No. 13 Gym'Backs selected to Northeast Regional

Jump to completeNCAA Regional selections FAYETTEVILLE — The 13th-ranked University of Arkansas gymnastics team learned it was selected to the Northeast Regional at the University of Michigan Monday. Arkansas travels to Ann Arbor, Mich., for the Saturday, April 14, meet. The Gym’Backs face top-ranked Florida, host and 12th-ranked Michigan, No. 41 Pittsburgh, No. 43 New Hampshire and No. 53 Rutgers in the six-team meet. "We’re excited to be going to Michigan," said Arkansas co-head coach Mark Cook. "We feel like we have a great opportunity to compete for a top spot. We’ve seen Florida three times already this year and are very comfortable with them. We really just can’t wait to compete." The Gym’Backs open the meet with a bye before beginning on the floor exercise. As Cook noted, the Gym’Backs have faced the Gators three times this year. Arkansas hosted the Super Six Championship, a meet Florida won, in Barnhill and the Gators returned to Fayetteville for a regular-season Southeastern Conference contest. The Gym’Backs again competed against top-ranked Florida last weekend at the SEC Championship in North Little Rock, Ark. Arkansas has also faced both Pittsburgh and New Hampshire hosting both in a quad meet in early March. Arkansas won the quad competition. The Northeast Regional will be Arkansas’ first-ever look at Michigan and Rutgers. Third-ranked Alabama hosts the Central Region meet and No. 25 Kentucky will attend that site. Number two Georgia travels to Denver, while No. 5 LSU and No. 17 Auburn travel to the Southeast Regional at West Virginia. Arkansas is making the program’s fourth consecutive NCAA Regional appearance in five seasons. The Gym’Backs first traveled to Arizona in 2004 finishing fourth in the six-team field. Arkansas earned one of the coveted top 18 positions in 2005 entering the regional championship at New Hampshire ranked 15th but again finished fourth in the field. The Gym’Backs were the 18th overall seed last year and hosted the 2006 South Central Regional in Barnhill Arena. Arkansas upset No. 9 UCLA earning the program’s first NCAA Championship bid. The top two teams from each regional as well as individual all-arounders and event winnerswho are not a qualifying team advance to the NCAA Championship in Salt Lake City, Utah, April 26-28. For more information about Arkansas gymnastics, please log on to LADYBACKS.COM.