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Cook named top coach, Shaffer top freshman in SEC this year

Mark Cook was named the league’s Coach of the Year, while freshman standout Sarah Shaffer was tabbed as Freshman of the Year by the SEC.

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Arkansas coach Mark Cook was named the league’s Coach of the Year, while freshman standout Sarah Shaffer was tabbed as Freshman of the Year by the SEC.

The awards were voted on by the league’s head coaches following last weekend’s SEC Championship.

Mark Cook | Coach of the Year

In his 16th season as the head coach at Arkansas, Cook led the Razorbacks to a record season that was capped by a first place finish in the first session at the SEC Championship and a fifth place finish overall, its highest since 2011.

It was also just the third time in program history that the Razorbacks have scored over 196 or higher at the event.

At the SEC Championship last week, Cook’s Razorbacks led the first session with 10 All-SEC performances from six athletes, along with three All Freshman Team performances.

Cook led Arkansas to the largest turnaround in the Southeastern Conference this season. From this point last season, Arkansas has improved its RQS (Regional Qualifying Score) by 1.245 points, and its season average by 2.045 points.

No other school in the conference has improved its RQS by more than 0.33 from this point last season.

The team was ranked No. 27 heading into regionals last season, compared to No. 10 this year.

Under Cook’s leadership, the Razorbacks set multiple records this season while dependent on six underclassmen competing 15 routines

This season, Arkansas posted scores of 197 or higher in three meets for the first time in program history, including breaking its program record score against Arizona with a 197.275, and then again in Arkansas’ Tri meet against Denver and Iowa State with a 197.300.

The team has set a record high RQS three times this season, including its final score of 196.820.

Coming in at No. 10 in this week’s ranking, the Razorbacks hold its highest ranking heading into regional competition since 2012. Cook was previously named SEC Co-Coach of the year in 2008 and 2016, making 2018 the first time he’s the sole owner of the award.

Sarah Shaffer | Freshman of the Year

Shaffer ranks as the highest ranked freshman in the conference on floor, coming in at 26th-nationally and seventh overall in the SEC.

She has competed in the all-around in 9-of-12 meets this season, and is the only nationally-ranked freshman from the conference in the all-around, coming in at 40th nationally.

She ranks in the top-100 on two more events, coming in at 53rd nationally on vault and 67th on bars.

The Tyler, Texas native has recorded scores of 9.900 or higher 10 times this season, and leads the league’s freshmen with six scores of 9.900 or higher on the floor.

Her score of 9.950 on floor in Arkansas’ Tri meet against Denver and Iowa State marks the highest score on the floor among the league’s freshmen.

In that meet, she posted a season high 39.500 in the all-around, tied for the highest all-around score among freshmen in the conference.

In five meets she has recorded an all-around score of 39.300 or higher which is tops among the conference’s freshmen. In four meets she has recorded multiple 9.900’s and was named the Freshman of the Week three times this season to lead the league.

Shaffer is the third Razorback in program history to be named Freshman of the Year, joining Amanda Wellick, who won the award in 2014, and Paige Zaziski who took the honor in 2015.

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2024 Razorbacks Football

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2024 High School Rankings

Following is the Arkansas Sports Media High School Football Poll including the Overall Top 10, the top five in Classes 7A, 6A, 5A, 4A, 3A and 2A, plus the top three in the 8-man division, as voted by a panel of sports media from around the state for the week ending August 24. Ranking is given with first-place votes received, records, total points and ranking from last week's poll:
OVERALLRecordPtsPrv
1.Bryant (25)10-02681
2.Greenwood (2)10-02343
30Conway9-12022
4.Little Rock Parkview9-11714
5.Bentonville7-31625
6.Benton9-11486
7.Fayetteville8-21117
8.Pulaski Academy8-2898
9.Rogers7-3439
10.Joe T. Robinson9-122
Others receiving votes: Valley View 8, Mountain Home 7, Cabot 6, Little Rock Catholic 6, Shiloh Christian 6, Elkins 1, Farmington 1.
CLASS 7A
1.Bryant (27)10-01351
2.Conway9-11022
3.Bentonville7-3813
4.Fayetteville8-2454
5.Pulaski Academy8-2395
Others receiving votes: Rogers 3.
CLASS 6A
1.Greenwood (27)10-01351
2.Benton9-11082
3.Mountain Home8-2623
4.Shiloh Christian7-3494
5.Little Rock Catholic9-1345
Others receiving votes: Marion 6.
CLASS 5A
1.Little Rock Parkview (27)9-11351
2.Joe T. Robinson9-11062
3.Valley View10-0793
4.Farmington9-1484
5.Hot Springs Lakeside8-2205
Others receiving votes: Camden Fairview 7, Harding Academy 7, Morrilton 3.
CLASS 4A
1.Elkins (20)10-01261
3.Arkadelphia (5)8-2913
2.Little Rock Mills (1)10-0682
4.Warren8-2554
5.Dardanell (1)9-123
Southside Batesville10-023
Others receiving votes: Malvern 12, Gravette 5, Highland 2.
CLASS 3A
1.Bismarck (12)10-01051t
2.Fordyce (10)10-0961t
3.Prescott (1)9-1704
4.Osceola (2)8-1543
5.Booneville (1)9-1395
Others receiving votes: Mansfield (1) 23, Rivercrest 10, Rison 4, Salem 4.
CLASS 2A
1.Carlisle (20)10-01271
2.Conway Christian (7)10-01152
3.Des Arc8-2595
4.East Poinsett Co.7-352
5.Bigelow6-4183
Murfreesboro7-3184
Others receiving votes: Mount Ida 6, Junction City 4, Cross County 3, Poyen 3.
8-MAN SANCTIONED
1.Strong-Huttig (27)5-0811
2.Midland9-0532
3.Cedar Ridge8-1253
Others receiving votes: Woodlawn 3.

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