Hogs Get New Barnhill Attendance, Program Score Records in Friday Sellout
The Gymbacks made the most of their home gym advantage on Friday as the team made history with a new program high team score, a new Barnhill attendance record, and the team’s first sellout.
Arkansas defeated LSU 197.475-197.250, the first time since 2012. The Hogs outscored the Tigers on three events en route to the final. It’s the second time in head coach Jordyn Wieber’s tenure that the Gymbacks have recorded a new program high team score.
Norah Flatley and Leah Smith took event titles for Arkansas, on bars (9.925) and floor (9.950), respectively, both Arkansas records for the two. Freshman phenom Lauren Williams again shined, with new career highs of 9.925 on both floor and vault, which placed her in second and third. Freshman Reese Drotar and sophomore Maddie Jones split second on bars (9.875), freshman Cally Swaney and Flatley shared second on beam (9.900) and Jones, Bailey Lovett and Frankie Price all earned a 9.900 for a four-way tie for third on floor to round out Arkansas’ podium finishes.
The performance came in front of 7,147 fans, the most in Barnhill since Wieber’s debut home meet on Jan. 17, 2020.
Vault
The Hogs got off to a smashing start on vault with a stuck Yurchenko full from Cami Weaver for a 9.875 in the lead-off. Flatley and Price followed with matching 9.850s, and Williams finished strong with a huge stuck Yurchenko 1.5 for a 9.925. At the end of the first rotation, LSU and Arkansas were tied at 49.300-all.
Bars
Arkansas came out swinging strong on bars with a lineup that built as it went. Swaney and junior Jensen Scalzo earned 9.825s in the first and second spots, and Drotar came up big in third with a beautiful routine and stuck her double layout dismount for a 9.875. Jones also stuck her double lay in a stellar routine for a 9.875 in fourth, and freshman Jaime Pratt earned a 9.850 in fifth. Flatley came to anchor and delivered a stunner, complete with a stick for a 9.925. The Hogs tallied a 49.350 on bars, a new season high.
Beam
After a shaky outing last week, the Razorbacks recovered very well on beam Friday. Sophomore Kalyxta Gamiao was strong in the lead-off with a 9.875, which matches her career high. Senior Kiara Gianfagna returned to the beam lineup for the first time this season and scored a 9.850 with a solid routine. Swaney came next and delivered a beautiful triple acro series and dance, capped with a stuck layout 1.5 dismount off beam for a big 9.900 score. Senior Kennedy Hambrick kept the stick train going and scored 9.725 in the fifth spot, setting the stage for Flatley. Her routine was effortless from start to finish and she scored a 9.900 to end beam. Heading into the fourth rotation, LSU held an edge by two-tenths.
Floor
With one rotation to go, the Gymbacks brought down the house on floor with five counting scores over 9.900. Jones got it going with a 9.900 as the lead-off, and Lovett matched it in the third spot to keep the energy up. Smith put down a powerhouse routine with clean tumbling for a new personal best of 9.950 that was a hit for the crowd. Yet again, Williams showed her star power as a rookie next and rang in a 9.925, a new high for her as well. Price closed it out with her crowd-pleasing routine, complete with huge tumbling passes, for a 9.900 to seal the victory. Arkansas earned a 49.575 on floor, the team’s highest-ever in Barnhill and second-best in program history.
Up Next
Arkansas returns to Bud Walton Arena next week for an SEC dual against Florida on Friday, Feb. 3 at 6:45 p.m. Last season, the Gymbacks set their program attendance record at The Palace with 10,345 fans against Auburn on Jan. 14. The meet is set to stream on SEC Network Plus.
More Information
Visit ArkansasRazorbacks.com for the latest information on all things Arkansas Gymnastics. You can also find the Razorbacks on social media by liking us on Facebook (Arkansas Razorback Gymnastics) and following us on Twitter and Instagram (@RazorbackGym).
