Arkansas rebounded off of last weeks loss to BYU by beating SEC rival and No. 1 Florida. PHOTO: Gareth Patterson

The No. 15 Arkansas gymnastics team handed the No. 1 Florida Gators their first loss of the season on Friday by a score of 197.700 to 196.100 in front of a home crowd in Barnhill Arena.

All-American junior Jamie Pisani helped lead the Razorbacks to a key win against the first ranked Florida Gators.

“It feels awesome,” Pisani said. “This momentum can help carry us the rest of the season.  It is also good for our underclassmen to know what they can achieve and believe in themselves.”

It was evident in the first events that both teams came to win.  Florida had a great showing on the bars and Arkansas started well on the vault.  Arkansas had the advantage going into the second event.

Arkansas, however, struggled on the beam, which gave Florida the edge going into the third event.  Despite their struggle, the Hogs were able to bounce back and perform well on the floor.

The competition was close all night until the last event would prove troublesome for the Gators for the second year in a row against Arkansas.

It was Florida that suffered the most on the beam.  Going into the final event of the night,  the Gators were tied with the Hogs at 147.550.  That was before two Florida gymnasts, Alaina Johnson and Ashanee Dickerson, would struggle with their beam routines.  Each lost their balance and had to dismount the beam.

The Razorbacks seized the opportunity with a great showing in the floor routine.  New Jersey native Pisani scored a 9.9.  Freshmen Katherine Grable and Bailee Zumwalde were also a key factor on the floor.  Grable scored the Hogs’ second 9.9 in the event and Zumwalde scored a 9.8. Three other Hogs scored a 9.75.

The Razorbacks came into Friday’s competition after being upset by No. 28 Brigham Young University last weekend.

“We just focused on not trying to be perfect,” said Pisani.

Pisani’s performance earned her the all-around competition prize for the Razorbacks.

The win gives the Razorbacks a 5-1 record in SEC competition and needed momentum heading into the last of the regular season.  The Hogs have another ranked opponent in No. 24 West Virginia coming to Barnhill on Friday Mar. 4.