Arkansas Gymnastics Fact Sheet #10

ON THE ROAD AGAINThe Razorbacks wrap up the 2009 regular season this week traveling to Texas Woman’s University for the team’s first quad meet of the year Friday. The season, however, continues as Arkansas then travels to Nashville, Tenn., for the SEC Championships and returns to Barnhill hosting the 2009 NCAA South Central Regional Championship April 4.
FIRST QUAD, NOT THE FIRST MULTIPLEAlthough this meet is the first quad meet of the year, it is not the first time this season Arkansas has faced more than one team in a setting. The Razorbacks traveled to Oregon State for a tri-meet with the Beavers and California.
QUADS HAVE BEEN GOODArkansas is 21-6 all-time in quad meets. The Razorbacks were 5-1 in 2003; 3-0 in 2004; 1-2 in 2005; 1-2 in 2006; 8-1 in 2007 and 3-0 in 2008. Arkansas is 3-0 lifetime against Texas Woman’s University and all three of those meetings have come in quad settings — two in Fayetteville and the first meeting in 2003 in Lexington.
STOUT WINS FIRST ALL-AROUND TITLE OF YEARJunior All-American Michelle Stout won her first all-around title of 2009 and the second of her career leading the Razorbacks to victory over No. 18 Minnesota last week. Stout scored a 39.325 – just shy of her career-best. Stout was not scheduled for the beam but was inserting into the lineup after warmups concluded.
DOMINATING ALL-AROUNDERSArkansas has won nine of 10 possible all-around titles this year. The lone break in the streak came at Auburn where Arkansas did not win a single individual title. Junior Casey Jo Magee won the all-around title in the first five meets of the season with freshman Jaime Pisani picking up the torch at Kentucky and again against Georgia. Magee was back on top at LSU followed by Michelle Stout’s win against Minnesota.
ALL-AROUND SUCCESSArkansas has four all-arounders and all rank in the top 11 in the South Central Region. Casey Jo Magee is second this week with an RQS of 39.400, followed by tNo. 3 Jaime Pisani with a 39.310 and Michelle Stout with 39.310. Sarah Nagashima is 11th in the regional with a 39.100 RQS. Missouri’s Sarah Shire leads the region with a 39.410 RQS. Magee ranks 10th in the nation while Pisani and Stout are tied for 16th in the country this week. Nagashima is No. 37. In the SEC, Magee ranks sixth followed by Stout and Pisani who are tied for ninth and Nagashima who is 13th in the SEC.
MORE TITLES IN 2009The Razorbacks continue to improve with each season and that is evidenced in the increase in the number of individual titles Arkansas has won. For example, the Razorbacks have won or tied for the win for nine all-around titles this year. That’s up from four in all of 2008 and just one in 2007. Want more? Here it is: Arkansas has won or tied for the win for 13 vault titles, up from three last year and better than the previous best of six in 2007. Arkansas has seven bars titles one better than year’s total and better than the previous best of five in 2005. The Razorbacks have six beam wins tying last year’s six total beam wins. The program best is eight set in 2007. The Razorbacks have won or tied for eight floor titles this year up from two last year and better than the previous best of six set in both 2006 and 2004.
WHO IS WINNING?Junior Casey Jo Magee has more individual wins (or ties for wins) than any other Razorback gymnast in program history. Magee has 33 titles; 10 as an all-arounder, 12 on beam, six on bars, four on floor and one on the vault. Junior Michelle Stout has 19 titles, followed by six for freshman Jaime Pisani, five for Amy DeFilippo and three for Alex LaChance.
STEADY EDDY ON THE LINEUPArkansas has made very few adjustments to this year’s line up (see tentative lineup on the right). In fact, it has been the same for the last several meets. But Arkansas does have some flexibility and could put Alex LaChance up on beam or Stacy Bartlett on floor just to name a few options.
RQS RANKINGS IN EFFECTThis week’s poll is based on RQS or regional qualifying score. Qualification for regional competition is based on a team’s and an all-around competitor’s six best regular-season-meet scores, of which three must be away. To obtain the regional qualifying score (RQS), the high score is eliminated and the remaining five scores are averaged.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?In Arkansas’ case, the Razorbacks’ six-best scores are: 1. at Oklahoma 196.900 2. vs. Georgia 196.725 3. vs. Alabama 196.625 4. vs. Florida 196.375 5. at Oregon St. 195.925 6. at LSU 195.800 Arkansas made up some ground with a 195.800 at LSU which replaced the team’s lower score at Oregon State. If you eliminate the high score at OU, add the remaining five, you get 981.45. Divide that number by five and you get Arkansas’ RQS of 196.290. Arkansas’ 196.350 against No. 18 Minnesota did not help the team because it was not high enough to replace the 196.375 against the Gators. It would benefit the Razorbacks to score better than a 195.800 at TWU allowing the team to drop the LSU score and factor in a higher number.
ABOUT TWUTWU enters the weekend with a high score of 193.600, a mark they set against NC State, Centenary and UWW two weeks ago. They are 3-12 overall and have faced and lost to Oklahoma (our only common opponent) twice this year. Rashonda Cannie is one of their top performers and holds the season-bests for vault (9.80), bars (9.85) and all-around (38.975). Kristie Costa holds the top beam score (9.85) and Amie Boles has the top floor mark (9.875) this year.
ABOUT UPENNPennsylvania enters the weekend with a season-best 189.725 under its belt. Arkansas and the Quakers do not have a common opponent this year.
ABOUT BOWLING GREENThe Falcons are 2-9 this year coming off a fourth-place finish in a recent quad meet in which they posted their second-highest floor score of the year. Former Razorback Brianne Guy is a transfer to Bowling Green.
THE SERIESArkansas is 3-0 lifetime against the TWU and is facing Bowling Green and Pennsylvania for the first time in program history.
UP NEXTThe Razorbacks have two road meets in a row traveling first to Texas Woman’s University facing TWU, UPenn and Bowling Green for the first time in Denton, Texas. Arkansas next travels to the SEC Championship March 21, in Nashville, Tenn. Arkansas also hosts the 2009 South Central Regional Championship April 4, in Barnhill Arena. For tickets please call the Razorback Ticket Office at 575-5151.

Download: 09GymFact 10 – TWU Quad.pdf