TUCSON, Ariz. ? The Kentucky gymnastics team carried over the momentum from last week?s season high score, and put up a 195.600 to finish third behind No. 14 Arizona and No. 16 Penn State in a quad meet hosted by the Wildcats on Friday night.
?I was proud of the way we stepped up tonight against two very tough teams in Arizona and Penn State,? Kentucky head coach Mo Mitchell said. ?We were able to carry over a lot of our momentum and confidence from last week and post a good score.?
Kentucky got another strong performance on the all-around from Emilie Rymer as the freshman posted a 39.200. The Wildcats got a 38.825 from senior Krystle Cook, including a title-winning 9.925 on vault. She just missed a second title with a 9.95 on bars, falling just shy of Penn State?s Katie Perret?s 9.975.
Sophomore Heather Hite paced Kentucky?s floor lineup which posted the third-best score in school history with a 49.300. Hite scored a career best 9.95 to take home the meet title. Freshman Hillary Ferguson kept up her string of tremendous floor routines with a 9.9. It was her second straight 9.9 and sixth straight meet of better than 9.85. Rymer and Cook also stood out with a 9.875 and 9.825 respectively.
?We knew before the season this was going to be one of the strongest floor line ups Kentucky has ever had and we?re starting to show it on a weekly basis,? Mitchell said. ?We have some great athletes and they have really shown it on the floor. And the best part is, it?s mostly freshmen and sophomores doing it.?
For the third straight meet, UK had one of the top vault scores in the Mitchell era, matching the third best with a 49.150 on Friday. Cook led the way while the Wildcats also got great scores form Ferguson (9.825), senior Lucy Burgin (9.8) and freshman Emily Green (9.8).
?Our vault lineup is as solid as we?ve had since I?ve been here,? Mitchell said. ?It?s great to have seniors like Cookie and Lucy, who can anchor it. They?ve been tremendous leaders for our freshmen, who are starting to show their talent.?
Burgin also showed well on bars with a 9.825. Rymer continued her solid meet with a 9.85 on the apparatus as the Wildcats posted a 48.600.
On beam, Hite anchored the line up with a 9.875, falling just short of her second title of the meet, to lead UK to a 48.550 as a team.
Penn State won the overall meet with a season best 196.825. The Nittany Lions bested the home-standing Wildcats, who scored 196.650. Texas Women?s University rounded out the meet with a 190.525, coming one week after they finished second to UK at a meet they hosted.
The Wildcats return to the road for the fourth straight week on Friday when they travel to Nebraska.
