Regional moves Razorbacks up to No. 8

FAYETTEVILLE - Arkansas' performance in Saturday's NCAA gymnastics regional moved the Razorbacks up to No. 8 in the nation heading into next week's NCAA Championship.

Arkansas hosted the regional in Barnhill Arena and finished second in the six-team meet to advance to the NCAA Championship in Duluth, Ga., April 20-22.

The Razorbacks scored a 196.825, their second-best of the year to the school-record 197.225 against LSU on Jan. 20. That score is also the seventh-best in school history and a school record for an NCAA Regional.

Ranked No. 10 in the previous GymInfo rankings, Arkansas moved up two spots with a National Qualifying Score of 393.370. The NQS is a combination of each team's final Regional Qualifying Score plus its score from the regional meet. Arkansas' RQS heading into the regional was 196.545.

UCLA, which was No. 3 last week but is up to No. 2, won the meet in Barnhill, but the Razorbacks topped No. 14 Boise State, No. 20 Missouri, No. 28 Maryland and No. 31 New Hampshire.

Arkansas' big score came on the strength of Southeastern Conference Gymnast of the Year Jaime Pisani, who won the all-around title with a 39.625 and beam with a 9.925. In addition, sophomore All-American Katherine Grable, who had missed the three previous meets with an ankle injury, tied for second on beam (9.90) and tied for third on bars (9.85). Junior All-American Amy Borsellino tied for third on floor (9.90) and was sixth on vault (9.875), and finished sixth in the all-around (39.30). Sophomore Shelby Salmon tied for third on bars (9.85) and freshman Stephani Canizaro tied for eighth (9.825), and Salmon and freshman Sammy Kolbas tied for 10th on beam (9.80).

Pisani's regional titles give her three for her career, tying Casey Jo Magee for the school record. Magee won beam and floor in Fayetteville in 2009, and beam in 2010 in Los Angeles. Pisani won floor last year in Denver. Arkansas' other regional champions are Grable on vault in 2011 and Michelle Stout on vault in 2009.

Pisani heads into the NCAA Championship ranked No. 1 in the nation in the all-around and on floor.

The Razorbacks earned a spot in an NCAA Regional for the ninth straight year, and have advanced to the NCAA Championship for the fifth consecutive season and the sixth time in seven years.

GymInfo Women's Gymnastics Rankings
April 9, 2012