Carter, Garner To Compete At NCAA Championships

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Two Arkansas gymnasts will compete as individuals at the NCAA Championships this Friday. Junior Hailey Garner will compete on the balance beam, and sophomore Sophia Carter will compete on the floor. Both Gymbacks will rotate with the Oklahoma Sooners.

The Sooners will rotate in the traditional Olympic rotation on Friday in the second national semifinal beginning at 6 p.m. Garner will compete on beam in the third rotation, as Carter will end the meet on the floor. Friday’s semifinal II will be televised by ESPNU.

Hailey Garner | Balance Beam
Garner will return to the NCAA Championships as an individual after earning All-American honors at the NCAA Championships last April in St. Louis. The Memphis native recorded a 9.8875 at the championships last spring, earning her an All-American honor to lead the Gymbacks on the event.

Garner qualified for the championships at the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional Second Round two weeks ago, with a 9.900 as the team’s anchor on the event. Garner earned a 9.900 from all four judges, winning the tiebreaker over Minnesota’s Tiarre Sales, who tallied a 9.85 from one judge. She owns a 9.925 career high on the event, and competed just five times on beam this season, earning a career high of 9.900 at the regional.

Sophia Carter | Floor Exercise
After earning a Regular Season All-American nod, Carter tallied a 9.900 as the team’s anchor in Baton Rouge. The score was her 10th, and eight-of-nine, of 9.900 or higher for Carter. She finished the season ranked 10th in the country on the event, with an NQS of 9.935. The Blue Springs, Mo. native recorded four scores of 9.950 this season, bringing her career total to five. She dipped below the 9.900 mark just twice this season, and never recorded a score lower than 9.850 on the event over the course of the 2019 campaign.

At last season’s NCAA Championships, Carter anchored the team with a 9.8625 on the floor, tying for the team high. Dating back to last season, Carter hasn’t recorded below a 9.850 in 19-consecutive meets.

For more information on Arkansas gymnastics, including in-meet updates, follow @RazorbackGym on Twitter.