Talented Depth
In 2001, Coach Leah Little compensated for a lack of experience with a talented group of newcomers. In 2002, Little has the talent and experience she feels is necessary to take the University of Kentucky gymnastics program to a new level.
“I feel we’ve assembled the best talent and the most depth that we’ve ever had at Kentucky,” Little said. “We are so excited and high on this year’s team and what it can accomplish.”
Experience is a key factor this season. Graduating only one senior (Beth Coleman) a year ago, the GymKats return 11 letterwinners, including four seniors, four juniors and three sophomores. The depth comes from the addition of six freshmen who are among the best in the nation.
Last season, Little hoped that the talent would make up for the lack of experience. This season she looks for the incoming talent to complement the returning talent to create one of the deepest teams the Bluegrass has ever seen.
“The biggest thing is that we graduated one senior who was competing on two events for us, and we’ve replaced her with six freshmen and the return of Julia Gore who missed most of last season,” Little said. “In essence, we have everybody back from a team that finished 16th in the country last year with seven people coming in who can contribute right away.”
The GymKats will rely heavily on senior veterans Nicole Allen, Jessie Lemp, Jennifer Simmons and Katie Toups. All four were solid contributors a year ago and should provide the leadership needed for the team to excel this season.
The junior class is solid as well with Karla Adelt, Gore, Mindy Smith and Melanie Zaharias returning for their third seasons on the mats. Gore missed the last eight meets of 2001 after a knee injury against Georgia ended her sophomore campaign.
The talent continues in a solid class of sophomores that includes Julie Joy, Aronda Primault and Melissa Tucker. The GymKats’ depth increases with a six-member freshmen class that includes Ashley Brown, Lindsay Cameron, Katie Elder, Michelle Gales and Kara and Krista Prestigiacomo.
“My expectations are high,” Little continued, “and we feel this team can accomplish more than any UK team ever has.”
To do that, the GymKats must tumble through a schedule that is as daunting as any in the country. Kentucky will face eight teams that finished ranked in the top 25 last season, including No. 2 Georgia, No. 4 Alabama and No. 7 Florida. The season opens with the annual Excite Nite extravaganza, which changes slightly this year as it will be a scored meet with No. 17 Ohio State. UK then travels to the Bahamas for a date with No. 24 NC State, before playing host to the Gators and No. 22 New Hampshire.
The GymKats then return to the road for the Governor’s Cup at No. 28 West Virginia before heading to Athens to face UGA. A home meet against Ball State precedes a three-meet SEC swing that includes a home date with Auburn, a road meet at No. 13 LSU and another home meet against the Crimson Tide. They close out the regular season with a trip to Texas to take on Texas Woman’s University before heading to the always-tough SEC Championships.
The Freshmen
Kentucky sports one of the most talented incoming classes it has ever seen. Gales comes to the Bluegrass with excellent credentials. She finished 11th in the all-around at the 2000 Level 10 nationals after claiming first place on the floor exercise at the regional competition. The Prestigiacomos also bring strong resumes to UK, athletically and academically. Kara, who finished second academically in her high school class, finished fourth on the vault at the 2001 Level 10 nationals, while her sister Krista, who was fourth in her high school class, won the floor exercise, balance beam and all-around titles at the 1999 Georgia Level 10 competition. Brown, Cameron and Elder also have seen success at Level 9 and 10 meets.
“We definitely have one of the finest freshmen classes to ever come to Kentucky,” Little said. “Michelle is a tremendous talent and is dynamic to watch. Kara and Krista have complementary styles and personalities that add to the team’s depth. Ashley has a lot of talent and should do very well. Lindsay and Katie are our walk-ons who have a great work ethic and nice skills. The entire group will make an impact this year.”
Vault
Historically a strong event for UK, the vault was the GymKats’ strongest in 2001 and should be no different this year. Unfortunately, UK does lose the services of Coleman who was third on the team, but Simmons, who claimed sixth place at the 2001 Central Region Championships, and Zaharias return to lead a group of talented vaulters who can again place Kentucky among the best in the nation. Gore, Joy, Lemp, Toups and Primault along with Gales and Kara Prestigiacomo will battle for spots in the lineup.
“With Beth gone, we lose a 10.0 vault and will certainly miss that,” Little said. “However, we have more than one freshman coming in who can vault at that level, and Katie (Toups) has added a 10.0 vault as well. This should definitely be a good event for us.”
Uneven Bars
The GymKats return their entire bar lineup from a year ago. Co-captain Lemp leads the way, while Primault, Toups, Joy, Allen and Simmons provide solid support. Gore also returns after tallying a career-high 9.825 in two of her four meets last season. Little will be challenged to establish a lineup here as freshmen Brown, Gales and the Prestigiacomos will be fighting for action.
“We probably have more depth than we did last year on bars,” Little said, “but we still don’t have the depth we would like. We feel like our top gymnasts can provide what we need, and the return of Julia Gore is going to be an added factor for us since this is her best event. In addition, Jessie, who was our top bar worker last year, returns.”
Balance Beam
The GymKats look for a more consistent showing on the balance beam in 2002. Last season’s top beam worker, Smith, who scored no lower than 9.800 a year ago and finished sixth at the Central Region Championships, returns to lead a group of gymnasts who can bring the team to a new level. She claimed eight beam titles last season and never had to count a fall. Again, the entire 2001 lineup returns and includes five who scored career highs last season. Lemp, Allen, Simmons, Joy and Primault join Smith and the newcomers for a group that has Little excited about the possibilities.
“The key to our beam performance will be consistency and being able to perform well when it counts,” Little said. “If we can get that we will be an outstanding beam team. Smith was nationally ranked last year and should be one of the top performers in the country again this season. The thing that has been exciting on beam is that everybody has been pushing each other to do better. We definitely have the talent to do well here.”
Floor Exercise
This is another area where Coleman will be missed, however, the GymKats are loaded with talent and Little sees this as the team’s best event. Joy and Primault led Kentucky last year and will join Smith, Allen, Gore and Simmons as veterans who will be fighting for a spot in the lineup with the freshmen. Primault and Gales give UK tremendous tumbling and strength and should lead the team, while the Prestigiacomos have the artistry and difficulty in their routines to make the lineup.
“This is probably the event I am most excited about, just because we have so much talent and so much depth, more than we’ve ever had,” Little said. “Our top gymnasts are phenomenal. We have great skill level, and our freshmen are really pushing our upperclassmen. I think this will probably be our strongest event. I look for some national rankings to come out of this group.”
With the talent and depth assembled this season, the GymKats could very well be on their way to surpassing last season’s success. A year ago, they came within 0.800 points of qualifying for the NCAA Championships for the first time in school history, while Primault came within 0.100 points of being the first GymKat since 1996 to qualify as an individual. Add to that squad one of the most talented groups of newcomers to step on the UK campus and you get a team that is on the verge of greatness.
“We look forward to a great season and perhaps the best season we have ever had here at Kentucky,” Little said. “Obviously, our goal is to improve our standing at the Southeastern Conference Championships and compete for a national title. I think this is the best chance ever for us to achieve those goals.”
