FAYETTEVILLE -- The buildup of University of Arkansas gymnastics under former Olympic gold medalist Jordyn Wieber will face a moment of truth this evening at Walton Arena.
In Wieber's fifth season, the 10th-seeded Razorbacks have a chance to qualify for the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2018.
To get there, the Razorbacks must finish in the top two of the NCAA Fayetteville Regional in a quad meet today at 5 p.m. Arkansas will face No. 2 seed LSU, No. 7 Kentucky and No. 15 Minnesota.
Wieber's Razorbacks won their semifinal Thursday afternoon with a score of 197.325, a program record for an NCAA regional and their record 10th score of 197-plus this season.
"We did our job today and now it's all about recovery, getting ready for Day 2," Wieber said Thursday.
"I've learned a lot from this team. I mean they're so fun and they're so competitive. I think when you pair those two things together you get what you're seeing on the competition floor. So I continue to say us as coaches are just honestly having a blast coaching this team."
Arkansas sophomore Lauren Williams won the session's vault title with a 9.95 and sophomore Cally Swaney won the uneven bars (9.925).
Kentucky placed second in Thursday's afternoon session with a 197.1. The Razorbacks are 2-1 against the Wildcats this season, with both of the wins coming at home and the loss occurring at the SEC Championships in separate sessions.
The SEC champion Tigers under Coach Jay Clark are an overwhelming favorite to capture the regional title. LSU has exceeded 198.0 seven times this season, including a 198.075 at the SEC Championships in New Orleans.
LSU senior Haleigh Bryant is the nation's No. 1 all-around gymnast with a national qualifying score of 39.81. She has scored 10s on every apparatus this season and she has three teammates -- Konnor McClain (balance beam), Aleah Finnegan (floor exercise) and Kiya Johnson (floor exercise) -- who have also posted 10s.
Kentucky's Raena Worley is No. 7 in the all-around (39.71) and the senior has 10s on the uneven bars and floor exercise this season.
LSU captured Thursday's evening semifinal with a score of 197.8, led by a 49.7 on the floor exercise, a program record for a regional paced by Finnegan's third 10.0 of the season.
"All in all, it was exactly what we needed to do," Clark said. "It certainly wasn't perfect but we didn't need to be today. It's about surviving and advancing and that's what we did."
Minnesota scored 196.95 to place second in the evening semifinal. The Golden Gophers are led by Mya Hooten, a first-team All-America on the floor exercise and vault who has a 10 on the floor exercise this season, and Gianna Gerdes, ranked No. 24 in the all-around (39.504).
"We were really solid on vault and did well enough on bars and beam, enough to keep us alive," Minnesota Coach Jenny Hansen said. "I know we have more in us on those events and we're going to go for it on Saturday."
All four teams are ranked in the top 11 of that floor exercise, with LSU at No. 1, Kentucky sixth, Arkansas ninth and Minnesota 11th.
The Razorbacks will start on the vault and advancing to the uneven bars and the balance beam before finishing on the floor exercise, their top event. LSU will open on the balance beam, Kentucky on the uneven bars and Minnesota on the floor exercise.