Gymnastics Wraps Up Fall Training
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Arkansas gymnastics team held its final preseason intrasquad meet on Monday and its last practice session before the Christmas holidays on Tuesday, in preparation for the start of the 2017 season.
This week concludes months of training that began with conditioning and open gym sessions in August and the official start to practice in September and continued with three intrasquads throughout the fall, with the final one being held in Barnhill Arena.
The Razorbacks, picked No. 17 in the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches/Women (NACGC/W) preseason coaches poll released earlier this month, begins the season on the road at No. 4 UCLA on Jan. 7.
“Being in Barnhill under a competition setting, we did OK, but we can do better,” head coach Mark Cook said. “We’re going to start off the season a little slow this year and then try to build some momentum. We had a lot of nagging injuries in the preseason, but that’s part of sports. Overall, all of the gymnasts are stepping up, and they’re doing a good job. Now, the season begins.”
The Razorbacks return eight gymnasts from last year’s team that went 12-12, including 4-3 in Southeastern Conference action. The Razorbacks were sixth at the SEC Championship and finished third at the NCAA Iowa City Regional. The season was highlighted by several program records and top-10 wins over No. 4 Alabama and No. 9 Auburn.
Among those returners are trio of seniors who have each earned All-SEC honors: Heather Elswick, Samantha Nelson and Amanda Wellick. Wellick is also a two-time All-American and qualified for the NCAA Championships as an individual in 2014 and 2016. The eight returners are joined by a talented group of five freshmen in Michaela Burton, Hailey Garner, Kirby Rathjen, Sarah Shaffer and Jessica Yamzon.
“It’s a process with such a young team and figuring things out,” Cook said. “The team is really solid as far as their commitment, unity, training, attitude and their approach. When you approach things the right way, you’re going to do well. We just have to stay healthy and continue to try to get better every day.”
Season ticket packages for all five regular-season home meets start at $25 for general admission. Fans can also purchase reserved season tickets for $40. Single-meet tickets are also now on sale.
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.
