Razorbacks Face Georgia For First SEC Road Trip

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Arkansas gymnastics team seeks to make history when it takes on the 16th-ranked Georgia Gymdogs on Friday night at 6 p.m. in Stegeman Coliseum for its first SEC road meet of the season. The meet will also be televised on the SEC Network.

The Razorbacks are seeking its first-ever win in Athens, which would be its first win over the Gymdogs since the 2012 season and just its third win overall in the series. Arkansas fell by the slimmest of margins, 196.775-196.700, in the last regular-season meeting, where the Razorbacks also set a program record for the highest score in a home opener.

Arkansas finished strong in its home and SEC opener against No. 6 Missouri, scoring a 48.775 on beam and a season-best 49.050 on floor exercise in a 195.850-193.950 loss to the Tigers. All five competing gymnasts scored a 9.8 or higher on floor. The Razorbacks also scored a 48.775 on vault.

Jessica Yamzon won her first career individual title, scoring a 9.825 on balance beam, and also placed second in the all-around with a score of 39.075. Sydney McGlone set a career high and matched a team season high with a 9.9 to anchor the Razorbacks on vault.

Georgia, up to No. 16 in the latest national rankings, is coming off back-to-back wins over No. 13 Auburn (196.800-196.075) and No. 25 NC State (196.875-194.800) this past weekend. The Gymdogs also boast the reigning SEC Specialist of the Week, Rachel Schick, who won three event titles and set career two highs over those two meets.

Notable

  • Arkansas is 2-30-1 all-time against Georgia, last defeating the Gymdogs at the 2012 NCAA Session II, when the Razorbacks would go on to place sixth at the 2012 NCAA Super Six. Georgia is 7-0 all-time against Arkansas in Athens.
  • Makenzie Anderson made her season debut on vault and Leah MacMoyle made her season debut on uneven bars, while Kirby Rathjen made her collegiate debut, competing on balance beam, against Missouri.
  • Jessica Yamzon ranks third among SEC freshmen and tied for 14th among all SEC gymnasts with a 9.825 average score on balance beam and ranks fourth among SEC freshmen and 14th among all SEC gymnasts with a 39.000 average score in the all-around.
  • Sydney McGlone is tied for 21st among SEC gymnasts with a 9.825 average score on vault, and her 9.900 against Missouri is tied for the ninth-highest vault score in the SEC this season.
  • Arkansas currently has the 10th-toughest schedule in the nation, according to the RoadToNationals.com.
  • Arkansas has made 13 consecutive trips to NCAA Regionals, which includes two NCAA Regional titles and two NCAA Super Six appearances.
  • Arkansas will host an NCAA Regional in 2017 for the first time since 2014 and for the fifth time in program history.

Quotable – Coach Mark Cook on the meet with Georgia

“They put up some good scores this past weekend. We still feel capable of going in there and upsetting them in their house. We haven’t done that before. We came within half of a tenth the last time we faced them. Our intent is go over there and do our best and try to upset them.”

Looking Ahead

Arkansas continues its stretch of six straight weeks against SEC competition, hosting No. 4 Alabama (Jan. 27), No. 2 LSU (Feb. 10) and No. 3 Florida (Feb. 17) and traveling to No. 11 Auburn on Feb. 3 over the next five weeks. Arkansas also visits No. 30 Michigan State (Feb. 25) and No. 9 Kentucky (March 3), before returning home for a Senior Night tri-meet against San Jose State and Centenary on March 10.

Single-meet and NCAA Regional tickets remain on sale, as three of the nation’s top four teams will visit Barnhill Arena over the next month.

Fans can purchase tickets by calling the Razorback Ticket Center at 800-982-HOGS or 479-575-5151. Additional ticketing information can also be found online.

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