LEXINGTON, Ky. – In preparation for the upcoming season, UKathletics.com presents “Meet the Wildcats,” an opportunity for you to get to know a little more about the 2017 Kentucky Gymnastics team. Today’s Meet the Wildcats features sophomore Alex Hyland.
Alex was a 2016 NCAA Championship qualifier, a member of the 2016 All-SEC team and SEC All-Freshman team. She competed in 13 meets for the Cats last season and scored a 39.038 in the all-around at the NCAA Championship. At the NCAA Championships, she scored a 9.825 on the balance beam for her best rotation of the meet. She scored a 9.9 on bars against Florida, the highest for a Wildcat on bars during the 2016 season.
Here’s a bit more on Alex.
Quick Facts
Birthplace: Boston, Mass.
Parents: Anne & Chris
Siblings: Aidan & Jake
Twitter Handle: @alexhyland08
Instagram Handle: @alexhyland08
Major: Kinesiology
Nickname(s): Al
Get to Know Alex
The best part of being a UK student-athlete is … All of the resources available to us, such as the facilities and the academics.
This season, I am most excited for … I’m looking forward to Excite Night
I chose UK because … The program is on the rise and I want to be a part of the excitement.
The biggest influence for me in gymnastics… My club coach, Nikki Longo.
I want to improve my … Landings and making my gymnastics clean and precise.
My goals this season are … To make it to nationals as a team
My most memorable moment as a gymnast was … Signing with UK or placing third at J.O. Nationals.
Fun Facts
My favorite food … Pasta with broccoli
My pre-meet superstition is … That I have to pet my dogs and say goodbye to them before every meet.
Favorite Book … The Fault In Our Stars
The best concert I have ever been to … Brad Paisley
Do you have any relatives who played Division 1 sports? Yes, my grandfather played basketball at Princeton.
The most famous person I have ever met was … Rob Gronkowski.
My biggest fear … Planes
My favorite movie … Rat Race
My favorite band … Florida Georgia Line
Favorite thing about UK … I love being in a community where they love and respect their athletes.
Favorite pro sports team … New England Patriots
The Wildcats kick off the 2017 season at Eastern Michigan on Friday, Jan. 6 at 7 p.m. at Eastern Michigan.
For complete news and updates on the Kentucky Gymnastics program, go to UKathletics.com. Breaking news, behind-the-scenes updates and more can be found on Twitter at @UKGymnastics and Facebook at Facebook.com/UKGymnastics.
