Five of top eight scores this year

FAYETTEVILLE – Arkansas’ seventh-ranked gymnastics team goes into this week’s NCAA Championship in Gainesville, Fla., having recorded five of the top eight scores in program history this season.

Arkansas is in the championship for the fourth time in the program’s eighth season, for the fourth time in five years and for the third consecutive season.

The Razorbacks compete in Thursday’s second semifinal session at 6 p.m. (central) along with No. 1 Alabama, No. 4 Florida, No. 6 Michigan, No. 6 Stanford and No. 15 Missouri. The first semifinal session, at noon, includes No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 3 UCLA, No. 8 Oregon State, No. 10 Utah, No. 11 LSU and No. 12 Nebraska.

Arkansas is seeded seventh based on a national qualifying score of 393.185. That score is based on Arkansas’ total from the NCAA West Regional (196.675) added to the season’s regional qualifying score (196.510).

The Razorbacks set a school record for points in an NCAA regional with the 196.675 at UCLA on April 10. That score is the eighth-best in program history.

Arkansas has also recorded the first, third, fifth and sixth-best scores in program history this year.

Arkansas set a school record with a 197.025 in the home win over No. 16 Auburn. The third-best score of 196.925, came in a win at No. 22 Minnesota when the Razorbacks set a school record for points in a true road meet. The fifth-best score of 196.875 was posted in the home win over No. 40 Pittsburgh. The sixth-best score of 196.750 was the best score in the nation that week and was recorded in the home win over No. 12 Kentucky.

The only top eight scores not from this season were all set last year, including the No. 2 score of 196.950, which came in the NCAA Session II semifinal to send the Razorbacks to the Super Six where they finished fifth in the nation.