Gymnastics

Razorbacks Ready For No. 2 LSU

February 9, 2017

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Riding the momentum of a season-best score of 196.375 in a come-from-behind 196.375-196.075 win at No. 17 Auburn this past week, the Arkansas gymnastics returns home to host No. 2 LSU on Friday night in Barnhill Arena.

Pre-meet ceremonies start at 7:15, and first vault is set for 7:30 p.m. The meet will also be broadcast on the SEC Network. 

The Razorbacks (2-3, 2-2 SEC) scored season bests on uneven bars, vault and floor exercise and matched a season best on balance beam to win their second straight meet and complete their second consecutive regular-season sweep of Alabama and Auburn.

Jessica Yamzon, the reigning SEC Freshman of the Week, scored career bests on uneven bars, floor exercise and balance beam for a career-best 39.275 in the all-around and her second straight all-around title. It was also her second career all-around title and her third individual title overall.

Samantha Nelson became the third different Arkansas gymnast to win a balance beam title this season, as she scored a 9.900, matching her personal best in the event and matching the highest individual score by an Arkansas gymnast in any event this season.

For the second straight week, Arkansas made its move while competing on balance beam. Arkansas outscored Alabama 49.125-48.250 in the third rotation on the way to a 195.825-195.325 win two weeks ago, and then Arkansas outscored Auburn 49.125-48.575 in the final rotation last week.

Arkansas has outscored its opponent in four of five meets on balance beam and four of five meets on floor exercise.

LSU (5-0, 4-0 SEC), ranked No. 2 in the nation, has an average score of 197.555 and a high score of 197.825 in its season-opening win over Georgia. They are also the last remaining undefeated team in the SEC.

The Tigers rank second in the nation on balance beam (49.375) and floor exercise (49.470), third in the nation on vault (49.390) and fourth in the nation on uneven bars (49.320). Ashleigh Gnat is tied for the national lead on vault with an average score of 9.940 and a high score of 10.000.

Notable

  • Arkansas is 5-27-1 all-time against LSU, including 1-5-1 in meets held in Fayetteville. Arkansas is seeking its first win in the series since 2012, when Arkansas won in Fayetteville.
  • Arkansas scored season bests on uneven bars (49.200), vault (48.975) and floor exercise (49.075) and matched a season best on beam (49.125) in the win at Auburn.
  • Jessica Yamzon became the fifth different Arkansas gymnast to earn SEC Freshman of the Week honors and the first since Paige Zaziski in 2015. She is also the first Arkansas gymnast to earn any SEC weekly honor since 2015.
  • Arkansas has had five different event winners in three different events this season:
    • Amanda Wellick (Vault at UCLA)
    • Jessica Yamzon (Balance Beam vs. Missouri, All-Around vs. Alabama, All-Around at Auburn)
    • Sydney McGlone (Balance Beam at Georgia, Vault vs. Alabama)
    • Braie Speed (Vault vs. Alabama)
    • Samantha Nelson (Balance Beam at Auburn
  • Arkansas has posted four scores of 9.900 this season: Amanda Wellick (vault), Sydney McGlone (vault and balance beam) and Samantha Nelson (balance beam).
  • Jessica Yamzon (9.825) is tied for 16th in the SEC on balance beam and Samantha Nelson (9.820) is tied for 21st in the SEC on balance beam, while Sydney McGlone (9.830) is tied for 20th in the SEC on vault.
  • Arkansas ranks seventh in the SEC and ninth in the nation in attendance, averaging 4,251 fans per meet. That includes 5,456 fans for the meet against Alabama, the third-largest crowd in school history.
  • As a team, Arkansas ranks 15th in the nation on balance beam (48.985) and tied for 19th on floor exercise (48.930).
  • Arkansas currently has the 10th-toughest schedule in the nation, according to the RoadToNationals.com.

Quotable – From Coach Mark Cook

“The wins are great. They feel good. The girls have been doing really and dialing into their routines and getting some momentum. We’re preparing hard for the meet this weekend and try to do the same things and keep getting better.” 

“Having those two wins back-to-back against Alabama and Auburn definitely helps the mental game and it motivates the team for the upcoming meets. We have No. 2 LSU coming in this Friday, and that’s going to be a tough competition, but they have gained confidence and they’re all on the same page and they’re giving everything that they can give us.” 

Looking Ahead

Arkansas hosts another top-five team in No. 3 Florida on Feb. 17. The Razorbacks wrap up the regular season with road meets at Michigan State on Feb. 25 and No. 10 Kentucky on March 3, before returning home for a Senior Night tri-meet against San Jose State and Centenary on March 10.

Single-meet tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for youth 17 and under. Admission is also free for UA students with ID. Tickets are also available for the NCAA Regional that Arkansas will be hosting in Barnhill Arena on April 1. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for youth and UA students.

Fans can purchase tickets online or by calling the Razorback Ticket Center at 800-982-HOGS or 479-575-5151.

For more information on Arkansas gymnastics, follow @RazorbackGym on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

 

 

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