How big is Arkansas gymnastics now? The New York Times came knocking
Gymnastics is not the first – or second or third or even fourth – sport brought to mind traitionally when one thinks of Arkansas athletics.
Jordyn Wieber and her Razorbacks are changing that, year by year.
Arkansas hired the former gold medalist as gymnastics head coach in 2020. Wieber had been only a volunteer assistant before athletic director Hunter Yurachek gave her the keys to the program. Now, Arkansas is in the NCAA Gymnastic Championships.
The Hogs will go against No. 2-seed LSU, No. 3-seed California and No. 8-seed Stanford in one semifinal pool starting Thursday at 3:30 p.m. Oklahoma, Florida, Utah and Alabama are in the other semifinal. The top two teams in each semi advance to the four-team final.
Such an outcome for Arkansas was hard to imagine even three years. Instead, Arkansas reached the vaunted “198” score this season and ended up finishing the regular year with their four highest scores in program history.
Arkansas’ appearances in the NCAA Championships is the school’s ninth overall, but that number is misleading. In this day and age, only eight teams advance that far. In the Razorbacks’ previous eight appearances, 12 teams made the Championships.
The 28-year-old coach brought her team that far because keeping them focused, but unpressured. She won’t change heading into Thursday.
“I know that they know this is a big deal and I don’t really need to say that for them to know it,” Wieber said. “What they need from me, and this has honestly been consistent messaging all season, is don’t build up any singular moment.”
