Gymnastics regional selections announced

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The 10th-ranked University of Arkansas gymnastics team learned its post-season fate Monday as selections for the 2009 South Central Regional Championship were announced. The Razorbacks, one of six predetermined regional sites, learned they would host No. 4 Stanford, No. 16 Michigan, No. 25 Arizona, No. 27 Southern Utah and No. 31 Arizona State in Barnhill Arena Saturday, April 4. The Razorbacks are hosting the South Central Regional Championship for the second time in program history and the team is making its sixth appearance in seven seasons of gymnastics at Arkansas. “We are excited to be able to host Michigan, Stanford and the rest of the field,” said Arkansas co-head coach Rene Cook. “Michigan and Stanford are solid programs and we know we will have to hit our routines well to qualify to the National Championships. Starting on bars is a great rotation for the team, it’s the same rotation we had last year at Minnesota. The team is excited to be competing at home and look forward to the home crowd helping us get to the NCAA Championships.” The Razorbacks open competition on the uneven bars, move to beam, have a bye, move to floor, then vault and finish with a bye. All seven Southeastern Conference teams advanced to the post-season. Top-ranked Georgia heads East for the Southeast Regional in North Carolina. Alabama, coming off the SEC Championship title and ranked third this week, steps out of region hosting the Northeast Region in Tuscaloosa, Ala., while both No. 5 LSU and No. 24 Kentucky travel to Ohio State for the Central Regional. Sixth-ranked Florida travels to Iowa for the North Central Regional and No. 11 Auburn goes to Washington for the West Regional. Tickets for the South Central Regional in Barnhill are on sale now and can be obtained by contacting the Razorback Ticket Office at 479-575-5151 or by logging on to ArkansasRazorbacks.com.2009 NCAA Regional Sites and SelectionsSouth Central Region – in Fayetteville, Arkansas (University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, host)1. Stanford2. Arkansas3. Michigan4. Arizona5. Arizona State6. Southern UtahWest Region – in Seattle, Washington (University of Washington, host)1. Utah2. Auburn3. Illinois4. Boise State5. Washington6. San Jose StateNorth Central Region – in Iowa City, Iowa (University of Iowa, host)1. Florida2. UCLA3. Minnesota4. Denver5. Iowa State6. Iowa Central Region – in Columbus, Ohio (The Ohio State University, host)1. LSU2. Oregon State3. Ohio State4. Kent State5. Kentucky6. Michigan StateNortheast Region – in Tuscaloosa, Alabama (University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, host)1. Alabama2. Oklahoma3. Missouri4. Central Michigan5. New Hampshire6. MarylandSoutheast Region – in Raleigh, North Carolina (North Carolina State University, host)1. Georgia2. Penn State3. Nebraska4. West Virginia5. North Carolina State6. North Carolina