No. 3 Arkansas returns to birthplace of winning tradition
Gymnastics
Harold McIlvain II
Issue date: 2/6/09 Section: Sports
Five meets into the first season in 2003, the Arkansas Razorback gymnastic team did something it hadn't done before: win a meet.
The Razorbacks beat then-No. 33 Kentucky and picked up their first three program wins in a quad road meet in Lexington, Ky.
Six years and two NCAA championship appearances later, the No. 3 Razorbacks (5-1, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) will travel with the highest ranking in program history to Kentucky, where winning all started for the program.
"We want to uphold that pride," Arkansas co-head coach Rene Cook said. "Kentucky was our first program win. It was our first season, and no one really knew what to make of us. But our team was really consistent and competed hard. It was fulfilling to win our first conference game."
And other coaches around the nation have taken notice.
Cook said Utah head coach Greg Marsden, a Clarksville native who has won 10 national championships, expressed pride for the program and was amazed by the progress after last year's top-10 finish.
"For someone to be so respected and so successful to recognize that in our program, it really meant a lot to [co-head coach] Mark [Cook] and myself," Cook said.
The team is coming off an eight-day stretch of competition that resulted in wins over No. 1 Florida, No. 5 Oklahoma and No. 9 Alabama.
"The hard work and dedication of everyone involved has really paid off," Cook said. "The recent success helps us in the perception of our program by the judges, our opponents and recruits."
Cook said the team has responded well after a program-best week with a rededication to preparing for events.
"I think they've saw the success and have been more motivated to do the conditioning," Cook said. "We just kept reminding them this is why we do preseason. This is why [we] do the running and hard conditioning in the fall. When we get to these competitions, we can have the confidence, endurance and strength to be successful."
The Razorbacks beat then-No. 33 Kentucky and picked up their first three program wins in a quad road meet in Lexington, Ky.
Six years and two NCAA championship appearances later, the No. 3 Razorbacks (5-1, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) will travel with the highest ranking in program history to Kentucky, where winning all started for the program.
"We want to uphold that pride," Arkansas co-head coach Rene Cook said. "Kentucky was our first program win. It was our first season, and no one really knew what to make of us. But our team was really consistent and competed hard. It was fulfilling to win our first conference game."
And other coaches around the nation have taken notice.
Cook said Utah head coach Greg Marsden, a Clarksville native who has won 10 national championships, expressed pride for the program and was amazed by the progress after last year's top-10 finish.
"For someone to be so respected and so successful to recognize that in our program, it really meant a lot to [co-head coach] Mark [Cook] and myself," Cook said.
The team is coming off an eight-day stretch of competition that resulted in wins over No. 1 Florida, No. 5 Oklahoma and No. 9 Alabama.
"The hard work and dedication of everyone involved has really paid off," Cook said. "The recent success helps us in the perception of our program by the judges, our opponents and recruits."
Cook said the team has responded well after a program-best week with a rededication to preparing for events.
"I think they've saw the success and have been more motivated to do the conditioning," Cook said. "We just kept reminding them this is why we do preseason. This is why [we] do the running and hard conditioning in the fall. When we get to these competitions, we can have the confidence, endurance and strength to be successful."
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