Arkansas Takes Momentum On The Road

February 2, 2017

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Jessica Yamzon won her first career all-around individual title, as Arkansas won its first meet of the season and made it three straight regular-season wins over Alabama, defeating the Crimson Tide 195.825-195.325 this past Friday in Barnhill Arena.

Arkansas scored a season high and also set season bests on vault (48.900) and balance beam (49.125) and matched a season best on uneven bars (48.825).

The Razorbacks carry that momentum on the road this week, traveling to No. 17 Auburn on Friday at 7 p.m. and seeking its second straight regular-season sweep of Alabama and Auburn. Arkansas defeated Auburn 196.600-195.975 in Fayetteville last season.

Four different gymnasts have won individual titles this season, including Yamzon, who won her second individual title of the season with a 39.225 in the all-around, as well as Sydney McGlone and Braie Speed, who tied for the vault title with scores of 9.825 against Alabama.

Arkansas has closed strong throughout the season, outscoring its opponents in three of four meets on balance beam and three of four meets on floor exercise. Arkansas outscored Alabama 49.125-48.250 in the third rotation, and then closed out the win with a 48.975 on floor this past week.

Auburn, ranked No. 17 in the nation, has an average score of 195.645 and scored a season-best 196.400 in a loss to Florida this past weekend. The Tigers rank ninth in the nation on balance beam (49.070) and 14th in the nation on floor exercise (49.005).

Notable

Arkansas is 14-15 all-time against Auburn, including 3-4 in meets at Auburn. Arkansas is seeking its first win at Auburn since 2011.
Arkansas has had four different event winners in three different events this season:
- Amanda Wellick (Vault at UCLA)
- Jessica Yamzon (Balance Beam vs. Missouri, All-Around vs. Alabama)
- Sydney McGlone (Balance Beam at Georgia, Vault vs. Alabama)
- Braie Speed (Vault vs. Alabama)
Sydney McGlone has two of the team’s three scores of 9.9 or higher, scoring a 9.9 on vault against Missouri and a 9.9 on balance beam against Georgia.
Sydney McGlone (9.837) ranks 19th in the SEC on vault, while Jessica Yamzon (9.813) and Samantha Nelson rank 22nd and 25th, respectively, in the SEC on balance beam.
Arkansas ranks seventh in the SEC and ninth in the nation in attendance, averaging 4,251 fans per meet. That includes 5,456 fans for the meet against Alabama, the third-largest crowd in school history.
As a team, Arkansas is tied for 15th in the nation on balance beam (48.950) and ranks 18th on floor exercise (48.894).
Arkansas currently has the 10th-toughest schedule in the nation, according to the RoadToNationals.com.

Looking Ahead

Arkansas returns home for back-to-back home meets against No. 2 LSU on Feb. 10 and No. 3 Florida on Feb. 17. Arkansas wraps up the regular season with road meets at Michigan State on Feb. 25 and No. 10 Kentucky on March 3, before returning home for a Senior Night tri-meet against San Jose State and Centenary on March 10.

Single-meet tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for youth 17 and under. Admission is also free for UA students with ID. Tickets are also available for the NCAA Regional that Arkansas will be hosting in Barnhill Arena on April 1. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for youth and UA students.

Fans can purchase tickets online or by calling the Razorback Ticket Center at 800-982-HOGS or 479-575-5151.

For more information on Arkansas gymnastics, follow @RazorbackGym on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.