FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas gymnastics Coach Mark Cook thinks that the team's improved depth in 2016 could help the Razorbacks break a two-year streak of failing to qualify for the NCAA Championships.
"I think overall we can score better than last year," Cook said. "I think we're about 20 percent stronger. We have to stay healthy, but we have more depth and we have more opportunity to change our lineups to maximize our scoring."
At a glance
Georgia vs. Arkansas gymnastics
WHEN 7:30 p.m.
WHERE Barnhill Arena
TELEVISION SEC Network
RECORDS Georgia 0-1; Arkansas 1-1
RANKINGS Georgia is No. 15 in average score (195.2); Arkansas is tied for No. 16 (195.15)
SERIES Georgia leads 28-2-1 overall, 5-1 in Fayetteville
LAST SEASON Georgia 196.775-196.65 in Athens, Ga.; Georgia 196-195.925 at SEC Championship
NOTEWORTHY Arkansas will host No. 4 Oklahoma, the 2014 NCAA co-champion at 2 p.m. Sunday. … Arkansas’ last victory over Georgia came on April 20, 2012, a 197.15-196.5 triumph in the NCAA Championships in Duluth, Ga. … The Razorbacks lone home victory against the GymDogs was 195.775-195.4 count on Feb. 4, 2011.
— Tom Murphy
The No. 16 Razorbacks open their home season tonight with a big SEC challenge, taking on No. 15 Georgia at 7:30 at Barnhill Arena.
"Going against Georgia is super exciting because the atmosphere is going to be so loud," said Arkansas junior Amanda Wellick, who will compete in the all-around.
"This year we have a lot of depth and a lot of strengths," senior Heather Elswick said. "We have a lot of new skills and the freshmen are coming in really, really strong. We're just ready to kill it this year."
Arkansas freshmen Makenzie Anderson and Sydney McGlone are in position to compete in as many as five events. The Razorbacks' depth will be tested in the early part of the season with Elswick expected to be out at least three weeks with a ligament injury in her wrist.
Arkansas will be led by the All-American Wellick and All-SEC Paige Zaziski, a sophomore who shared SEC Freshman of the Year honors last year with Florida's Kennedy Baker. Wellick was SEC Freshman of the Year in 2014.
Zaziski will compete on the vault, bars and balance beam.
"The team this year is more confident, and we definitely have more depth," Zaziski said. "We're ready to show everyone what we've got and we're feeling pretty good."
Redshirt freshman Braie Speed, out with a knee injury last year, will work on the vault and bars for Arkansas. Seniors Stephani Canizaro, Sydnie Dillard, Erin Freier and Keara Glover, junior Samantha Nelson and sophomore Leah MacMoyle are expected to compete in one or two events each.
Arkansas (1-1) opened with a 195.15 in the Cancun Classic in Mexico on Jan. 2, falling to co-No. 1 Michigan (196.975) and defeating Iowa (192.475). The Razorbacks scored well on the vault (49.2) and beam (49.1), but struggled on the balance beam (48.225) and floor (48.625).
Cook has shuffled his beam lineup as a result.
"They kind of feed off each other, as far as how they compete on that event," Cook said.
Georgia (0-1), the NCAA leader with 10 national titles, opened its season with a 196.925- 195.2 loss at Michigan on Saturday for fourth-year Coach Danna Durante. The GymDogs' top scorers in the meet were Syndey Snead, who had a 9.9 on bars, and Mary Beth Box, who scored 9.9 on the floor exercise.
Georgia beat Arkansas twice last season by narrow margins, the last 196- 195.925 at the SEC championships.
Cook's goal is to have Arkansas in position for a top-half finish in the stout SEC, which has won or shared 10 of the last 11 NCAA championships.
"The focus is really on Georgia," Cook said. "If we want to establish ourselves in this conference, we have to get to that top session at the SEC championships. In order to do that we have to beat Georgia, beat Kentucky and Missouri and we have to beat Auburn. That top session will probably have Florida, Alabama and LSU because they're strong and deep programs. There's no reason why we can't get into that top session."
Sports on 01/15/2016