FAYETTEVILLE - A season that began with the most rugged start since the infancy of the Arkansas gymnastics program can still wind up with a ticket to the ultimate destination for the Razorbacks.
No. 16 Arkansas, which struggled to a 1-5 start that included a horrid 193.075 road score at Kentucky as the team coped with injuries and multiple freshmen in key scoring roles, will compete tonight in the NCAA Corvallis Regional at 6 p.m. with a berth in the NCAA Championships at stake.
No. 10 Oregon State (15-7), which has a 6-0 head-to-head record this season against the remainder of the field, will serve as the regional host, one of six regionals across the country from which the top two finishers will make up the 12-team field at the NCAA Championships at UCLA in two weeks. The other participants are No. 4 Georgia, Western Athletic Conference champion No. 21 Boise State, No. 28 Arizona State and No. 32 California.
The Razorbacks (8-12-1) will be an underdog to Georgia (12-9-1) and Oregon State, but fighting back from adversity has been a theme for Arkansas, which tied two-time defending NCAA champion Alabama at 197.1 on Feb. 22 to begin a five-week climb back up the rankings. The Razorbacks are coming off a 196.4 score at the SEC Championship in North Little Rock that represented their best showing ever in that meet.
“That was a great confidence builder for us going into regionals,” Arkansas Co-Coach Mark Cook said. “We’ve been gaining momentum the latter part of the season. Our scores have been consistent.”
Arkansas will be led by junior Katherine Grable, the nation’s No. 14 all-arounder with an average score of 39.45, as well as seniors Amy Borsellino and Kelci Lewis.
Borsellino has competed in the all-around in every meet this season and scored a season-high 39.375 to win the event against Alabama.
“We need to go out and hit all our routines, be strong and perform just the way we have been in practice,” Borsellino said.
The Razorbacks have counted all 11 of Lewis’ vaults and 10 of her 11 floor routines this season.
“I want to leave a strong legacy for this team and to make a lasting impression on this program,” Lewis said.
Arkansas has averaged 196.495 in its past five NCAA regionals, with two victories, including an upset of No. 1 Florida in 2011, and three second-place finishes in that span, but advancing out of Corvallis could be difficult.
“Oregon State is going to be tough at home, regardless of the NCAA berth,” Cook said. “Georgia is ranked quite a bit higher than us, but again if they have any slip-ups and we perform well, we can slide right past them.
“We just have to go up there and be calm, focus on our performances, ourselves, stay within our bubble and just be tenacious. That’s kind of the Razorback motto: Be tenacious, be hungry.”
Arkansas’ big class of freshmen, led by Sydnie Dillard, Erin Freier, Keara Glover and Heather Elswick, has put up more consistent performances as the year advanced and the Razorbacks have built strength behind it after falling out of the national rankings in week three.
Georgia, guided by firstyear coach Danna Durante, is led by Shayla Worley, Lindsey Cheek and Brittany Rogers. The Gym Dogs are coming off a fourth-place finish (197.325) at the SEC Championship.
Oregon State is led by Makayla Stambaugh, the nation’s No. 13 all-arounder, Kelsi Blalock and Melanie Jones.
NCAA gymnastics
ARKANSAS GYMNASTICS AT NCAA CORVALLIS REGIONAL
WHEN 6 p.m. Central WHERE Gill Coliseum, Corvallis, Ore.
PARTICIPANTS No. 4 Georgia (12-9-1), No. 10 Oregon State (15-7), No. 16 Arkansas (8-12-1), No. 21 Boise State (12-3), No. 28 Arizona State (4-15), No.
32 California (10-15) FORMAT Top two finishers in Corvallis and the other five regionals (Columbus, Ohio; Gainesville, Fla.; Morgantown, W.Va.; Norman, Okla.; Tuscaloosa, Ala.) advance to the NCAA Championships at UCLA on April 19-21
MEET NOTES Arkansas will open on a bye before performing on the floor. From there, the Razorbacks will go to the vault, have their second bye, then finish with the bars and beam. … Oregon State, the Pac-12 champion, is 13-0 at home this season and is 26-0-1 at Gill Coliseum the last two years. … The Razorbacks have a 4-4 record vs. Oregon State. … California finished seventh (195.075) and Arizona State eighth (193.425) in the Pac 12 championships won at home by Oregon State (197.85).
Sports, Pages 21 on 04/06/2013