Tag Archives: Arkansas

Friday Live Blog – February 10, 2017

Friday, February 10
Scores Watch
7:00 ET/4:00 PT – [9] Georgia @ [3] Florida LINK SEC
7:00 ET/4:00 PT – [6] Alabama @ [10] Kentucky LINK SEC+
7:00 ET/4:00 PT – Kent State @ Eastern Michigan LINK
7:00 ET/4:00 PT – North Carolina, Pitt, William & Mary @ NC State LINK ACC+
7:30 ET/4:30 PT – UW-Stout @ UW-La Crosse FREE
8:00 ET/5:00 PT – [14] George Washington, [25] Iowa State, Lindenwood @ [13] Missouri LINK SEC+
8:00 ET/5:00 PT – SEMO, UW-Whitewater, UW-Eau Claire, Winona State (@ Milwaukee) LINK
8:00 ET/5:00 PT – Hamline @ Gustavus Adolphus LINK
8:00 ET/5:00 PT – [1] Oklahoma v. [16] Auburn (@ Oklahoma City) LINK FSN
8:30 ET/5:30 PT – [2] LSU @ [23] Arkansas LINK SEC
9:00 ET/6:00 PT – [15] Cal @ Arizona P12
9:00 ET/6:00 PT – Utah State @ [20] Southern Utah FREE
10:00 ET/7:00 PT – Sacramento State @ San Jose State LINK FREE

Lots to do, lots to do, so little time. Actually, 13 of the top 25 teams competing on Friday is par for the course, but the rises of Kentucky and Missouri this season mean that there isn’t an easy “pay less attention to that one” choice when the SEC teams all clump together in the corner for warmth. Continue reading Friday Live Blog – February 10, 2017

Friday Live Blog – January 27, 2017

Friday, January 27
Scores Watch
6:30 ET/3:30 PT – North Carolina @ Pitt LINK ACCN
6:30 ET/3:30 PT – Bridgeport @ Brown
7:00 ET/4:00 PT – [16] Auburn @ [3] Florida LINK SEC
7:00 ET/4:00 PT – [2] LSU @ [6] Kentucky LINK SEC+
7:00 ET/4:00 PT – [11] Missouri @ [12] Georgia LINK SEC+
7:00 ET/4:00 PT – [9] Southern Utah @ [24] NC State LINK ACCN
7:00 ET/4:00 PT – UW-Oshkosh @ Centenary LINK CTVT
7:30 ET/4:30 PT – [1] Oklahoma @ Iowa State LINK ISU
8:30 ET/5:30 PT – [5] Alabama @ [23] Arkansas LINK SEC
9:00 ET/6:00 PT – [14] Boise State v. BYU
10:00 ET/7:00 PT – Hamline @ Seattle Pacific FREE

Ah, sweet nectar of live blogging returneth. Be ready for a triple-screen day. Quadruple? You wild things.

Since we’re still in January, the rankings are quite mercurial and largely irrelevant, but I’m starting to keep an eye on RQS-usable totals. (See: RQS Explained if……you want RQS explained.) If teams leave this weekend still without any strong scores to use for their RQS six, that puts pressure on nearly all of the remaining meets not just to be hits but good hits. A number of teams will have seven meets left after this weekend, and getting six high scores in seven meets is a lot to ask. Continue reading Friday Live Blog – January 27, 2017

Saturday Live Blog – January 7, 2017

Saturday, January 7
Scores Watch
1:00 ET/10:00 PT – New Hampshire, Bridgeport, William & Mary @ Rutgers LINK
1:00 ET/10:00 PT – Southern Connecticut @ Towson LINK FREE
3:00 ET/12:00 PT – Gustavus Adolphus @ UW-Oshkosh
4:00 ET/1:00 PT – Bowling Green, BYU, Temple @ [23] Penn State LINK FREE
6:30 ET/3:30 PT – Ohio State @ Pitt LINK ACCN
7:00 ET/4:00 PT – [7] Michigan @ [6] Utah LINK P12
7:00 ET/4:00 PT – [17] Arkansas @ [4] UCLA LINK P12
7:30 ET/4:30 PT – [25] George Washington v. Yale (@ Boston, MA)
7:30 ET/4:30 PT – [14] Denver @ [16] Minnesota LINK BTN+
8:00 ET/5:00 PT – Winona State @ Air Force FREE

Today’s live blogging will be focused on the simultaneous Pac-12 meets hosted by Utah and UCLA (thanks, Pac-12 Network), but I’ll include some notes on action I’m seeing earlier in the day.

-Brianna Comport of Bridgeport started with a 9.850 on beam and a 9.825 on floor.

-Tyra McKellar of Towson has the biggest piked Jaeger you’ll see. Tons of other breaks in the routine, still somehow got 9.750 I think due to Jaeger respect because…that Jaeger. Continue reading Saturday Live Blog – January 7, 2017

Arkansas 2017

Let the preseason dossiers begin! Here, I’ll be providing a rundown of the major teams and their 2017 rosters, key gymnasts, event-by-event scoring prospects, lineup conundrums, and overall season outlook. It’ll be fun. If that’s the kind of thing you find fun. It probably shouldn’t be.

ARKANSAS ROSTER 2017
Seniors
Heather
Elswick
(redshirt)
  • Missed 2016 with injury; summer wrist surgery.
  • Staple of VT and FX lineups through her first three years.
  • Can fill in on UB when necessary. (It may be necessary.)
  • 2015 RQS – FX: 9.885, VT: 9.875, UB: 9.685.
Samantha
Nelson
  • Provides critical late-lineup routines on BB and FX.
  • Frequently called upon to VT for a 9.7.
  • 2016 RQS – FX: 9.890, BB: 9.855, VT: 9.775.
Amanda Wellick
  • Literally everything.
  • Essential, team-best routines on all four pieces.
  • 2016 RQS – VT: 9.900, FX: 9.880, BB: 9.875, UB: 9.840.
Juniors
Mia
Bargiacchi
  • Competed BB once in 2016 for 9.800.
Leah
MacMoyle
  • Weekly VT and frequent FX contributor in 2016 until mid-season injury.
  • 2016 RQS – VT: 9.785.
  • 2016 AVG hit – FX: 9.781.
Braie Speed
  • Top returning UB routine and weekly VTer in 2016.
  • Missed 2015 with torn ACL.
  • 2016 RQS – UB: 9.845, VT: 9.805.
Sophomores
Makenzie
Anderson
  • Originally VT and FX backup in 2016, replaced MacMoyle in lineups post-injury.
  • 2016 RQS – FX: 9.770
Sydney
McGlone
  • Weekly top-3 team score on VT and FX as freshman in 2016.
  • Often survived BB.
  • 2016 RQS – VT: 9.850, FX: 9.830, BB: 9.775
Freshmen
Michaela
Burton
  • Legacy Elite
  • 4th place on BB at 2016 JO Nationals
Hailey
Garner
  • Gymstars TN
  • 2015 JO National Champion on UB and BB
Kirby
Rathjen
  • Stars Houston
  • 8th place on BB, 12th AA at 2015 JO Nationals
Sarah Shaffer
  • Texas East
  • 2016 Region 3 AA, FX champion.
Jessica
Yamzon
  • Gymcats
  • 7th AA, UB at 2016 JO Nationals, 2nd UB in 2015.

Recent History
2016 – 20th
2015 – 14th
2014 – 15th
2013 – 10th
2012 – 6th
2011 – 10th
2010 – 11th

The last few years have not been kind to Arkansas, as major stars have up and graduated without being replaced by equivalent stars. Last year’s disappointing 20th-place—the Razorbacks’ worst finish since 2005, their third season in existence—undersells the quality of a team that entered regionals a more respectable 13th but suffered the Epic Vault Catastrophe of ’16 and came nowhere close to advancing. Continue reading Arkansas 2017