Gymbacks’ Historic Season Ends in Tuscaloosa
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Arkansas gymnastics team signed off on an undeniably amazing season on Saturday night in Tuscaloosa. The Gymbacks finished the evening in third place with a score of 196.700, just shy of advancing to nationals in Fort Worth.
Starting the session on beam, senior Sophia Carter showed off her veteran grace by nailing her beat-jump, double-stag jump series and sticking her side-ariel back-full dismount. She led Arkansas in the event and tied her season-high with a 9.900 from the judges. Redshirt-senior Sarah Shaffer and junior Kennedy Hambrick made sure to end the rotation strong, both contributing 9.850s to the lineup.
On floor, Arkansas looked to Carter again. In the number four spot, she landed another solid 9.900 with the beautiful execution of her double-back first pass and double-pike last pass, complete with the infamous rose toss in her final pose.
Abby Johnston has been a staple for Arkansas in the leadoff spot all season, consistently stepping up and delivering and tonight was no different for the junior. She opened her routine with a gorgeous double-pike and closed it with a huge double-back, scoring a 9.875. Johnston finished the season with 11-consecutive leadoff performances, none of which scored less than a 9.800.
In the third rotation, Arkansas started strong with a career-high 9.850 from Savannah Pennese thanks to her Yurchenko full. Shaffer stepped up once again, nearly sticking her Yurchenko layout half and scoring a team-best 9.875 in the number four spot.
Finishing on bars, the Gymbacks registered their third-highest bars score of the season, coming together for an impressive 49.350. Arkansas improved their final rotation score a notable 1.175 points from the SEC Championships.
The Razorbacks’ final three routines all scored a 9.900 or higher, including two 9.900s from Shaffer and graduate Maggie O’Hara. Hambrick’s blind-change jaeger to immediate overshoot and stuck full-twisting double-back dismount earned her a remarkable 9.950, the highest-scoring bars routine by a Gymback at regionals in program history.
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