Arkansas at Georgia

Recap

The Big Storyline: Georgia came out in week one swinging strong on bars, but it has not been able to keep up the momentum. Struggles on the event propelled the team to a sub-196 score and the program’s first ever loss at home to Arkansas. The Razorbacks have been stellar this season while others have faltered, and they continued to thrive at Georgia. Floor and beam are must-watch rotations for the Razorbacks.

Implications: If there’s a team who really needs this bye week, it would have to be the Gymdogs. Georgia should benefit from the week off to help get athletes healthy and give other athletes, who have been thrusted into the all around, a break. Arkansas continues to prove themselves as a prime candidate for the evening session of the SEC championship and a team on its way to a potential national championship appearance.

Records: Megan Roberts scored a career high 9.900 on vault with her Y1.5. Arkansas won its first meet at Georgia in program history. 

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 6 Arkansas at No. 10 Georgia 

Why You Should Cancel Plans for It: This could be one of the most exciting meets in the SEC this season. Arkansas had its third-highest score ever last week against Florid, posting a 197.250. Georgia has showcased some promising highlights in its first three meets, but has been hit by some early season injuries to key lineup contributors. Nevertheless, we expect them to put up a hard fight against Arkansas. The Gymdogs own the series 11-3, but are coming off of a loss last season to the Razorbacks. This meet should be a nail-biter all the way to the end. 

What We’re Watching: Bars is where both teams lack depth, which will likely play a factor in which team comes out on top. Rachel Baumann has been a rockstar for Georgia and competed on bars for the first time in her collegiate career last week. Bailey Lovett has one of the most floaty double layouts in the NCAA this season. Kennedy Hambrick is well on her way to having her best year, but has struggled with the landing on her Yurchenko 1.5. Georgia freshman Katie Finnegan made her collegiate debut last week on beam after recovering from a preseason injury. We could also see her on bars this week. 

What Else You Should Know Before Tuning In: Georgia lost Marissa Oakley, Victoria Nguyen and Mikayla Magee in week two to injuries. It is unknown the severity of the injuries at this time. However, we did see Magee training on bars earlier this week. Georgia will want to get these athletes back into the lineups to perform at its best. Arkansas is slowly easing Kiara Gianfagna and Amanda Elswick back into lineups. Gianfagna suffered a foot injury in preseason, and Elswick has a sprained ankle.