NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – LSU sophomore Rheagan Courville has been named the 2013 Southeastern Conference Gymnast of the Year, it was announced Friday at the awards session on practice day at the SEC Championship.

Courville is the fourth LSU gymnast to capture the league’s top honor, joining April Burkholder who won it in 2004 and 2005, Ashleigh Clare-Kearney in 2008 and Susan Jackson in 2010.

An LSU gymnast has now earned gymnast of the year five times in the last 10 seasons.

A native of Baton Rouge, Courville leads the nation with eight all-around titles this season, and she leads the SEC in total individual titles this year with 21.

Courville ranks in the Top 25 in every category as she is No. 5 on vault with a 9.930 RQS, No. 6 in the all-around at 39.530, No. 16 on floor at 9.90, No. 21 on beam at 9.875 and No. 25 on bars at 9.875.

She is a two-time SEC Gymnast of the Week this season after posting outstanding all-around performances against North Carolina State in the season opener and at Missouri, and she has tied or established new career highs on every event and the all-around.

Courville has scored a career-high 9.95 three times on vault, a 9.95 on bars, a 9.95 on beam, a 9.975 on floor, and she has tallied a career-high 39.600 in the all-around twice.

Florida’s Bridget Sloan captured SEC Freshman of the Year honors, and the Gators’ Rhonda Faehn was named SEC Coach of the Year. Alabama’s Kim Jacob took home SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

LSU will compete in session II of the SEC Championship at 6 p.m. CT Saturday in Verizon Arena. The sixth-ranked Tigers will take on No. 1 Florida, No. 3 Alabama and No. 5 Georgia for a shot at the SEC crown.

2013 SEC Awards
Gymnast of the Year: Rheagan Courville, LSU
Freshman of the Year: Bridget Sloan, Florida
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Kim Jacob, Alabama
Coach of the Year: Rhonda Faehn, Florida