Hogs Overcome Disastrous Start Against Florida to Raise Team Average, Possibly Ranking
GAINESVILLE – When the first half of Friday night's meet against preseason national championship favorite Florida Gators concluded, it looked like the only win the Gymbacks might muster would be getting out of Exactech Arena with no one injured.
Then the final two rotations happened.
A surprise victory on floor and a school record on beam helped Arkansas overcome an uninspiring start to best its season average with a final score of 196.475 while pushing the Gators to a NCAA best 198.150, crushing Michigan's previous best of 197.950, to claim the overall victory.
To call the first two rotations an unmitigated disaster would be an understatement.
While Florida came out swinging with three consecutive vaults featuring air tight rotation and landings looked like flies hitting a fly trap, the Gymbacks flailed, stumbled and stepped their way to a .775 deficit, the gymnastics version of falling behind by three touchdowns in the first quarter.
The team was so off that Maggie O'Hara, an All-American gymnast on the uneven bars, had to stop her performance seconds in and restart after struggling to generate enough momentum to safely execute her routine.
Moments earlier, Kennedy Hambrick, one of the best all-around gymnasts in the nation, ripped a beautiful routine, but adrenaline got the best of her as she popped her shoulders back with a little too much authority after the landing, throwing her off balance.
As the uneven bars and vault rotations ticked by, every quality Arkansas routine ended with small steps on the landing for automatic .1 deductions. After two rotations, every single calculated score by the Gators topped every score posted by the Gymbacks.
The Gators' Leanne Wong, a four-time member of the U.S. Women’s Gymnastics team and a silver and bronze medalist, closed out what may what may be the strongest bar rotation anyone will see all year long with a perfect 10.
Florida dropped a low score of 9.85 on bars, which was equal to Hambrick's team-high for Arkansas, on its way to a 1.475 blowout at the midway point.
Energy and focus had been low most of the night as repercussions of a team battle with COVID appeared to have manifested itself on the gym floor.
Even the energy that’s usually there as teammates watched routines play out didn’t quite have the exuberant pop usually seen.
Then Hambrick stepped on the mat. Once she rocked her floor routine, a wave of energy jolted through the team, giving the Hogs an emotional lift.
Freshman MacKenzie Sedlacek followed with her first floor routine as a Gymback and shook off any potential nerves to match Hambrick with a 9.850. Once Bailey Lovett took the individual overall lead on floor with a 9.900, Arkansas was poised to take an unexpected win in the event.
Meanwhile, the nation's No. 2 gymnast on beam, Trinity Thomas, landed Florida's second perfect 10 of the night. The roar of the packed crowd that lined around the arena earlier that day, nearly threw off freshman Leah Smith’s floor routine. Smith held her composure to pull out a 9.825.
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Thomas's score set the standard for Florida as the Gators posted a near perfect 49.70 on beam. It set the national mark for a beam score and also tied a school record.
Arkansas responded in kind, choosing to use its momentum to compete against itself on the final rotation to raise its potential ranking by upping the team average.
It took a new school record on beam to make it happen, but four Gymbacks scored a 9.9 or higher to reach the final 196.475, bucking the odds to raise the team average of 196.325, which could potentially raise Arkansas's current No. 13 ranking.
For Florida, the NCAA-high score could drive the Gators into the top spot depending on how other meets shake out in the Top 5.