DULUTH, Ga. — Arkansas stumbled at the start Saturday at the SEC Gymnastics Championships.
The Razorbacks opened the competition with three falls in the floor exercise and never fully recovered as 10thranked Arkansas finished sixth among seven teams with a score of 194.175 in front of 7,170 fans at The Arena at Gwinnett Center.
Kytra Hunter, the SEC Freshman of the Year, won the all-around and the vault to help No. 1 Florida capture its eighth SEC gymnastics title with 197.15 points. It is the Gators’ first conference title since winning the 2010 meet.
“The team just stayed tight,” Florida Coach Rhonda Faehn said. “They went so aggressive in the last two events that it was just amazing because they didn’t give up and they just competed with so much heart. I’m just really proud of them.”
No. 3 Alabama finished runner-up with 196.775, while No. 5 Georgia (196.575) was third, No. 8 LSU (196.425) fourth and No. 24 Kentucky (194.35) fifth. No. 15 Auburn (194.10) came in seventh.
“We’re disappointed to come in here and start the first event with three falls,” Arkansas co-Coach Rene Cook said. “That’s not the way you want to start any competition, but we did fight hard on vault and for the rest of the meet.”
The highlight for the Razorbacks came on the beam, where senior All-American Jaime Pisani won the title with a 9.900. Pisani — who is ranked No. 1 in the nation on the floor and in the all-around — set a school meet record in the all-around competition with her 39.500, finishing runner-up to Hunter (39.625). She also tied the school record with a 9.900 on the floor, where she finished second to LSU’s Lloimincia Hall (9.925). “Jaime has done a great job all year, and it’s nice to see her continue to do great,” Cook said.
With all-arounders Katherine Grable and Jordan Salsberg out with injuries, the Razorbacks struggled on floor and had to count two mistakes for a 47.575. Arkansas regrouped to score 49.05 on vault, 48.85 on bars and 48.70 on beam, but it wasn’t enough to make up ground on the others.
Bailee Zumwalde led off for Arkansas with a 9.80 on the floor, but the next two Razorbacks had mistakes. Stephani Canizaro stumbled on her second pass and Sammy Kolbas fell on her second pass, scoring a 9.125 and 8.90, respectively. Kelci Lewis, who missed the past two weeks with an ankle injury, stumbled on her second pass and couldn’t complete her routine. She scored an 8.30.
Junior All-American Amy Borsellino followed with a 9.85 and Pisani closed the rotation with a 9.90 as Arkansas finished the rotation with a score of 47.575.
“Kelci couldn’t finish, so we had to count those falls,” Cook said. “We put ourselves in a hole and it’s hard to get out of it. People start to tighten up because they are worried about making their routines, and that makes it even harder.”
Following a bye, Arkansas bounced back on the vault.
Canizaro led off with a 9.75. Borsellino, sophomore Scarlett Williams and senior Mariah Howdeshell all followed with scores of 9.80 before Pisani scored 9.875 and Zumwalde completed the order with a 9.775 for a 49.05 that left the Razorbacks in fourth through three rotations..
Next up were the bars, where Arkansas scored a 48.85. Pisani and sophomore Shelby Salmon led the way with a 9.825, followed by Howdeshell (9.80), Borsellino (9.70) and Canizaro (9.70).
The Razorbacks closed on beam, where they scored 48.70. Pisani led the way with her 9.90, followed by Borsellino (9.725), Salmon (9.725), Williams (9.675) and Kolbas (9.675).
Arkansas’ next competition will be April 7, when the Razorbacks will host the NCAA South Central Regional at Barnhill Arena in Fayetteville. NCAA selections will be announced Monday.
Sports, Pages 31 on 03/25/2012