#RazorFacts (since 2012)
- NACGC/W South Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year, 2016
- 2 NCAA Individual Champions (Katherine Grable, VT and FX in 2014)
- 5 NCAA Regional Appearances, 2012-16
- 3 NCAA Session II Appearances, 2012-14
- 1 NCAA Super Six Appearance, 2012
- 6 NCAA Individual Event Finalists
- 9 First Team All-Americans
- 5 Second Team All-Americans
- 8 NACGC/W Regular Season All-Americans
- 7 NCAA Individual Regional Champions
- 12 All-SEC Team Selections
Samantha Snider (née Cortez) was promoted to associate head coach for Arkansas Gymnastics in August 2016 after spending three seasons as an assistant coach and two season as an assistant head coach. Snider works with many elements of the program and is the on-the-floor coach for the balance beam.
Snider competed for the Razorbacks from 2005-08 and spent the 2009-11 seasons as director of operations, before assuming the role of assistant coach (2012-14) and assistant head coach (2015-16).
In 2016, Arkansas scored a 49.000 or better on beam in its final 12 meets of the season, ending the campaign with a 49.065 average on the apparatus. The final RQS of 49.195 finished the year tied for 14th in the nation. The Razorbacks reached a season-high of 49.325 in wins over No. 23 Kentucky on Feb. 26 and Utah State on March 11, tying the mark for the team’s second-best beam score in Barnhill Arena history.
On five occasions in 2016, a Razorback scored 9.900 on balance beam; three times by Amanda Wellick and twice by Samantha Nelson, which were career-high marks for both. In the SEC Championship, Nelson posted a 9.900 to earn All-SEC honors on beam. Wellick’s first 9.900 came at No. 4 Alabama on Jan. 22, leading Arkansas to a road season-best score of 49.225 and the team’s first-ever victory in Tuscaloosa.
Snider earned National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches for Women South Central Regional Assistant Coach of the Year honors for her efforts in 2016.
In 2014, the former Razorback guided Katherine Grable to the school’s second ever NCAA National Championship, helping her earn the floor exercise title at the NCAA Championships. Grable also earned the NCAA Title in the vault early that day to claim the school’s first-ever NCAA Championship in gymnastics.
Snider has worked with the floor team, where she helped Katherine Grable become the school’s first national champion, as she scored a 9.962 to claim the 2014 NCAA championship in the floor exercise. She also helped and Grable and Kelci Lewis be named to the All-SEC first team for their efforts on the floor at the 2013 SEC Championship.
Snider coached Grable to two All-America honors on floor, first-team honors at the NCAA Championship and second-team honors for the regular season. She also helped Grable finish sixth in the nation on floor in the individual event finals and seventh in the all-around.
Snider guided Grable and Lewis to six floor event titles, including a NCAA Regional Championship for Grable. Arkansas’ floor rotation finished ranked No. 9 in the nation for the second top-25 finish in a row.
In 2012, Arkansas earned its first No. 1 national ranking in program history and had individuals ranked No. 1 for the first time on bars, floor and in the all-around.
Snider helped Jaime Pisani earned a No. 1 national ranking for eight rankings periods. Pisani and Katherine Grable combined to win 12 individual floor titles.
Snider coached Pisani to first-team All-America honors on floor, as well as Stephani Canizaro and Bailee Zumwalde to their first All-America honors – both second team on floor. She also helped Pisani finish ninth in the nation on floor in the individual event finals and third in the all-around.
After earning her bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2008, she went on to receive her master’s in clinical mental health counseling. During this time, she served as Arkansas’ director of operations.
In that role, she handled day-to-day office management, coordination of meet officials and meet management, scheduled pre- and post-meet entertainment, coordinated team entries and assisted with scoring, and assisted with team building activities.
She also coordinated team meals, team ticket requests, assisted with on-campus recruiting, created choreography for private club gymnasts, administered summer camp registration, and coordinated the organization of counselors and participants.
As director of operations, she was part of a staff which led Arkansas to the Super Six for the first time in 2009. Arkansas finished fifth in the nation after winning the NCAA South Central Regional.
Arkansas finished tied for ninth in the nation in 2011 after winning the NCAA North Central Regional. Arkansas tied for fourth in the NCAA Session I Semifinal, missing the Super Six by one spot for the third-best finish in program history. Along the way, Arkansas beat No. 1 Florida twice, beat No. 4 Georgia for the first time when the Gym’Dogs were ranked No. 4, tied for the SEC regular-season championship and recorded 11 wins over teams ranked in the top 25.
As a student-athlete, Snider helped Arkansas earn four bids to an NCAA Regional with the program’s first two NCAA Championship appearances in 2006 and 2008.
She still holds spots in Arkansas’ all-time top scores of 9.925 on vault, which ties for ninth, and 9.925 on floor, which also ties for ninth.
A three-time Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll selection, she was named to the National Association for Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches for Women all-scholar team in 2008.
Following her senior season, a team award, the Samantha Snider Leadership Award, was created in her honor. It was also awarded to Amy DeFilippo, Casey Jo Magee and Sarah Nagashima in 2010, and Pisani in 2011.
Snider helped the Razorbacks finish with final national rankings of No. 15 in 2005, No. 12 in 2006, No. 13 in 2007 and No. 10 in 2008 for the first top-10 finish in program history.
Snider has been with the Razorbacks for both of the program’s Super Six appearances, all seven NCAA Session II appearances, and for 12 of the 13 appearances in an NCAA Regional.
Samantha is married to Ryan Snider, volunteer assistant coach of the Razorbacks.
