UA gymnastics
The No. 8-ranked Arkansas gymnastics team will close out the regular season tonight at No. 12 Auburn.
FAYETTEVILLE — The University of Arkansas gymnastics team jumped from No. 15 to No. 6 in the national rankings after a nice opening score at LSU and they’ve stayed in the top 10 every week since.
The No. 8 Razorbacks (2-5) will try to stay there heading into the postseason after tonight’s regular season finale at No. 12 Auburn.
Arkansas has scored 197 or better three times, including a program record 197.35 two weeks ago in a win over Missouri at Barnhill Arena. The Razorbacks hit 197 on the nose in a home loss to Alabama last week, but the meet included a 48.85 on the vault, the fifth time in seven meets Arkansas has posted a sub49.0 on one event.
Smoothing over those dips is uppermost on second-year
Coach Jordyn Wieber’s mind.
“I feel like we’ve got all the pieces to the puzzle,” Wieber said. “What we need to is put it all together in one meet. So far this season we’ve always kind of had one event that isn’t where it needs to be.”
The NCAA’s national qualifying score kicked in this week, meaning a team’s ranking is determined by averaging its top two home scores and top two road scores.
The Razorbacks fell two spots from the week before and could use a big finale be- cause they are still counting a 196.675 in a road loss at Kentucky.
“We’re really looking to get another solid away score to replace one of our others that we have,” Wieber said. “That’s our goal this week and we’re also looking forward to a bye week next week, so kind of giving it everything we’ve got this week and pushing.
“The motto for this week is to just go up and hit 24 of 24. We know if we do that the scores will follow.”
Auburn shot up six spots to No. 12 nationally after posting
a season-high road score of 197.025 in a loss at Florida last week.
“It was so important to get a huge road score before NQS started and we did that last Friday,” Auburn Coach Jeff Graba said. “Our position now puts us in a good place because we’re getting closer to locking a seeded spot at Regionals.”
The meet should feature a spirited competition in the all-around, with Arkansas junior Kennedy Hambrick, the nation’s No. 9 all-arounder, and No. 25 ranked senior Sarah Shaffer competing against Auburn junior Derrian Gobourne, who is No. 21.
The rivalry between the Razorbacks and Tigers is the tightest on the Arkansas books, with Auburn holding a 19-18 edge overall, including a 5-4 mark in home meets.
The Razorbacks have a higher scoring average than Auburn on every apparatus, including a wide disparity on the floor exercise, where Arkansas is No. 2 with a 49.363 NQS and Auburn is No. 21 (49.194).