Pair of Away Meets Up Next for Gymbacks
The Arkansas gymnastics team has finished its home slate for the season and takes a tour of Alabama this weekend as the Gymbacks gear up for a pair of meets on Friday and Sunday in Tuscaloosa and Huntsville.
First up for Arkansas is the team’s SEC dual finale at No. 7 Alabama on Friday. The contest will serve as the 49th meeting between the two programs, which is the second-longest series for the Gymbacks. Alabama holds the advantage in the match-up with a 42-5-1 record.
Arkansas has not gotten a win over the Crimson Tide since 2017 and have only come away from Tuscaloosa twice in series history. Each time the Gymbacks have won over Alabama, it’s been by no more than half a point.
The Hogs are still looking for their first SEC win after a home loss to Georgia last weekend, while the Tide are coming off a victory over then-No. 9 Missouri in Tuscaloosa, in which Alabama finished the night with a score of 197.500. The two teams are mostly closely-matched on floor, with a 49.282 average score for Arkansas and 49.313 average score for Alabama.
Friday’s meet will begin at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast live on SEC Network+.
The Gymbacks then head northeast to Huntsville to compete in Elevate the Stage on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Propst Arena. It’s an all-SEC slate with Arkansas, Alabama, No. 6 Auburn and No. 28 Georgia all participating in the podium-style meet.
Arkansas last competed in an Elevate the Stage event in 2019, in which the Hogs came in third of four teams: Georgia, Michigan State and Minnesota, with a score of 197.000.
The Gymbacks have already faced off against Georgia and Auburn this season. Their meet against the Tigers on Jan. 14 was the first-ever in Bud Walton Arena and set a new attendance record of 10,345 fans. The meet was extremely close and Auburn edged Arkansas 197.250-197.200, which still stands as the Hogs’ highest score this season.
Elevate the Stage will be streamed on FloGymnastics, which requires a subscription to watch.
Last Time Out
The Bulldogs bested the Hogs 196.975-196.100 last weekend, which is Georgia’s highest score this season. The meet, which also served as Senior Night, was highlighted by a pair of event titles for senior Amanda Elswick on vault and beam. She shared the beam title with freshman Leah Smith and fellow senior Bailey Lovett. Senior Kennedy Hambrick also racked up some wins in her Barnhill farewell on floor as well as the all-around. All seven of the team’s seniors – Elswick, Lovett, Hambrick, Maggie O’Hara, Sarah Shaffer, Abby Johnston and Savannah Pennese – were honored post-meet for their dedication and accomplishments both in and out of the gym through the years. The atmosphere was fitting for a celebration, with 4,907 fans in attendance, the team’s biggest home audience since their meet at Bud Walton Arena on Jan. 14 and best at Barnhill Arena in 2022.
Up Next
Following the action-packed weekend coming up, the Gymbacks will hit the road again to close the regular season with a quad meet at Denver with Nebraska and Oregon State on Sunday, March 13 at 3 p.m.
More Information
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