Tenth-ranked Razorbacks placed in Columbus regional

FAYETTEVILLE — Tenth-ranked Arkansas will be the second seed in the Columbus, Ohio, regional hosted by Ohio State, the NCAA announced Monday.

“Any team can win this if they really hit solid,” said coach Mark Cook. ” We have to go in there and really compete hard.”

The No. 10 ranking heading into the postseason is the highest since 2012 and just the third time in program history that the Razorbacks head into regional competition with a top-10 ranking.

Arkansas is making its 15-consecutive appearance at an NCAA Regional.

No. 3 UCLA, No. 15 Boise State, Ohio State, Pittsburgh and Kent State will join Arkansas.

The two teams with the highest scores from each regional will advance to St. Louis, Missouri for the NCAA Championships on April 20 and 21 inside Chaifetz Arena.

Ohio State was one of six predetermined campus sites selected to host an NCAA regional, along with Alabama, Utah, Oklahoma, Minnesota and Penn State. It will mark the Razorbacks first ever trip to Columbus, Ohio.

Columbus Regional
(3) UCLA
(10) Arkansas
(15) Boise State
Ohio State
Pittsburgh
Kent State

“The SEC Championship really prepares us for this postseason,” said Cook. “It’s such a high energy competition and if you compete well, it prepares you for this competition.

“We feed off that. We have to perform with the same mindset at the NCAA Championships. If we do that, we feel confident we’ll advance.”

Arkansas Rotation Order: Beam – Bye – Floor – Vault – Bye – Bars

The regional will begin at 5 p.m. inside St. John Arena on April 7. Tickets for the meet can be purchased here. The meet will be streamed live via Ohio State’s Buckeye Vision.

The Razorbacks enter the NCAA Championships as one of the most improved programs in the country.

Last season, Arkansas ranked No. 27 in the nation headed into regional competition with a RQS (Regional Qualifying Score) of 195.775 compared to this season’s No. 10 ranking with a program record 196.820 RQS.

“The team is really good this year,” Cook said. “We have a lot of experience with the upperclassmen and our freshmen our doing outstanding this year.

“Our lineups are going to stay the same. We’re in a flow, we’re in a groove. It’s a really good team, a strong team and a confident team.”