FAYETTEVILLE -- The Arkansas gymnastics team's regular-season tour through the top 10 winds up at 7 tonight against No. 8 UCLA at Barnhill Arena.
The Razorbacks (5-7), who are celebrating senior night for Stephani Canizaro and Cailee Ellsworth, will compete for the eighth time in 10 meets against a team that is among the top 10 of the NCAA rankings.
Arkansas gymnastics vs. UCLA
WHEN 7 p.m.
WHERE Barnhill Arena
RECORDS UCLA 9-1, Arkansas 5-7
RANKINGS/AVERAGES No. 8 UCLA 196.658, No. 16 Arkansas 195.894
SERIES UCLA leads 10-3
LAST SEASON No. 5 UCLA 196.6, No. 17 Arkansas 196.375 at NCAA Fayetteville Regional
TOP GYMNASTS (Top 100 Regional Qualifying Scores)
All-Around: No. 14 (tie) Amanda Wellick (Ark) 39.385, No. 29 Paige Zaziski (Ark.) 39.2.
Vault: No. 10 (tie) Wellick (Ark) 9.92 and Samantha Peszek (UCLA) 9.92, No. 15 Jordan Williams (UCLA) 9.91, No. 36 Zaziski (Ark) 9.885, No. 39 (tie) Heather Elswick (Ark) 9.875, No. 56 Sadiqua Bynum (UCLA) 9.86.
Bars: No. 8 Peng-Peng Lee (UCLA) 9.91, No. 13 (tie) Peszek (UCLA) 9.895, No. 33 (tie) Danusia Francis (UCLA) 9.87, No. 46 (tie) Zaziski (Ark) 9.855, No. 71 (tie) Stephani Canizaro (Ark) 9.835, No. 86 (tie) Erin Freier (Ark) 9.825.
Beam: No. 5 Peszek (UCLA) 9.905, No. 6 Francis (UCLA) 9.9, No. 46 (tie) Sydnie Dillard (Ark) 9.85, No. 69 (tie) Sophina DeJesus (UCLA) 9.825.
Floor: No. 20 (tie) Wellick (Ark) 9.9, No. 28 (tie) Bynum (UCLA) 9.88 and Francis (UCLA) 9.88, No. 45 (tie) Elswick (Ark) 9.865, No. 54 (tie) Samantha Nelson (Ark) 9.86 and Angi Cipra (UCLA) 9.86.
NOTEWORTHY UCLA’s lone loss was a 196.975 to 194.725 at Utah on Jan. 23. The Bruins have averaged 197.2 in the six meets since then, capped by a season-best 197.95 in a victory over Stanford last week. … Arkansas will compete for the eighth time this season against a top 10 opponent. The Razorbacks are 1-6 in previous competitions against the top 10. … Arkansas’ last victory over the Bruins came in a 196.95 to 196.625 decision in session II of the NCAA Championships on April 16, 2009, in Lincoln, Neb. … Arkansas is No. 12 on floor (49.225) and vault (49.26), tied for No. 17 on bars (49.095) and No. 39 on the beam (48.645). … UCLA is No. 6 on beam (49.265), No. 7 on vault (49.375), No. 10 on floor (49.27) and No. 12 on bars (49.2).
— Tom Murphy
"I've always wanted to compete against tough teams," Arkansas Coach Mark Cook said. "It's good for us to go against strong teams in the non-conference."
There also are ties that link the Razorbacks and Bruins (9-1). Cook served as an assistant coach at UCLA from 1995-97 under Coach Valorie Kondos Field, who is married to former Arkansas football player Bobby Field (1968-70), a longtime UCLA football assistant who is a senior associate athletic director for the Bruins.
Field, who has led UCLA to six NCAA championships, isn't expected to attend the meet for health reasons, with associate head coach Chris Waller taking the reins tonight.
Arkansas put together its first solid beam program in several weeks last weekend at Georgia, but the Bullldogs rallied with a 49.5 on the floor exercise to edge the Razorbacks 196.775 to 196.65.
The Razorbacks will be led by all-around standouts in sophomore Amanda Wellick, who is tied for 14th in the nation, and freshman Paige Zaziski, who is 29th.
The Bruins have a deep roster headlined by senior Samantha Peszek and juniors Sadiqua Bynum and Danusia Francis.
UCLA edged Arkansas by less than three-tenths of a point to knock the Razorbacks out of a spot at the NCAA Championships when the teams met at the Fayetteville Regional last year.
"Before that, we knocked them out of the NCAAs," Cook said, referencing the Razorbacks' victory over UCLA in session II of the 2009 NCAA Championships for a spot in the Super Six. "We're within striking distance of them, and it's great for us to have the opportunity to take down one of the top Pac-12 teams if we could possibly do it."
Sports on 03/13/2015