in students fleeing to see the rapper hit the stage.
Opening acts included LSU’s own DJ Roügh and RachiiMusic. DJ Roügh, also known as senior Nick Simpson, said that he has been good friends with the general manager of Fred’s, who booked him for this gig.
“I was like 80% sure he was going to cancel,” Simpson said.
When Scott actually ended up coming, Simpson was up on stage with him the whole time. He said that everyone was everywhere in the crowd.
One of those people in the crowd was engineering sophomore Adam Ben Hmida. Hmida said that he originally found out that Scott was coming to campus on Tuesday, but didn’t know he would be making an appearance at Fred’s until 5 p.m. the day of.
He made his way over to Tigerland at 8:30 p.m. and waited around five hours for Scott to take the stage at 1:30 a.m.
“His performance was insane,” Hmida said. “The energy was crazy, and the crowd was incredible. People were jumping and singing, and when he played Sicko Mode, the entire crowd carried the melody.”
The limited-edition apparel collection was recently made available for purchase online and at select campus bookstores operated by Barnes & Noble.
Our
friends enjoy a good walk, a nice swim
a restful nap!
A Saturday softball game in Tiger Park is crowded with fans in purple and gold from the outfield-grass terrace to the stands.
Among the loud Louisianians cheering this LSU team to victory are softball players.
But, not the collegiate ones.
Hundreds of young girls playing local softball come to these games. Repping their own fastpitch league jerseys, the young athletes watch and idolize the older ones.
Out in left field, Ali Newland engages with these fans. She tosses them balls, firing up the crowd between each inning. In return, Newland feels their energy and passion behind her during every play.
“My greatest memories come from playing in left field here,” she said. “Playing on the berm at Tiger Park is such a uniqueto-Tiger Park college softball experience that I’ve been fortunate to have.”
BY PETER RAUTERKUS @peter_rauterkus
Jay Johnson’s meeting with his LSU baseball team was short Saturday afternoon, following a 13-3 loss to Vanderbilt.
“Practice time for Monday,” Johnson told reporters when asked what was talked about in the meeting. “They have to answer their competitive level question.”
LSU never looked like it was in the game against Vanderbilt. The Commodores scored in every inning of the game, tallying 14 hits along the way.
The star of the game for Vanderbilt was freshman left fielder Braden Holcomb, who hit two home runs and drove in five.
It’s easy for all eyes to draw toward Newland during the seven innings. She puts on a show in the field and at the plate. Now a senior with four years of experience as a utility player, Newland’s created highlight reels full of diving catches and clutch hits.
er, her speed and glove become secondary talents when she’s up to bat.
A fly ball to left field results in an out for Newland. Howev-
This isn’t new for Newland.
From her first freshman atbat in Tiger Park when she hit a grand slam, this crowd has been
LSU was tied 3-3 in the sixth inning against Texas A&M, and Newland stepped into the box with the bases loaded. She blasted a grand slam to center field, ultimately securing the win.
His first home run was a true no-doubter. He laced a fastball from Javen Coleman over the scoreboard in left field, starting the onslaught.
Coleman got the start on a
see NEWLAND, page 10 see LOSS, page 10
LSU gymnastics won the Fayetteville regional final with a score of 198.250, advancing to the semifinals in Fort Worth, Texas.
The meet was dominated by Haleigh Bryant’s perfect routines. The senior added two more 10s to her resume, increasing her new perfect-score total to 18.
“I told [Haleigh], ‘I love you and I’m so glad that you’re on our team,’” head coach Jay Clark said. “She’s just tremendous … She’s the most humble, teamoriented kid.”
No. 2 LSU proved that it was capable of posting big numbers under high pressure. At this point in the season, any meet could be the Tigers’ last, but LSU is prolonging that reality for as long as possible.
“We’re so determined to put our heads down and work every single day,” Bryant said. “Everybody’s on the same page and wants the same thing.”
Once again, the Tigers were close to perfection on the floor, as all gymnasts scored 9.90 and higher.
Konnor McClain and Amari
Drayton started the Tigers off with two 9.90s. KJ Johnson continued to deliver for LSU, scoring a 9.925. Aleah Finnegan followed with a 9.950, setting up Bryant to post a 9.925. Kiya Johnson anchored with a 9.925.
The Tigers entered the second half of the meet in first place with 99.075 points. No. 10 Arkansas moved to second with 98.825. No. 7 Kentucky remained in third with 98.725, and No. 15 Minnesota trailed with 98.675.
The Tigers kept their momentum rolling into the second half of the meet, as Bryant anchored with another 10 on vault.
KJ Johnson stuck the landing on her Yurchenko full, scoring a 9.925. Finnegan scored a 9.850 and Drayton followed with a 9.875. Kiya Johnson posted a 9.90 before Bryant’s 17th career 10.
The Tigers entered the final rotation with a score of 148.625. Arkansas followed with 148.350, then Kentucky with 148.20. Minnesota trailed with 148.175.
The Tigers finished the night on uneven bars, where Bryant posted her second 10 of the night.
Ashley Cowan got things started for LSU, scoring a 9.90. Kiya Johnson followed with
a 9.925 and McClain posted a 9.950.
Savannah Schoenherr preceded Bryant’s 10 with a 9.850, securing the Tigers’ spot in Fort Worth.
The Tigers started the meet with as much determination as they finished it with.
Although the balance beam is notorious for being LSU’s Achilles’ heel, the Tigers dominated, ending the first rotation in the lead.
Schoenherr led the Tigers off, scoring a 9.825. McClain started a rally, scoring the first 9.950 of the event. Kiya Johnson followed with a 9.850. Bryant posted a 9.925 and Finnegan anchored with a 9.90.
LSU ended the first rotation with a score of 49.450. Minnesota followed with 49.425, then Kentucky with 49.40 and Arkansas trailed with 49.375.
The Razorbacks will advance with the Tigers to the semifinals in Fort Worth, where they’ll be joined by Oklahoma and Alabama.
Berkeley and Gainesville’s regional finals conclude April 7, where four more teams will advance to the semifinals.
Although LSU’s squad has proven its talent and skill level
time and time again, the Tigers will face the toughest competition yet in Fort Worth, Texas.
The winner will come down
to who can execute the little things, but LSU has as good of a chance as anyone to bring home a trophy.
March 23
LSU’s 198.075
NEWLAND, from page 9
putting trust in “Newland’s nukes” to fly over the fence. So when she runs back out into left field ready to play defense, every fan already has her back.
“The second I stepped on the field here, they (the fans) were like ‘Ok it’s you, let’s ride.’
I think that’s so cool and makes it so easy to do that back for them,” Newland said.
Head coach Beth Torina also trusts Newland to start the Tigers off on offense.
After leadoff hitter Danieca Coffey was ruled out for the season from a knee injury, it took the Tigers some time to see who could fill that role.
Torina was hesitant to move Newland into the leadoff position because she’s one of LSU’s strongest RBI creators. But, when Newland creates home runs, it doesn’t matter.
“If she hits it over the fence, she produces her own RBIs that way, so we’ll take that,” Torina said.
Right now, Newland leads
LSU in home runs with seven. She’s grateful to be one of LSU’s top offensive performers, especially on a team so veteran and experienced, Newland said.
However, at the end of each day and when the season ultimately comes to an end, none of this matters to Newland or her team.
Rounding third and crossing home plate into a circle of her best friends is what Newland will take with her.
“Nobody remembers what the score was or who got the
sippi State and Florida, and it became the story again against Vanderbilt.
day where LSU used six pitchers. He pitched two innings, allowing three earned runs on five hits while striking out three. No other LSU pitcher pitched more than two innings, and each allowed at least one earned run.
LSU’s bats never got going with much consistency either.
The Tigers had seven hits but outside of short spurts of offense in the third and sixth innings, they never put much pressure on Vanderbilt.
That was due in large part to the play of Vanderbilt starting pitcher Carter Holton. He held LSU to two earned runs and struck out 10 in six innings.
Jared Jones was the only LSU batter able to crack Holton, hitting a two-run home run in the sixth inning. Jones struck out twice and was hit by a pitch once in his three other plate appearances.
The loss is LSU’s third runrule loss in a Game 3 of a series this season, all three coming in South Eastern Conference play. Each series has been a similar story too.
Apart from getting swept against Arkansas, LSU usually wins Game 1, loses Game 2 in heartbreaking fashion before getting blown out in Game 3.
That was the story in the first two series against Missis -
Despite winning Thursday night, Jay Johnson said Game 1 was when the problems began. LSU led 9-0, but Vanderbilt cut into the lead, forcing LSU to use more of its bullpen than it originally was planning to.
The effects of that were felt throughout the weekend and it was extremely evident in Sunday’s game. LSU simply couldn’t get outs in Game 3, and the lack of pitching depth has caught Johnson by surprise.
“We should have somebody else that you can go to. And right now we don’t. And that’s a lot of reasons for that. Am I surprised about that? I’m really surprised about that.,” Johnson said.
It doesn’t get any easier for LSU either. The Tigers’ next SEC challenge is a road series against Tennessee. After another series loss, LSU sits at 3-9 in conference play, nearing the halfway mark with far more questions than answers.
“We’ll try a different way. We are trying a different way. I was hoping that I would get some answers and how to do that with how we had the game set up today, but we didn’t get anybody out,” Johnson said. “I can’t say that I’m closer to that as I sit here today. I’ll try to get there by Tuesday.”
hits before, or whatever it was, but we all remember celebrating together and those moments are huge and unbelievable,” she said.
Newland consistently attacks on offense, “there’s nothing like making a great play on defense,” she said.
Newland ranks top ten in the Southeastern Conference for catches and put-outs. When she dives to make a play and goes chin down in the grass, it’s unlikely the ball isn’t safely secured in her glove.
It’s important for the starting pitchers to retire batters and prevent runs, but it’s also a trade-off. When they give up hits, the defense must strive to turn it into an out.
And Newland will throw her body in the air if that’s what it takes to help her pitchers.
“When you get to stand up and look at the pitchers and be like ‘I got your back’ after something like that it is so cool,” Newland said.
In the field, Newland has played multiple positions throughout her career. When anything is asked of her, she steps up to the challenge.
“Ali is our jack-of-all-trades,” Torina said. “We can put her in left field, second base, catcher, wherever she needs to be, so I think if anybody is going to be comfortable being uncomfortable it’s Ali Newland.”
She didn’t become this defensive standout on her own. Newland said she learned from the outfielders before her and now is stepping into that guid-
ing role for the younger class.
“What I want them to know the most is that this game is so fun,” Newland said. “It’s supposed to be played … I remind them that it’s not life or death or that it’s not a terrible job you have to do. You get to play with your best friends.”
Newland didn’t have this approach in her first seasons with LSU. Now she knows it’s important to teach the freshman how to shake things off.
“I used to take this game really hard, and I was so serious … I took it personally, and it’s really not,” Newland said.
Outside of Tiger Park, Newland volunteers in the Baton Rouge community. She believes that if the fans in the crowd can help support LSU to a win, she can help support them, too.
Newland has been on the SEC Community Service Team twice and won Female Volunteer of the Year at LSU’s Mikey Awards two years in a row.
“The second that you buy into Baton Rouge, it buys into you,” Newland said.
She’s become a crowd favorite throughout the years because of her grit on and off the field, and the fans see it.
At the end of a packed Saturday game, a young girl, wearing her Louisiana Karma 12u jersey, waited for an autograph from her favorite player.
“Forty-Four, over here,” she screamed. “Ali, over here.”
Newland runs over to her, and who knows, maybe she signed the ball of a 2032 LSU golden glover.
Gov. Landry, maybe take off the LSU shirt the next time you want to trash the Tigers on Fox News.
Jeff Landry made his national TV appearance two days after the Tigers fell to Iowa in an Elite Eight matchup. It was a difficult loss for LSU, but the game was a huge win for women’s sports, drawing over 12 million viewers.
Of course, though, that’s not what the governor focused on. Instead he decided to subject these young women to more criticism by questioning their patriotism because they weren’t on the court during the national anthem.
“The national anthem is as much a part of American sports as is the actual game being played,” Landry said. “The fact that there is not a policy that says ‘listen these players are gonna be out there and respect the flag and respect those that go out there and
protect us’ is really disappointing,” the governor continued.
It’s the normal pre-game ritual of the team to still be in the locker room during the anthem. And it’s the same for many teams at LSU and beyond, including the Army football team, which remained in the locker room during the anthem while playing the Tigers this fall.
Is Landry suggesting the Army players are unpatriotic simply because they spend the moments before the game preparing?
Well, maybe he is, because the governor has doubled down on this pointless tirade. In a letter (reported by the Louisiana Illuminator) to the chair of the LSU Board of Supervisors, he urged for a policy that would mandate athletes be present for the anthem or risk their scholarships.
Landry also lamented the focus on this issue.
“The spotlight during the Elite Eight tournament should
have been on how well our team played and fought to the end,” Landry wrote. “Instead, our team was recognized for being absent during the National Anthem.”
Whose fault is that, governor? Maybe that’s because of those like yourself who have ignored the fact that this is standard practice and amplified these baseless complaints against the team.
This past week of discourse is the definition of manufactured outrage. There’s nothing to be mad about here. The issue didn’t cross the mind of head coach Kim Mulkey before it was posed to her.
“Honestly I don’t even know when the anthem was played. We kind of have a routine where we are on the floor, and they come off at the 12-minute mark,” Mulkey said after the game. “That’s nothing intentionally done,” she said of not being on the floor during the anthem.
In response to Landry, LSU’s
leaders have emphasized the university’s patriotism, but they’ve avoided criticizing the governor for the nasty light he has put the school’s players under.
Athletic Director Scott Woodward said LSU is “dedicated to the flag, the anthem and the country.” He also said, “We consistently look at all our processes and will do so again.”
Head football coach Brian Kelly said he could count on one hand how many times he’s been on the field during the national anthem in 33 years of coaching, but “if our administration wants us out there for the national anthem, we’re going to stand proud for the national anthem.”
On the day of Landry’s Fox interview, LSU President William F. Tate IV posted on X (Twitter) that he had received many calls. He didn’t mention the governor or the manufactured controversy directly. Tate said he was proud of the team, which he said “desire[s]
deeply to honor and respect our country with their best.”
Please, LSU leaders, do not bend to the will of this governor.
Why should LSU’s teams change their routines simply to appease a new governor’s personal political interests?
This campaign by Landry reads like an attempt to earn brownie points with his conservative friends across the country. His call to action is nothing more than the new kid in school trying to prove himself to the cool kids.
The women’s basketball team had already been scrutinized relentlessly before this. Angel Reese recounted tearfully after the team’s loss to Iowa the threats and disgusting behavior she has dealt with since she became a national champion last year.
Landry is putting these women — who represent LSU nationally, and do it well — through more harm, just so he can score some culture war points.
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