Five standout gymnasts each have signed National Letters of Intent with the University of Kentucky during the fall signing period, head coach Mo Mitchell announced Friday. Andrea Mitchell (Knoxville, Tenn.), Storey Morris (Tyler, Texas), Whitney Rose (Frisco, Texas), Madison Snowden (Lexington, Ky.) and Jennifer Taylor (Tulsa, Okla.) all have inked with the Wildcats.
?We are really excited to have signed this class,? Mitchell said. ?All of our prospects are not only incredible in their own right, but they already know each other and like each other. When you compete at the top level that they have, you tend to compete against the same competitors and build friendships along the way. We look forward to big things with this incredible class of student-athletes.?
Andrea Mitchell, who competes for coaches Boo Ellis and Sasha Gridnev at Premier Athletics, was the all-around champion at every invitational meet in which she competed during the 2007 season. She captured both her state and regional championship in 2007 and has claimed seven individual titles at state and regional meets. Mitchell placed third in the all-around at the 2007 junior open nationals, including a fifth-place finish on the beam, a sixth-place finish on floor and an eighth-place vault finish. Mitchell is the daughter of James and Valerie Mitchell of Knoxville, Tenn., and has two sisters ? Ashley and Asyia.
?Andrea is a solid all-arounder,? Mitchell said. ?She has a crowd-pleasing floor routine that will encourage everyone to stick around to watch. She will make an immediate impact and we are excited to have her. Her amazing personality matches her incredible skills in the gym.?
Storey Morris is a prominent Texas gymnast, where she competes for coaches Martin and Stacy Parsley at Texas East Gymnastics. She is a three-time junior open national qualifier and the Texas state and regional all-around champions. Morris was the 2005 U.S. Challenge National All-Around champion, capturing the vault, bars and beam titles. Her 2007 regional all-around score of 38.900 was the highest-posted score in the United States for her age group. Morris is the daughter of J.P. and Debbie Morris of Tyler, Texas, and has three sisters ? Amber, Summer and Cambri.
?We are really excited to have Storey compete for us,? Mitchell said. ?I feel she will be a solid performer on every event. Storey has a knack for winning and works extremely hard to achieve all of her goals. She is quite an accomplished athlete and we are really pleased to have her.?
Whitney Rose, who competes for Kurt Thomas at Kurt Thomas Gymnastics, is the Texas state champion on the vault, floor, beam and all-around. She also captured her regional beam and floor championship. Rose is an elite national qualifier and a junior open national qualifier. She is the daughter of Oliver and Robin Rose of Frisco, Texas, and has a brother, Roman, and a sister, Cha?Don.
?Whitney, I feel, is our secret weapon,? Mitchell said. ?I feel fortunate that we are able to get such a great athlete. Whitney is an incredible all-around athlete who comes from a great program. Whitney has a very strong work-ethic and it shows in her gymnastics. I think she is going to open a lot of eyes in the NCAA and we are extremely pleased to have her on our side.?
Madison Snowden, who competes for coaches Kim Albrecht and Enrique Trabanino at Cincinnati Gymnastics, is a two-time level 10 state beam champion and also captured the regional beam title. In 2007, Snowden was the level 10 state bars, beam, floor and all-around champion. She is a two-time junior open national team member. Snowden is the daughter of Bill Snowden and Patsy Fagan of Lexington, Ky., and has two sisters ? Lauren and Whitney.
?We are excited to have Madison join us,? Mitchell said. ?She will bring us immediate support on beam and floor. Her poise and form are impeccable. She is refined and polished, and will truly add flavor and style to our already incredible floor squad.?
Jennifer Taylor, who competes for coaches Kristi Krafft and Jean-Luc Cairon at Krafft Academy, is a three-time junior open national uneven bars bars champion. She is a four time junior national qualifier and a past qualifier to the USA Championships. She became the first African-American to win the prestigious ?Shannon Miller Award,? given to Oklahoma?s best female athlete. Taylor is the daughter of Trent and Marilyn Taylor of Tulsa, Okla., and has three siblings ? Treneise, Ashlee and David.
?Jennifer is a very strong athlete that loves to win,? Mitchell said. ?She is quite the competitor and has no weak events. She hails from a strong coaching background and is competitive in every sense of the word. We feel really good about her and know she will impact this team in a great way.?
