Three @RazorbackGym Gymnasts Named All-SEC

SEC Release

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — On Thursday, the Southeastern Conference announced its postseason gymnastics honors and named University of Arkansas gymnasts Heather Elswick, Amanda Wellick and Paige Zaziski to the 2015 All-SEC team. Zaziski was additionally named to the 2015 All-SEC freshman team.

The trio of Razorbacks on the All-SEC team marks the second-straight season that Arkansas has had three representatives on the all-conference team, while Zaziski’s All-SEC freshman team selection marks the third-straight year the team has had at least one gymnast on the conference’s all-rookie team. This year’s selection to the All-SEC team is a first for all three gymnasts.

Wellick and Zaziski earned All-SEC honors in the vault and Elswick earned all-conference honors on the floor. The trio earned their place on the All-SEC team by collecting either a first or second-place finish in their event during the afternoon session of the 2015 SEC Gymnastics Championships.

It was an impressive second year for Wellick, as she earned a career-best 14 event titles by winning five vault and floor exercise titles to go along with four all-around titles. At the 2015 SEC Gymnastics Championship, Wellick earned first-place honors on the vault, as she posted a 9.900. The score tied the program’s best score for an individual on the vault at the SEC Championship, and marked her seventh-straight 9.9-plus score in the event. The Wheaton, Illinois native competed as an all-around gymnast in every meet, marking the second-straight year she accomplished the feat. She set a career-best in three events this year, as she recorded a 9.950 on the vault and floor and a 39.500 in the all-around.

Zaziski had an outstanding rookie campaign for the Razorbacks, as she won a remarkable seven event titles (4 UB, 1 BB, 2 AA) in her first year on campus. She finished second on the vault during the 2015 SEC Gymnastics Championship afternoon session with a 9.875 to earn All-SEC honors. The Chesterfield Township, Michigan native was also named to the All-SEC freshman team, as she became the first Arkansas gymnast in program history to be named the SEC Freshman of the Week three times. During her first year with Arkansas, Zaziski tied the program’s best score on the uneven bars with a personal-best 9.950 against No. 8 UCLA in the regular season finale on March 13.

Elswick earned her first-ever All-SEC honor by tying for first on the floor during the afternoon session of the SEC Gymnastics Championship. The Austin, Texas, native posted a 9.900 to earn a four-way tie for first in the event. Elswick played a key role all season for the Razorbacks, as she was featured in all 11 vault and floor exercise rotations and had eight uneven bar routines. The junior won two event titles (1 V, 1 FX) and set a career-best in all three events this season. She posted a career-best 9.950 on the vault and 9.925 on the floor against No. 6 Alabama and posted a personal-best 9.725 on the bars against No. 23 Missouri.

The No. 19-ranked Razorbacks return to action next Saturday, April 4, as they’ll be one of six teams to compete in the NCAA Morgantown Regional in Morgantown, West Virginia. The Razorbacks will be the fourth-seed in the Regional and will need to place inside the top-two to advance to the NCAA Championship Session in Fort Worth, Texas. Joining Arkansas in Morgantown will be co-defending national champion, and second-ranked, Florida, No. 11 Stanford, No. 14 Illinois, No. 25 New Hampshire and host-school West Virginia. Event from the WVU Coliseum begins at 3 p.m. CT.

All-SEC Team

All-Freshman Team

For more information on the Arkansas women’s gymnastics team follow @RazorbackGym on Twitter.