Sday, six members of the LSU Gymnastics program have earned recognition for their work in the classroom as they were named to the 2025-26 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll.
The First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll recognizes student-athletes who have excelled academically during their first year at their institution while competing in an SEC championship sport.
To be eligible for the First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll, student-athletes must maintain at least a 3.0 grade point average, must have successfully
completed 24 semester hours and must have been a member of a varsity team for the sport’s entire NCAA Championship segment.
LSU’s six honorees include:
- Nina Ballou – Mass Communication with a concentration in Journalism
- Courtney Blackson – Master’s degree
- Molly Brinkman – General Business with a concentration in Human Resource Management
- Haley Mustari – Sport Administration with a concentration in Sport Leadership
- Madison Ulrich – Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Individualized Studies
- Elyse Wenner – Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Individualized Studies
Ballou, Brinkman, Mustari and Wenner made up LSU’s freshmen class in 2026 while Blackson and Ulrich transferred in.
In her first season as a Tiger, Ballou competed in 13 meets in her collegiate debut, primarily contributing on floor with one appearance on vault and earning career highs of 9.925 on floor and 9.750 on vault.
Mustari was another freshman who made her competition debut for the Tigers this season, appearing on bars in four meets, including the NCAA Championship Semifinal, with a career high of 9.900.
Blackson transferred to LSU as a fifth year transfer out of Boise State who came out of retirement for her final season with the Tigers in 2026. She competed on bars in 11 meets and vault in seven meets during her first and final season in Baton Rouge, tallying season highs of 9.950 and 9.900, respectively.
A transfer from Denver, Ulrich made an immediate impact in the all-around early in the season for the Tigers while serving as a steady bars competitor throughout the year. The junior appeared in 15 meets for the Tigers during LSU’s NCAA runner-up campaign, recording season highs of 9.900 on vault and floor, 9.950 on bars, 9.850 on beam and 39.450 in the all-around.
The six honorees represent LSU Gymnastics’ continued commitment to excellence both in the classroom and in competition following another successful season for the Tigers.
