NATCHITOCHES, La. – One of the most decorated gymnasts in LSU history, April Burkholder was officially enshrined into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday night, joining a prestigious 12-member Class of 2025 during the annual induction ceremony held at the Natchitoches Events Center.

Burkholder becomes just the third representative from LSU Gymnastics to enter the Hall, joining former head coach D-D Breaux (2017) and fellow All-American Susan Jackson (2022). Already a member of the LSU Athletics Hall of Fame (2015), Burkholder now earns her place among Louisiana’s all-time sports legends.

A native of Houston, Texas, Burkholder competed for the Tigers from 2003 to 2006, rewriting the record books. Her presence turned the Pete Maravich Assembly Center into the place to be when LSU competed, just like a recent Hall of Fame women’s basketball player Seimone Augustus.

“It was the same time that LSU women’s basketball landed Seimone,” said Hall of Fame coach D-D Breaux, who coached Burkholder throughout her LSU career. “She brought a real professional, polished look, a style and a self-confidence in the kind of gymnastics she wanted to do. The program continued to grow. The crowds continued to grow. She was the start of that.”

For the second straight year, the Hall opened its doors to a female LSU student-athlete who changed the trajectory of the program in Baton Rouge. One year after women’s basketball’s Seimone Augustus walked into the Hall, 14-time All-American gymnast April Burkholder gained entry into the state’s sports shrine.

Burkholder’s impact extended far beyond the scoresheet, but her numbers alone speak for themself:

14-time All-American (seventh-most in LSU history)

108 individual titles (second-most in LSU history)

Eight perfect 10s (tied for fourth-most at LSU)

NCAA Beam Champion (2006)

Two-time SEC and NCAA Central Region Gymnast of the Year (2004-05)

SEC Freshman of the Year (2003)

Four-time All-SEC selection

Her career-best all-around score of 39.875 still ranks second in program history.

The 2025 class also featured several LSU greats, including former football head coach Nick Saban, who led LSU to the 2003 national championship, and Andrew Whitworth, a national champion and longtime NFL standout. The class joins over 500 total inductees, more than 100 of whom represent LSU across various sports.

Saban reflected on the broader impact of LSU athletics, stating, “A lot of people look at this state through the athletic programs at LSU. When we were there, we raised the bar and the standard.”

April Burkholder was one of the greats who contributed to the standard — and helped lay the foundation for the LSU Gymnastics program that now contends for national titles every year.

Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame – Class of 2025