March 21, 2003
Tempe, Ariz. – The University of Kentucky gymnastics team scored a season-high on the uneven bars, but were unable to overcome a school-record score from the No. 3 Sun Devils on Fri., March 21, at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe, Ariz. All-American junior Aronda Primault and seniors Julia Gore and Melanie Zaharias all scored 9.900 on vault to lead the GymKats.
The GymKats opened the meet on the uneven bars, with freshman Krista Roemerman scoring a career-high 9.750 to begin the scoring. Gore led the GymKats by posting her fifth score of 9.875 this season. Junior Julie Joy scored a season-high 9.850 and Primault added a 9.800 to lead Kentucky to a season-high team score of 48.925. ASU scored 49.650 on vault, a school record and the highest score UK has faced all year.
Kentucky moved to vault, where it posted its second-highest score of the season as a trio of GymKats led the way to a team score of 49.275. Gore was perfect, scoring a 9.900 on her Pike Front – which matches the starting value of that vault. Senior Melanie Zaharias matched Gore, hitting a bodacious Yurchenko Arabian. UK’s third 9.900 came on Primault’s Front Handspring/Front Half.
A 9.800 from sophomore Michelle Gales and a 9.775 from sophomore Lindsay Cameron helped the Cats to a strong 98.200 going into intermission. The Sun Devils would score another school record on vault, however, to take their team total up to 99.150.
The GymKats could not carry their momentum onto their third rotation, the floor exercise. Zaharias led the team with a 9.800, but Kentucky was forced to count a fall and totaled their lowest event score of the evening, 48.200. Joy competed on floor for the first time Feb. 7, scoring a 9.625. Gore and sophomore Krista Prestigiacomo contributed marks of 9.750 and 9.725, respectively.
The GymKats closed out the evening on the balance beam, where they counted a pair of falls. Senior Mindy Smith led the Cats with a 9.825. Primault and Zaharias both scored 9.800 on the event, both only 25-hundreths away from season-high scores.
Kentucky’s team score of 193.475 allows the Cats to drop their BYU score from their RQS, raising that to 194.300. Arizona State freshman Ashley Kelly was the evening’s top competitor, scoring a 39.875 in the all-around, a national season-high. She scored 10’s on vault and bars, the first-such score by a GymKat opponent this year.
The Wildcats will travel to Birmingham, Ala., to compete in the Southeastern Conference Championships on Saturday, March 29. They will then await the announcement of the groupings for the NCAA Regional Championships in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Team Results
Kentucky – 193.475
Arizona State – 198.275
Attendance: 865
Event Results
Bars
UK – 48.925; ASU – 49.500
Julia Gore 9.875; Julie Joy 9.850; Aronda Primault 9.800; Krista Roemerman 9.750; Michelle Gales 9.650; Lindsay Cameron 8.950.
Vault
UK – 49.275; ASU – 49.650
Melanie Zaharias 9.900; Julia Gore 9.900; Aronda Primault 9.900; Michelle Gales 9.800; Lindsay Cameron 9.775; Kara Prestigiacomo 9.750.
Floor
UK – 48.200; ASU – 49.725
Melanie Zaharias 9.800; Julia Gore 9.750; Krista Prestigiacomo 9.725; Julie Joy 9.625; Michelle Gales 9.300; Aronda Primault 9.300.
Beam
UK – 47.075; ASU – 49.400
Mindy Smith 9.825; Aronda Primault 9.800; Melanie Zaharias 9.800; Karla Adelt 8.950; Julia Gore 8.700; Kara Prestigiacomo 8.550.
All-Around
Julia Gore 38.225; Aronda Primault 38.800.
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