Magee Razorbacks prepping for SEC

FAYETTEVILLE – Senior All-American Casey Jo Magee is on a roll as the Razorbacks head into this week’s Southeastern Conference Championship in Jacksonville, Fla.

The meet is Saturday at 3 p.m. (central). ESPN2 airs a tape-delay broadcast on April 4 at 10 a.m.

Arkansas is ranked No. 8 in the nation and has been in the top 10 all season, but Magee is even hotter.

The Eugene, Ore., native has been No. 1 in the nation on beam three of the last four weeks. After two weeks in the top spot, she dropped to No. 2, but is back into a tie for the No. 1 ranking this week after winning a head-to-head battle with Oklahoma’s Hollie Vise on Friday in Barnhill Arena.

Vise entered ranked first while Magee was second. Magee tied her own school record with a 9.95 while Vise scored a 9.875. The two now share the top ranking in the country with scores of 9.925.

"She is an amazing athlete," co-head coach René Cook says. "She’s figured out how to stay focused. She comes in every week and every day doing what she needs to do to get better."

Magee is the first Razorback to earn a No. 1 ranking. Beam may be her best event, and she is the defending SEC champion, but it is not her only event. She’s No. 4 in the country in the all-around and has set the school record three times this year.

She matched the school record she already shared entering the season with a 39.525 all-around at No. 1 Florida. She broke the record the first time with a 39.625 against No. 16 Auburn. She broke it again with a 39.65 at No. 22 Minnesota. Magee broke it a third time last week with a 39.675 against No. 2 Oklahoma.

Going back to the last two events at Washington on Feb. 26, floor and beam, she has scored a 9.90 or better in 12 of 14 attempts.

"She’s dialed in right now," co-head coach Mark Cook says. "She’s focused and doing really well."

Counting the all-around competition, she has won nine of the last 10 individual event titles she has competed for and 14 of the last 18.

She has 27 individual event titles this season, including five all-around, three vault, five bars, nine beam and five floor.

For her career, she has 67 wins, including 16 all-around, five vault, 11 bars, 27 beam and eight floor.