Razorbacks End SEC Slate In Gainesville
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Arkansas gymnastics team will travel to Gainesville, Florida on Friday for its final regular season Southeastern Conference matchup of the season against the top-five Gators.
Arkansas maintained its top-15 ranking, coming in at No. 11 in week seven’s Road To Nationals weekly average rankings. In the first batch of RQS (Regional Qualifying Score) standings the Razorbacks rank No. 10 with an average of 196.270.
How They Compare
Vault: Florida: 49.318, Arkansas: 48.982
Bars: Florida: 49.293, Arkansas: 49.071
Beam: Arkansas: 49.200, Florida: 49.182
Floor: Florida: 49.307, Arkansas: 49.007
Total: Florida: 197.100 , Arkansas: 196.268
Friday’s matchup will be Arkansas’ third road meet against a top-10 conference opponent, after opening the season at then No. 3 LSU and traveling to No. 10 Alabama.
The Razorbacks were the only team in the league to start the season with six-straight SEC meets, and are currently in the fifth spot in the conference, less than a tenth behind Kentucky, in both the RQS and average score. The top four teams from the conference make the second session at the SEC Championships on March 24.
The balance beam continues to be the Razorbacks’ strongest event, coming in at No. 4 once again with an average of 49.207. Arkansas has been ranked as one of the top beam squads in the nation since the beginning of the season.
Leading the way is freshman Sophia Carter who ranks No. 27, while sophomores Jessica Yamzon and Michaela Burton are just behind Carter and tied for No. 28. Fellow sophomore Hailey Garner, who competed on the balance beam for the first time this season last Friday, comes in at No. 33 in her first appearance in the beam rankings. In total, five of the six athletes in the beam rotation rank in the top 60.
Arkansas is looking to bounce back following its 195.575 performance in St. Charles last week, its first score under 196 in five weeks, its third longest-streak in school history.
Senior Amanda Wellick led the Razorbacks with two scores of 9.900 at GymQuarters last Friday, one each on bars and beam. Since missing most of last season to an injury, the senior has scored over a 9.800 in 18 of 21 of her rotations, including 11 of her last 12.
The meet is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. CT and will be streamed live on the SEC Network+. There will be a tape delayed showing on ESPNU Sunday at 7 p.m.
For more information on Arkansas gymnastics, including in-meet updates, follow @RazorbackGym on Twitter.
