Arkansas advances to NCAA Championships
Harold McIlvain II
Issue date: 4/6/09 Section: Sports
It was a dream come true for the No. 10 Arkansas Razorback gymnastics team Saturday at the NCAA South Central Regional Championship at Barnhill Arena.
Junior Casey Jo Magee said she had dreamed about winning the event a couple nights before the meet.
And that dream turned into reality.
The Razorbacks won their first regional in program history and secured a place at the NCAA Championship meet at Lincoln, Neb., with a 196.300 performance.
"I'm extremely excited and proud of our team," Magee said. "I thought we came out and did everything we are capable of doing. It's kind of funny that I had a dream the night before last that we won regionals. And it came true."
Arkansas co-head coach Rene Cook said the team was able to show the same ability it showed throughout the season in big wins.
"They were so aggressive," Cook said. "They left it all out there. They showed that this is the team that beat Florida, Oklahoma and Alabama. They showed the same persona."
Magee and fellow junior Michelle Stout won individual titles at the regional, which is a program first. Stout scored a 9.875 on vault while Magee scored a 9.900 on beam to capture the titles.
"Regionals is a tough pressure situation," Stout said. "But we were able to go out there and have fun hitting our routines."
Arkansas placed three gymnasts in the top three of the all-around with Magee finishing second and Stout and Sarah Nagashima tying for third.
Cook said Nagashima, who scored a career-high on beam and tied a career-best bar performance, was outstanding.
"She was a rock star," Cook said. "That was her best meet ever. Toward the end of the season, she really picked it up in practice. I'm just so happy for her because she has had ups and downs. It was nice to see her out there being amazing."
But Cook said Nagashima didn't just help with her scores.
"She is the motivator of this group," Cook said. "She has a positive attitude that is infectious. She does daily notes and puts notes in lockers. She is at the core of the team emotionally."
Junior Casey Jo Magee said she had dreamed about winning the event a couple nights before the meet.
And that dream turned into reality.
The Razorbacks won their first regional in program history and secured a place at the NCAA Championship meet at Lincoln, Neb., with a 196.300 performance.
"I'm extremely excited and proud of our team," Magee said. "I thought we came out and did everything we are capable of doing. It's kind of funny that I had a dream the night before last that we won regionals. And it came true."
Arkansas co-head coach Rene Cook said the team was able to show the same ability it showed throughout the season in big wins.
"They were so aggressive," Cook said. "They left it all out there. They showed that this is the team that beat Florida, Oklahoma and Alabama. They showed the same persona."
Magee and fellow junior Michelle Stout won individual titles at the regional, which is a program first. Stout scored a 9.875 on vault while Magee scored a 9.900 on beam to capture the titles.
"Regionals is a tough pressure situation," Stout said. "But we were able to go out there and have fun hitting our routines."
Arkansas placed three gymnasts in the top three of the all-around with Magee finishing second and Stout and Sarah Nagashima tying for third.
Cook said Nagashima, who scored a career-high on beam and tied a career-best bar performance, was outstanding.
"She was a rock star," Cook said. "That was her best meet ever. Toward the end of the season, she really picked it up in practice. I'm just so happy for her because she has had ups and downs. It was nice to see her out there being amazing."
But Cook said Nagashima didn't just help with her scores.
"She is the motivator of this group," Cook said. "She has a positive attitude that is infectious. She does daily notes and puts notes in lockers. She is at the core of the team emotionally."
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EEHog
posted 4/06/09 @ 8:03 AM CST
Congratulations!
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