NOTES
This Weekend?s Meet
The No. 18 Wildcats (11-5, 1-5) travel to Corvallis, Ore. for the Salbasgeon Suites Invitational at host Oregon State, Fri., March 17, at 7 p.m. PT. The meet will consist of five teams — No. 17 OSU, Washington, Boise State and Seattle Pacific.
Rankings
UK is ranked No. 18 in the recent GymInfo Poll (3/13). All seven schools in the SEC who sponsor gymnastics are represented in the rankings. Defending National Champion No. 1 Georgia, No. 3 Florida, No. 5 Alabama, No. 8 LSU, No. 14 Auburn, No. 18 Kentucky and No. 20 Arkansas all reside in the top 25.
National Rankings
Three Wildcat gymnasts are currently ranked among the top 50 nationally in various events — Krystle Cook (32nd all-around, t-9th bars, t-23rd vault), Heather Hite (t-15th beam), Natalie Rubinstein (t-22 bars).
Tri/Quad Meet Success
Kentucky has competed in three tri-meets and one quad meet this season, of which they are a perfect 9-0.
Big Weekend
After dropping five straight — all against nationally-ranked teams — the Cats have won four straight. With a sweep at Oregon State, the Cats could be the first team in program history to reach the 15-win plateau.
9.9 or Better Club
Four UK gymnasts have scored 9.9s or better this season. Cook owns a season-best of 9.9 on vault (multiple times) and 9.925 on bars. Newcomers Hite (beam, three times; floor) and Rubinstein (bars) both have 9.9s under their belts and sophomore Kristen O?Shields holds a career-high 9.925 on bars.
UK Gymnast of the Week 3/13
Sophomore Crissy Cannon was been named UK Gymnast of the Week by the coaching staff. Cannon had a tremendous weekend for the Cats with two second place finishes and a third in UK?s back-to-back tri-meet victories. In the win against CMU and Rhode Island, Cannon took second on beam with a career-high 9.825. Against Ball State and Air Force, the Lenoir City, Tenn. native earned second on beam and third on bars.
Scouting the Opponents
As a team, Boise State (10-5) owns victories over No. 24 BYU, Southern Utah and Utah State (twice). The Broncos are led by junior Lindsay Ward, who has qualified for Nationals twice, and senior Katie Dinsmore. Oregon State defeated the Broncos earlier this season at the UNO?s Classic at Arizona State.
Washington (5-13) owns a top team score of 193.325, scored against No. 2 Utah. Last weekend, UW traveled to SEC country and was defeated by No. 20 Arkansas, 196.350-193-025. Washington has never missed qualifying for a NCAA Regional in the 31 year history of the gymnastics program. Currently the Huskies? Regional Qualifying Score (RQS) of 192.810 ranks them fourth among non-automatic qualifying teams from the West Region. Freshman Ashley Houghting ranks 10th in the nation on vault.
Seattle Pacific (5-10) scored a season-high of 191.850 in its season opener vs. Alaska-Anchorage. Sarah Sullivan owns team-highs on vault and beam for SPU. The Falcons compete in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.
Oregon State (12-7) is led by Jami Lanz, who ranks 26th nationally in the all-around (39.135 RQS). Chrissy Lamun is tied for 30th on beam (9.835) and 31st on bars (9.845), and Claire Pierce is tied for 48th on beam (9.810). The Beavers are ranked 13th on beam (48.855), 16th on bars (48.845) and 19th on floor (48.885). The lone common opponent for the Beavers and Wildcats this season was No. 3 Florida. OSU lost to the Gators 193.575-192.200, while the Cats also fell to UF, 196.425-195.550.
Looking Ahead
Kentucky travels to Birmingham, Ala. to compete in the SEC Championships, Sat., March 25. The meet will be televised Thu., March 30, at 7 p.m. on FOX Sports Net.
