Postseason Push Begins In Columbus
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The 10th-ranked Arkansas gymnastics team will make its 15th-consecutive regional appearance this Saturday in Columbus, Ohio for the NCAA Columbus Regional. The Razorbacks are the 10th-overall seed in the tournament and the two seed in at the Regional.
The No. 10 ranking heading into the postseason is the highest since 2012 and just the third time in program history that the Razorbacks head into regional competition with a top-10 ranking.
“The SEC Championship built some confidence,” said head coach Mark Cook. “These guys know that it’s really important to be fully focused and there’s not meets after this if you do not do well.”
Columbus Regional
(3) UCLA
(10) Arkansas
(15) Boise State
Ohio State
Pittsburgh
Kent State
Arkansas Rotation Order: Beam – Bye – Floor – Vault – Bye – Bars
Action is set to begin Saturday at 5 p.m. CT inside St. John Arena on the campus of Ohio State University. The meet will be streamed live via the Big Ten Network Plus and the Big Ten 2Go app.
Against The Competition
Arkansas is a combined 7-0 against Boise State, Ohio State, Pittsburgh and Kent State in regional competition, and a combined 10-0 all-time. The Razorbacks are 1-3 against UCLA in Regionals and 3-12 all-time.
The Record Year Continues
Following Arkansas’ fifth place finish at the Southeastern Conference Championships March 24, the Razorbacks moved up to No. 10 in Road To National’s final weekly rankings with a RQS of 196.820, its highest in program history. The Razorbacks have set a record RQS mark now three times this season.
Survive & Advance
The Razorbacks are looking to advance out of regional competition and to the NCAA National Championships in St. Louis on April 20. The top two teams from each region will advance to the Championships. Arkansas has finished third in its regional three out of the last four years and is looking to advance to Nationals for the first time since 2013.
“The main thing is that we have to go there, be focused and be loose,” Cook said. “We have to perform well and be clean. It’s all about landings. We have to be sharp on those landing and if you do that you can pick up three of four tenths during this meet.”
The Razorbacks enter the NCAA Championships as one of the most improved programs in the country. Last season, Arkansas ranked No. 27 in the nation headed into regional competition with a RQS (Regional Qualifying Score) of 195.775 compared to this season’s No. 10 ranking with a program record 196.820 RQS.
Coming off of a first session victory at the SEC Championships, the Razorbacks placed a team record six on the All-SEC list. Sarah Shaffer was named the league’s Freshman of the Year while Mark Cook was named Coach of the Year. The Razorbacks were one of 34 teams to start competition on Jan. 5 and competed 12-consecutive weeks until its first off week following the SEC Championships.
For more information on Arkansas gymnastics, including in-meet updates, follow @RazorbackGym on Twitter.
