Arkansas ready for SEC Championships
FAYETTEVILLE — Ever since the SEC split its gymnastics championships into two sessions for the eight competing teams in 2013, there has been a clear top half and bottom half in the conference.
The University of Arkansas had resided solely in the bottom half, which is relegated to the under-card afternoon session, until now. Under second-year coach Jordyn Wieber, the GymBacks graduated to prime time in 2021, punching their ticket to compete in the night session for the first time since the format change.
The No. 9 Razorbacks will start on the balance beam in the 7 p.m. session at the Van Braun Center in Huntsville, Ala., and compete against No. 1 Florida, No. 4 LSU and No. 8 Alabama.
The 2:30 p.m. afternoon session will consist of No. 14 Kentucky, No. 15 Auburn and No. 23 Missouri after No. 16 Georgia bowed out on Thursday due to COVID19 issues within its program.
As milestones go, this is a big one for the GymBacks (3-5), who jumped nine places in the rankings to No. 6 after a strong season-opening meet at LSU and stayed in the top 10 the rest of the way against an SEC-only schedule.
“it definitely means a lot for the program for us to get to that night session,” Wieber said. “I told the team [Wednesday] after practice it's not by accident. You didn't get lucky. It doesn't work like that.
“You guys have truly earned your spot in this night session and you belong there. That's sort of the mindset going into this weekend, that we may be the underdogs going into that night session but what a great position to be in. These athletes, this team has earned that spot outright.”
Junior Kennedy Hambrick, the nation's No. 7 all-around performer, will lead Arkansas into the postseason.
“We've come together as a team and we've started to put our routines that we do in the gym out on the competition floor,” said Hambrick, who has posted a pair of school-record 39.7s in the all-around this season. “I'm just really proud of everyone for doing the best they can possibly do. I know we can get better with every single meet.”
Senior Sophia Carter said the team has made better interpersonal connections this season in the team's so-called “bubble” brought about by COVID-19.
“I think the coolest thing is that we've been consistent throughout the season,” Carter said. “We've shown that we're a top 10 team in the nation and we're doing that week by week and not just once in a while. That's what I'm most proud about is that every week we go out and deliver what we know we can.”
The Razorbacks went 0-4 against their competitors in the night session and 3-1 against the teams who qualified for the afternoon session.
Starting on the balance beam also provides a different challenge.
“I told the team, ‘How great is it we get to start on one of our best events?'” Wieber said. “And we get to get really warmed up for floor and we basically just get to start on two of our best events, beam and floor.”
The night session will feature some of the nation's top all-around performers in addition to Hambrick. Florida's Trinity Thomas leads the nation with a 39.788 national qualifying score (NQS) in the all-around, while Alabama's Luisa Blanco is fifth (39.675), Hambrick is seventh (39.6), LSU's Haleigh Bryant is eighth (39.594), and Florida's Megan Skaggs is 10th (39.569).
Arkansas has six other entrants ranked in the top 20 on the four events: Hambrick is No. 8 on the vault (9.938 NQS), Maggie O'Hara is No. 8 on the bars (9.925), Hambrick is No. 11 on the floor (9.938) and No. 12 on the beam (9.938), while Carter and Bailey Lovett are tied for No. 15 on the floor (9.931).