Gymbacks Place Third at Metroplex Challenge
In the team’s first of two meets on the weekend, No. 16 Arkansas faced a stack field and bounced back after a tough second rotation to come in third of four teams at the Metroplex Challenge with a score of 196.800.
Lauren Williams scored a 9.925 on vault to earn a share of the event title, and Frankie Price scored 9.950 on floor to come in a five-way tie for first. It was the third title on the season for each on their respective events.
The Gymbacks started the night on bars and scored 49.400, which matches their season high. They then hit a setback with a 48.650 on beam, but bounced back well and didn’t score lower than 49.300 on either of the remaining two events with a 49.450 on floor and 49.300 on vault.
Bars
Arkansas’ bars rotation only got better as it went on as the Razorbacks didn’t end up counting a score lower than 9.850 on the event. Sophomores Jaime Pratt and Reese Drotar delivered clean routines capped off with sticks in the second and third spots for scores of 9.850 and 9.900, respectively, and Jensen Scalzo and Priscilla Park also nailed their dismounts and posted matching 9.875 marks. Junior Maddie Jones delivered one of her cleanest sets of the season as anchor, complete with a stuck double layout, and finished the rotation out with a 9.900.
Beam
Junior Kalyxta Gamiao was poised as always in the lead-off spot on beam for Arkansas and put up a clean routine, sealed with a stick, that went 9.875. Swaney and Williams were up second and third and scored 9.775 and 9.750, respectively. Freshman Hailey Klein made her beam debut for Arkansas in the fourth spot and looked steady, but a missed skill connection lowered her start value and she finished with a 9.425. Following a fall in the fifth position, grad transfer Sirena Linton finished the rotation composed in her first appearance as anchor with a mark of 9.825.
Floor
Looking to bounce back, the Arkansas floor squad did their job as they’ve done each week this season. Gamiao led off another rotation and earned a solid 9.825 score, and Jones got a 9.875 up third, which paced the Gymbacks midway through the lineup. Leah Smith was in the fourth spot and had another stellar outing, and matched Jones’ 9.875. Williams brought all the power and performance quality next, and got a 9.925 for Arkansas. Price put on a show yet again as the final competitor and delivered a near-flawless routine that scored 9.950 to round out the fooor rotation.
Vault
Cami Weaver kicked off vault with a stuck Yurchenko full that went 9.875. Park followed with a 9.850, and Smith also received the same score in the third spot. Price and Klein both got 9.800s up next, which brought up Williams for the last routine of the night. She came through with a huge Yurchenko 1.5, complete with stuck landing, and earned a score of 9.925, which tied the best of the meet on the event.
Up Next
The Gymbacks remain in the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex for a Monday quad meet in Denton with host TWU, No. 9 Alabama and No. 17 Arizona. The action is set for 2 p.m. CT, and a paid stream is available through Texas Woman’s.
More Information
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