No. 8 Kentucky Travels West for Dual with No. 1 Oklahoma
NORMAN, Okla. – No. 8 Kentucky (4-2, 2-1 SEC) will hit the road in conference play once more, traveling to the Southeastern Conference’s newest gymnastics member—No. 1 Oklahoma (9-0, 3-0 SEC)—for a nationally televised showdown with the top-ranked Sooners. The meet—the first dual between the two programs since 2015—will begin inside the Lloyd Noble Center at 8:30 p.m. ET on Friday, February 7. The contest will feature as the second meet of SEC Network’s Friday Night Heights doubleheader and will see Bart Conner and Trinity Thomas on the call.
The Wildcats head to Norman on the back of an Excite Night win over No. 11 Auburn in front of a sold-out crowd of 6,051 fans at Historic Memorial Coliseum. Kentucky broke the 197 team score barrier for the second time this season thanks to event score of 49.300 or higher on bars, beam and floor.
Three different Wildcats earned event wins on Friday, led by fifth year Skylar Killough-Wilhelm’s triumph on the uneven bars and in the all-around. Killough-Wilhelm scored a season high 9.950 on bars—tied for the second highest score in the SEC this season—to take the top score on the event for the second straight home meet. The West Des Moines, Iowa native also took the top spot in the all-around for the second week in a row, scoring a 39.400. The two-time All-American currently ranks No. 13 in the NCAA in the all-around.
Makenzie Wilson took home her second straight Excite Night title on vault with a stuck front handspring pike ½ that scored a 9.925. The All-American from Clinton, Tenn. currently ranks No. 4 in the country on the vault, holding a 9.900 average.
Hailey Davis continued to lead the way for the Kentucky floor rotation, as the fifth year earned her second floor title of the season and fifth of her career with a 9.925, tying her season best. Davis currently sits at No. 9 in the national floor rankings with a 9.912 average.
Isabella Magnelli is the only Wildcat to rank in the top ten on two different events, checking in at No. 7 on beam and No. 10 on vault. The four-time All-American on the balance beam has yet to score under 9.9 this season, holding a 9.919 average on the event. The Suffern, N.Y. native also has two 9.925s for her front handspring pike ½ vault to boost her season average to 9.888 and place her in the top ten.
No. 1 Oklahoma enters Friday’s meet with an undefeated record, taking victories in a pair of quad meets, as well as all three of their SEC duals to this point. An SEC debutante, the Sooners bring major pedigree to an already elite league, winning six national championships and advancing to the NCAA Championships in every season under Head Coach K.J. Kinder.
Five Sooners have competed in the All-Around this year, including 2024 NCAA Bars and Beam Champion Audrey Davis, 2024 NCAA Beam Champion Faith Torrez, and seven-time All-American Jordan Bowers–all of whom have achieved a score of 39.700+ this season. This week, Bowers and Torrez were named SEC Co-Gymnasts of the Week.
Kentucky and Oklahoma faced each other a season ago at the Mean Girls Super 16 Championships in Las Vegas, with the top-ranked Sooners winning the quad meet with a score of 197.850. The Wildcats finished in second during the season opener, scoring a 196.775 to defeat No. 6 Michigan and No. 11 Michigan State. The Cats and Sooners have faced off multiple times in recent postseasons, including the 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2023 NCAA Regionals and 2018 and 2023 NCAA Championships. Oklahoma holds a 13-0 advantage in the series.
Following Friday’s meet, Kentucky will begin its only multi-meet homestand of the season with its non-conference finale against Temple. The Valentine’s Day meet will begin at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, February 14 at Historic Memorial Coliseum and will be streamed live on the SEC Network +. Tickets are still available via Ticketmaster.
For the latest on the Kentucky gymnastics team, follow @UKGymnastics on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, as well as on the web at UKAthletics.com.
