Gymbacks Earn Best-Ever Season-Opening Score, Take Down Bulldogs
The Razorback gymnastics team opened its season on Friday night and made history as the team defeated the Georgia Bulldogs at Barnhill Arena 197.150-196.350.
The score is the best week one score by the Gymbacks ever, and the first time the team has ever scored over 197 in a season opener. The Razorbacks hadn’t defeated the Bulldogs at home since the 2020 season and have now won their last five meets over Georgia.
The Gymbacks one at least a share on each event title but bars. Cami Weaver and Lauren Williams grabbed shares of the vault crown with 9.900 scores, which matched a personal best for Weaver. In her balance beam debut, junior Maddie Jones earned a 9.900, which tied her for first. Williams and Frankie Price delivered strong tumbling and stellar choreography for scores of 9.950 on floor, which gave them the tie for the title.
A total of 4,552 fans came to Friday’s season opener, setting the tone for another big crowd contingent in Barnhill for 2024.
Vault
Weaver got things off to a hot start for the Hogs in the first rotation as she put down a huge Yurchenko full with stuck dismount for a 9.900. Freshman Priscilla Park and junior Makie Sedlacek earned matching 9.825s in the second and third spots, and junior Leah Smith earned a 9.775 in the fourth position. Williams delivered a powerful Yurchenko 1.5 with just a small step on the landing as the anchor for a 9.900. Arkansas finished the first rotation with a score of 49.225.
Bars
Arkansas’ bars lineup hit a stride midway through as sophomore Jaime Pratt earned a 9.900 and senior Jensen Scalzo followed with another in the third and fourth spots, respectively. Rookie Priscilla Park stuck her double layout dismount up fifth for a 9.825, and junior Maddie Jones also got a stick and a 9.875 for a final bars mark of 49.325 for the Hogs.
Beam
Junior Kalyxta Gamiao continued to prove her place as Arkansas’ beam lead-off and cruised through her routine for a 9.875 up first. Fellow junior Jones competed on beam for the first time ever in second and showed no nerves whatsoever. She floated through each piece and scored a 9.900 for the Gymbacks. Williams and Weaver scored 9.750 and 9.775, respectively, in the third and fourth spots, and Park came up as the anchor following a fall. She showed veteran poise and powered through for a 9.725. Arkansas concluded beam with a 49.025 event score.
Floor
The Hogs’ first floor party of the season did not disappoint as two big 9.850 routines from Gamiao and freshman Hailey Klein got Arkansas off on a high note. Jones continued to have a great night and delivered three big tumbling passes and great choreography for a 9.925 on floor halfway through the lineup, which matches her career high. Junior Leah Smith kept the energy going with a crowd-pleasing 9.900 routine up fourth, which brought up Williams and Price to close. Both had show-stopping performances full of power and stage presence and earned matching 9.950 scores for a floor final of 49.575, the second-best event total in program history.
Up Next
Arkansas hits the road for week two of the season as the Hogs take on the Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa on Jan. 19. The action begins at 6:30 p.m. and will be broadcast live on SEC Network.
More Information
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