Momentum is in the Razorbacks’ favor, as Arkansas is set to ride the wave from its first nationals trip and top-10 finish of the decade into a promising 2025 campaign. After a summer in Paris as an alternate for Team USA, Joscelyn Roberson headlines a deep group of program newcomers who will complement a robust group of returnees that makes Arkansas one of the deepest rosters in the country.
2024 Rewind
No. 7 overall | No. 6 at SECs | No. 9 in regular season | NCAA Semifinals
The Razorbacks’ upset trip to the NCAA championships was potentially just a foreshadowing of things to come, as it opens the new season on the good side of the nationals bubble. The path to an SEC title gets no clearer with the Sooners now also in the way, but a spot in the evening session and top half finish is quite realistic.
Losses & Gains
| Returning | In |
| Seniors Kalyxta Gamiao Maddie Jones Leah Smith Juniors Reese Drotar Frankie Price Cally Swaney Cami Weaver Lauren Williams Sophomores Chandler Buntin Dakota Essenpries Hailey Klein Priscilla Park | Freshmen Grace Drexler Ja’Leigh Lang Joscelyn Roberson Sadie Smith Julianna Weeks Transfers Kaitlyn Ewald (Illinois) Mati Waligora (Alabama) |
| Out | |
| Graduated Emma Kelley Sirena Linton (BB) Jensen Scalzo (UB) Transferred Jaime Pratt (UB) Retired Makenzie Sedlacek (VT) | |
| Injury Update | |
| Over the summer, vault and floor star Lauren Williams was spotted in a right arm cast. The extent of her injury, recovery, and ability to compete in 2025 is unknown. | |
Fresh Faces
The Olympian, Roberson, is the most lauded rookie of the 25th-ranked freshman class. Former four-star recruit Grace Drexler was actually the highest-rated recruit of Arkansas’ 2024 class, though, and projects to be a factor for a few lineups. Head coach Jordyn Wieber also hit the transfer portal over the summer, snagging two seasoned multi-eventers in Illinois’ Kaitlyn Ewald and Alabama’s Mati Waligora.
Apparatus Deep Dive
Vault
2024 Event Ranking: No. 11 | NQS: 49.355 | Average: 49.275
| Event Overview: Thanks to its consistency, vault was a strength of the Razorbacks in 2024, and with seven of last year’s eight vaulters still on the roster, that M.O. shouldn’t change in 2025. The addition of Roberson helps the difficulty department, as growing on vault is needed in Arkansas’ master plan for a repeat trip to Fort Worth. | ||
| Locks: Hailey Klein, Frankie Price, Joscelyn Roberson, Leah Smith Klein’s Yurchenko one and a half is the strongest of the returning 10.0 start values and will form the lineup’s core alongside Frankie Price and Leah Smith—who vault fulls big enough to overcome the difficulty deficit. All eyes will be on what Roberson chooses to vault, as her Yurchenko double and Cheng from her elite days aren’t clean enough to compete collegiately. Look for a possible Lopez from her. | ||
| Contenders: Grace Drexler, Dakota Essenpries, Priscilla Park, Cami Weaver, Lauren Williams The Razorbacks do bring back another maximum difficulty vault in Dakota Essenpries’ Yurchenko one and a half, but her spot is most susceptible to being overtaken by a possible upgrade or rookie routine. That could come from Drexler, Priscilla Park, or Cami Weaver, who have all competed or trained the extra half twist in their careers. Should she be healthy, one of the lineup spots belongs to Williams’ one and a half, but she can’t be a lock with her status in question. Arkansas benefits from a good-to-go Williams most on vault. | ||
| Wildcards: Ja’Leigh Lang, Julianna Weeks The freshmen duo has serviceable fulls that could slide into an exhibition spot or leadoff routine if needed. Their added depth just aids in making vault a strength of the Razorbacks, as plenty of teams would be happy to have Ja’Leigh Lang’s booming vault. |
Bars
2024 Event Ranking: No. 15 | NQS: 49.355 | Average: 49.213
| Event Overview: Bars occasionally showed promise of being Arkansas’ second-best event last season, but bouts of inconsistency and minor errors kept scores in the mid-to-low 49s. Thankfully, Wieber addressed this directly via freshmen and the transfer portal, as the Razorbacks gained more than they lost on bars this offseason. | ||
| Locks: Reese Drotar, Maddie Jones, Mati Waligora With the team’s top two routines by NQS a season ago, neither Reese Drotar nor Maddie Jones should lose their lineup spots for 2025. Waligora is most valuable here, as her fluid set can serve as the stabilizing force this lineup lacked at times in 2024. | ||
| Contenders: Kaitlyn Ewald, Priscilla Park, Joscelyn Roberson, Leah Smith, Cally Swaney, Julianna Weeks Another transfer, Ewald, should factor into the conversation on bars after being a mainstay on the event for the Illini. Park and Cally Swaney will likely make the top six early in the season with their previous lineup experience, but be on the lookout for possible shuffling to get new faces into the mix as the season progresses. Rookie Julianna Weeks has the toe point to see competition time, and on the opposite end of the spectrum, Roberson has various fun skills to construct a routine from. Leah Smith also hit for a 9.925 the lone time she was called upon for bars in 2024, adding her name to the mix. | ||
| Wildcards: Grace Drexler, Sadie Smith Like on vault, the freshman class continues to provide the Razorbacks with plenty of options. If Sadie Smith is to contribute anywhere, it’s here, where she notched the best results of her level 10 career. |
Beam
2024 Event Ranking: No. 16 | NQS: 49.380 | Average: 49.154
| Event Overview: This is where the Razorbacks had the most drastic differences in their results, as at one meet they’d notch a mid-49 and at the next fall into the 48s. It shows that the scoring potential is there, but inconsistency issues must be ironed out. Luckily for Arkansas, it should have enough options to find a solution and get closer to the lineup’s scoring ceiling, as only one routine graduated. | ||
| Locks: Kaitlyn Ewald, Kalyxta Gamiao, Maddie Jones, Mati Waligora The transfer duo will also be of service here, as Ewald and Waligora were key pieces in their previous programs’s lineups, a transferable skill on a transfer’s resume. Jones and Gamiao were mainstays in Arkansas’ lineup thanks to being two of the more consistent athletes and should retain spots in the top six accordingly. | ||
| Contenders: Hailey Klein, Priscilla Park, Joscelyn Roberson, Cami Weaver The improvements from Roberson on beam on the elite scene helped her stay in contention for the Olympics and could see her nab some lineup time on the event for Arkansas if Wieber can help her find the right routine composition. Klein, Park, and Weaver were options in 2024 and should remain as such, but as the trio with quite a few misses under their belts, hitting is a necessity in order to remain in the top six. | ||
| Wildcards: Grace Drexler, Ja’Leigh Lang, Julianna Weeks, Lauren Williams Of the wildcards, Williams is the most likely to break through if healthy, as she appeared in half of the Razorbacks’ beam lineups last season. But returning from injury and with an NQS under 9.800, she’ll need to make improvements to bolster a lineup that strives to compete for nationals. |
Floor
2024 Event Ranking: No. 9 | NQS: 49.565 | Average: 49.508
| Event Overview: As it has been for much of the Wieber era, floor was the standout event for Arkansas last season and forecasts to be the same come 2025. This is where Roberson’s debut is most anticipated, as her incredibly difficult and powerful tumbling has defined her elite career. In addition, the Razorbacks returned or brought in nearly too many options to choose from to round out the rest. | ||
| Locks: Maddie Jones, Frankie Price, Joscelyn Roberson, Leah Smith Mirroring vault, the question is what Roberson will compete here, as she has endless possibilities of tumbling passes to choose from to highlight her routine. The 9.9-plus NQS gymnasts from 2024 also get locked-status, as Jones, Leah Smith, and Price all carry the seniority that can help a lineup go 49.500 or better consistently. | ||
| Contenders: Grace Drexler, Kaitlyn Ewald, Kalyxta Gamaio, Hailey Klein, Mati Waligora, Lauren Williams Filling the final two spots in the lineup won’t be an easy task, but in the best way, as there are six routines legitimately capable of succeeding in the Razorbacks’ floor lineup. Drexler brings a solid full-in while the rest boast years of competition experience. Expect some shuffling in the first half of the lineup throughout the season. A healthy Williams once again makes the decision easier, as one of the spots is hers with a strong full-in of her own and that desired NQS above 9.900. | ||
| Wildcards: Ja’Leigh Lang, Priscilla Park, Julianna Weeks With the insane amount of depth ahead of them, any lineup time for this trio is a bonus. Still, like elsewhere, having “in case of emergency” routines ready to go is never a bad thing. |
Records Watch
Team: 198.100 | AA: 39.750 | VT: 49.550/9.975 | UB: 49.575/9.975 | BB: 49.575/9.975 | FX: 49.725/9.975
Somehow, someway, despite decades of competing in the SEC, Arkansas is still in search of the program’s first perfect 10. Thankfully, there are numerous individuals on this roster capable of making history for the Razorbacks. Klein is just a stick away from a possible 10.0 on vault while Price and Jones have seen one judge flash them the elusive score previously in their careers. Plus, Roberson starts her career on 10-watch on floor the way empathic tumbling can sway judge Carol. The program’s first 198, set last season, is in jeopardy of being reset as well should the Razorbacks put it all together on the right day like they did last March (and nearly again in April).
The Big Picture
A repeat championship berth is well within the reach of Arkansas in 2025, as it has the depth and flash necessary to be a top-10 mainstay. The Razorbacks have the fan and athletic department support behind them, too, as all their home meets will now be held Bud Walton arena instead of only on special occasions. Now, it’s all about living up to the hype.
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Article by Brandis Heffner
