Arkansas had a lot of hype coming into 2025 with the arrival of freshman star Joscelyn Roberson who led the Razorbacks to another level. With a star-studded class arriving for 2026 and the return of some key routines from injury, could Arkansas make it back to nationals and push for its first national title?
2025 Rewind
No. 12 overall | No. 16 in regular season | Regional final
The Razorbacks were on the outside looking in for SEC championships after failing to qualify as one of the top 8 teams – a rule that no longer exists due to the uproar. Despite this, they took advantage of the extra week off to prepare for the postseason and qualified to the regional final as a team, even with a season-ending injury to Frankie Price.
Losses & Gains
| RETURNING |
| Fifth Years: Leah Smith |
| Seniors: Reese Drotar, Frankie Price (RS), Cally Swaney, Cami Weaver (RS) |
| Juniors: Hailey Klein, Priscilla Park, Lauren Williams (RS) |
| Sophomores: Grace Drexler, Ja’Leigh Lang, Joscelyn Roberson, Julianna Weeks |
| IN |
| Freshmen: Addison Bare, Bradley Burton, Avalon Campbell, Allison Cucci, Avery King, Riley Jandorf |
| Transfers: Madison Gustitus (SJSU), Morgan Price (Fisk) |
| OUT |
| Graduated: Kaitlyn Ewald (UB), Kalyxta Gamiao (BB/FX), Maddie Jones (UB/FX), Mati Waligora (UB/BB/FX) |
| Transferred: Dakota Essenpries (Missouri – VT), Sadie Smith (Arizona) |
| Retired: Chandler Buntin |
| INJURY UPDATE |
| Campbell (ACL) and King (unknown) missed their final level 10 seasons due to injury. King looks to be back training on at least beam, while Campbell has been seen swinging bars since arriving in Fayetteville. Redshirt senior Frankie Price was injured at regionals, and her status for 2026 is unknown. Lauren Williams, Reese Drotar, and Leah Smith all had season-ending injuries in 2025 and look to be on track for a return in 2026. Burton is recovering from an elbow injury that ended her final level 10 season. Per Jordyn Wieber, it is still up in the air as to whether or not she will compete this year. |
Fresh Faces
The Razorbacks have six freshmen joining the team, hauling in the No. 2 ranked signing class of 2025. The freshmen are led by former five-star Cucci, who is expected to be an immediate contributor in the all-around. Arkansas also welcomes two transfers in Gustitus (San Jose State) and Morgan Price (Fisk). Price, a former Razorback verbal commit, joins her sister Frankie for her final year of eligibility and is currently the only gymnast from an HBCU to earn a perfect 10, reaching that mark last year.
Apparatus Deep Dive
Vault
2025 Event Ranking: No. 15 | NQS: 49.225 | Average: 49.198 | High: 49.425
| Event Overview: Arkansas finished in the top 15 on vault for the fifth straight season and even set a regionals program record on this event in semifinals to secure its spot in the regional final. With new options that could add to its scoring potential, Arkansas could improve its vault ranking from 2025. | ||
| Locks: Ja’leigh Lang, Morgan Price, Joscelyn Roberson Price is training a one and a half after competing a full during her three years at Fisk which will contend for the back half of the lineup alongside Roberson. Lang is the highest returning NQS from last year’s Razorback team and should maintain her spot in this lineup with her dynamic Yurchenko full. | ||
| Contenders: Allison Cucci, Hailey Klein, Frankie Price, Leah Smith, Cami Weaver, Lauren Williams Price, Smith, and Weaver all compete Yurchenko fulls that should return to this lineup if the Razorbacks go for cleanliness over difficulty. Cucci will likely get her shot in this lineup early; she scored a 10.0 on this event in level 10 and won the title in 2024. Klein and Williams both vault one and a halfs, the former going as high as 9.975. | ||
| Wildcards: Bradley Burton, Grace Drexler, Madison Gustitus, Avery King Gustitus had an impressive full in level 10, but injuries prevented her from competing vault regularly her freshman season. If she’s healthy, she should be a contender for this lineup. Drexler competed a one and a half in four meets, but tallied two low scores out of four appearances. |
Bars
2025 Event Ranking: No. 16 | NQS: 49.265 | Average: 49.196 | High: 49.525
| Event Overview: Similar to vault, the Razorbacks made the most of their opportunity on bars, scoring a season high at the regional semifinals. The team loses a key player in Jones, but reloads with one of the top bar workers in the nation with Price’s arrival. | ||
| Locks: Priscilla Park, Morgan Price, Joscelyn Roberson Price made history when she scored a 10.0 last season, and there’s a strong possibility she can do it again in her final season of eligibility. Park and Roberson had identical NQSs in the 9.800s and should join Price in the back half of this lineup. | ||
| Contenders: Addison Bare, Allison Cucci, Reese Drotar, Madison Gustitus, Avery King, Leah Smith Cucci has been heavily featured on bars with her Pak salto to Van Leeuwen combination that could lead off this lineup. Drotar’s shoulder injury kept her out of this lineup in 2025, but she holds a career high of 9.975 and was a staple in the lineup her first two seasons in Fayetteville. | ||
| Wildcards: Bradley Burton, Avalon Campbell, Hailey Klein, Riley Jandorf, Cami Weaver Campbell has been swinging bars again since her ACL injury and could sneak into a lineup spot here if she’s healthy. Weaver has posted some training clips on bars, an event she has never competed but could debut on in her final season. Klein has been training all four events and is looking like a potential all-around candidate for her junior season. |
Beam
2025 Event Ranking: No. 14 | NQS: 49.315 | Average: 49.129 | High: 49.575
| Event Overview: Beam remained a top-20 event for Arkansas in 2025, where it tied a program record score on the road against Kentucky. It loses two of its routines from the regional finals in Gamiao and Waligora, but getting Williams back should help ease the blow slightly. | ||
| Locks: Madison Gustitus, Priscilla Park, Joscelyn Roberson Roberson tallied an NQS of over 9.900 on beam and will likely return to the back half of the lineup alongside Park, whose career high is a 9.975. Gustitus was a regional qualifier on beam for San Jose State, making her most likely to start her Razorback career here. | ||
| Contenders: Addison Bare, Allison Cucci, Avery King, Morgan Price, Cally Swaney, Cami Weaver, Lauren Williams Price’s NQS from last season puts her among the top six competitors at Arkansas alongside Swaney and Weaver. Cucci just won a national title on beam in level 10 and could be considered for the lead-off spot after Gamiao’s graduation. Williams was a big piece of the beam lineup in 2024, and her presence will be welcomed back here with open arms—should she be ready to go. | ||
| Wildcards: Bradley Burton, Avalon Campbell, Riley Jandorf, Hailey Klein Prior to her ACL injury, Campbell had a top 10 finish on beam at nationals in 2024. Her long lines will make her a standout on beam if she’s able to compete. Burton could sneak into this lineup early; she was a top-five regional finisher on beam in 2025. |
Floor
2025 Event Ranking: No. 9 | NQS: 49.470 | Average: 49.392 | High: 49.650
| Event Overview: The Razorbacks finished 2025 in the top 10 on floor for the fourth season since Wieber’s arrival. They bring powerful tumbling and performance quality to their floor routines, something that the newcomers will need to bring quickly if they want to break into this lineup. | ||
| Locks: Hailey Klein, Frankie Price, Morgan Price, Joscelyn Roberson Floor was Roberson’s best event last season, and her powerful tumbling should keep her here for her sophomore season. Frankie Price was injured at regional semifinals on this event, but if she’s healthy, she will be right back in this lineup alongside her sister Morgan. | ||
| Contenders: Bradley Burton, Allison Cucci, Riley Jandorf, Leah Smith, Lauren Williams Jandorf joins Williams as another Arkansas native in this lineup. She placed in the top five on floor at nationals and brings another E-pass to a stacked Arkansas lineup. While floor is not Cucci’s strongest event, she brings a double layout that could help her become an all-arounder quickly. Burton has two top-three regional finishes on floor and a Texas state championship as well. If Williams is fully healthy, we should see her and her dynamic tumbling contending for the back half of this lineup. | ||
| Wildcards: Avalon Campbell, Madison Gustitus, Avery King, Priscilla Park Gustitus and Park have collegiate experience on this event, while Campbell and King bring beautiful form and technique. Any one of these four could slot into the lineup at a moment’s notice if they are healthy. |
Records Watch
Team: 198.100 | AA: 39.750 (Kennedy Hambrick) | VT: 49.550/9.975 (Hailey Klein) | UB: 49.575/9.975 (Reese Drotar) | BB: 49.575/9.975 (Priscilla Park) | FX: 49.725/9.975 (Joscelyn Roberson)
The Razorbacks are still on the hunt for their first individual perfect 10 in program history, and 2026 may be the year it happens. Morgan Price made history last season as the first gymnast from an HBCU to score a perfect 10; in a score-happy environment on the right day, she could etch her name into a second set of gymnastics record books. Roberson was a quarter-tenth away from achieving the mark on floor in 2025; look for her to make a push for that record as well.
The Big Picture
Arkansas faced adversity head-on in 2025 and made a push for a spot at nationals as a team for the second time under Wieber’s leadership. With the No. 2 recruiting class arriving and a handful of returners and transfers, be on the lookout for the Razorbacks to make another push for Fort Worth — likely a successful one.
Likely 2026 finish: National Semifinals
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Article by Savanna Wellman
