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Rough Start Sends Arkansas Scrambling to Hold onto Top 10 Ranking

Equipment malfunction throws Razorbacks off rhythm in front of sold out crowd at No. 5 LSU

Kent Smith

Rough Start Sends Arkansas Scrambling to Hold onto Top 10 Ranking
Rough Start Sends Arkansas Scrambling to Hold onto Top 10 Ranking /
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BATON ROUGE, La. – Arkansas was able to overcome a lot as the night wore on, but a broken vault wasn't one as the No. 7 Razorbacks lost their first meet of the season, 198.475-196.200 to No. 5 LSU.

In front of a capacity crowd of over 12,500 fans, a crowd several thousand larger than expected for Saturday's Arkansas-LSU basketball game that will also originate from the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, the Razorbacks fought through loud outbursts of screams that would suddenly break the silence in the midst of their beam routines at the most inopportune times. However, a broken vault after only a single gymnast from each team had performed at the opening of the meet threw everything off. 

Location Matters When It Comes to Elite Programs Arkansas, LSU

The energy was high from the start for the Razorbacks and Cally Swaney seemed unaffected by the atmosphere, instead drawing off its energy. She got things off to a solid start on bars with a 9.725 with deductions coming from barely coming up short on a hand-stand and a slight hop on the dismount. 

However, gymnastics is a sport built around rhythm. It has a very specific flow built into how meets are run and that flow was greatly disrupted by a vault apparatus that malfunctioned following LSU's first vault. The athletes waited for five minutes, an eternity in the gymnastics world, as LSU's maintenance crew fiddled with the vault trying to make it where it could be adjusted for each gymnast once again.

While the delay had little effect on LSU, it threw Arkansas for a loop. What followed was the Razorbacks' worst event performance of the season. Arkansas had two gymnasts fall, forcing the Razorbacks to count a 9.050 on their bars score and, of the remaining gymnasts, only one scored at least a 9.8. After a single event, it was essentially over as LSU, a perennial power in gymnastics, went on to set a school record for overall meet score.

It took a long time for Arkansas to settle down. The Razorbacks struggled to stick landings during their vault rotation, took an uncharacteristic deduction for stepping out on floor, and even when things appeared to go well, received lower than expected scores. As a result, Arkansas couldn't build momentum while LSU dropped 9.900 or higher again and again.

The Razorbacks didn't post their first 9.9 of the night until Maddie Jones and Frankie Price delivered in the third rotation on floor. Still, Arkansas went into the final event down by almost two points after the Tigers were able to count only scores of 9.9 or higher on beam.

At that point, it was all about trying to scrounge up enough points to remain in the Top 10 nationally. Finally fully focused, Arkansas fought through the mid-routine crowd outbursts to return to form. Cami Weaver stuck her dismount for a season high 9.925. Sirena Linton did the same. Priscilla Park then closed things out by earning a 10 from one judge for a final score of 9.975, giving Arkansas a season high 49.450 on beam.

Meanwhile, on floor, LSU coach Jay Clark felt confident enough in his team's lead to make a last second change, inserting social media starlet Olivia Dunne into the line-up. Clark had allowed Dunne, who has battle injuries throughout her college career, to have an exhibition performance for the sold out crowd on bars, but planned to keep her out of the formal line-up for a third consecutive week.

Despite the short notice, Dunne posted a personal season high on floor. Hayleigh Bryant then followed with a perfect 10. 

The loss bumps the Razorbacks' cumulative average to 197.025, which might be enough to cling to the bottom of the Top 10. It's a score high enough to have allowed Arkansas to squeeze out Denver at No. 10 last week. 

Next Friday Arkansas hits the road again, this time to No. 8 Florida. The Gators will be ranked higher than that when the two teams compete on ESPN next week after Florida raised its average with a 197.475 in a win over No. 21 Georgia. 

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REVELATION FROM CRAIG O'NEILL ANNOUNCEMENT SHOULD HAVE YURACHEK WORRIED

Arkansas divider

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Kent Smith
KENT SMITH

Kent Smith has been in the world of media and film for nearly 30 years. From Nolan Richardson's final seasons, former Razorback quarterback Clint Stoerner trying to throw to anyone and anything in the blazing heat of Cowboys training camp in Wichita Falls, the first high school and college games after 9/11, to Troy Aikman's retirement and Alex Rodriguez's signing of his quarter billion dollar contract, Smith has been there to report on some of the region's biggest moments. 

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