LSU Gymnastics sophomore Kailin Chio has been named the recipient of the 2026 James J. Corbett Award, presented annually by the Allstate Sugar Bowl to the top female amateur athlete in the state of Louisiana.
Established in 1967, the Corbett Award honors the most outstanding non-professional male and female athletes in Louisiana and is selected by members of the New Orleans Sports Awards Committee. The award is named in honor of former LSU Athletic Director James J. Corbett for his contributions to intercollegiate
athletics and the Sugar Bowl.
Chio becomes the latest LSU gymnast to earn the prestigious distinction after putting together one of the most dominant seasons in program history during LSU’s 2026 campaign. She is the fifth Tiger to be recognized with the Corbett Award, joining Haleigh Bryant (2024), Susan Jackson, Sarah Finnegan (2019) and Ashleigh Gnat (2017) as the program‘s previous winners.
The sophomore from Henderson, Nevada, earned eight All-America honors and helped lead the Tigers to an NCAA National Runner-Up finish in 2026, matching the second-highest finish in school history. Chio delivered a historic performance at the NCAA Championships when she became the first LSU gymnast ever to record a perfect 10.000 score at nationals on vault.
Chio’s sophomore season was one for the record books. She was named the 2026 SEC Gymnast of the Year and earned Region Gymnast of the Year honors after spending four consecutive weeks ranked as the No. 1 all-around gymnast in the nation. She also finished the regular season ranked No. 1 nationally on both vault and beam.
Her 13 perfect 10.000 scores in 2026 set a new LSU single-season record and marked the second-most perfect scores by any NCAA gymnast in a season since 2019. Chio totaled 44 event titles during the year, the third-most in LSU history, while her 14 vault titles established a new program single-season record. She also matched the LSU single season record with 11 beam titles as well as 11 all-around titles.
Among her many accomplishments, Chio claimed her first career individual SEC titles in both the all-around and vault at this year’s SEC Championship while also posting scores of 9.900 or better on all four events at the meet.
To add to her success in 2026, Chio also became the first NCAA gymnast to earn a perfect 30.000 while competing in only three events during LSU’s meet against Arkansas on March 13.
She was selected as the Corbett Award winner from a group of outstanding finalists that included Southern track and field standout Tashina Alase, LSU Women’s Basketball All-American Flau’jae Johnson and Sacred Heart multi-sport athlete Leah Varisco.
The Allstate Sugar Bowl Sports Awards Banquet presented by LCMC Health will honor Chio and the other statewide award recipients later this summer.
