Kentucky Heads to Arkansas to Begin SEC Competition
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Following an opening night Excite Night win, the No. 6 Kentucky gymnastics team will begin Southeastern Conference competition on Friday with No. 11 Arkansas. The Wildcats and Razorbacks will square off at 8 p.m. ET inside Barnhill Arena in Fayetteville. Fans can watch the meet live on SEC Network + and the WatchESPN app.
Kentucky began the season last Friday in front of a sold out Rupp Arena, taking down Ball State, Southeast Missouri and George Washington. UK posted a 196.075, the sixth best score in the nation during the first week of action. UK won every team event, and took home at least a share of every individual crown.
Scouting the Razorbacks
Arkansas heads into SEC play ranked No. 11 after posting a 195.350 at No. 3 LSU last weekend. UA put up the second best beam score in the nation at 49.150 against LSU. Three Razorbacks made their debuts last weekend and Sophia Carter, a freshman, posted a 9.9 on the beam.
Moving Up the Team Rankings
After week one, Kentucky moved up five spots to No. 6 in the nation with an average score 196.075. Kentucky went into the season ranked No. 11 in the coaches poll. The Wildcats are the second highest ranked SEC team in the country behind No. 1 LSU.
Kentucky in the Event Rankings
Kentucky is ranked in the top-11 in every event, with its best event coming on the floor. UK is No. 5 on the floor with an average score of 49.275. The Wildcats are No. 7 on vault with a 48.975, No. 10 on bars with a 48.875 and No. 11 on beam with a 48.950.
Winning Sold Out Excite Night
In front of a Sold out Rupp Arena, UK won its opening meet of the year with a score of 196.075. The Wildcats defeated Ball State (194.475), George Washington (193.775) and Southeast Missouri State (189.675) to improve to 3-0.
Taking Home the Team Event Titles
In the opening night Excite Night meet, UK either tied for or won every team event title. Kentucky won outright crowns in the vault (48.975), beam (48.950) and floor (49.275). Kentucky shared the bars title with Ball State after a 48.875.
Excite Night Individual Champions
Kentucky had an event winner in every rotation last Friday. Sidney Dukes won on the floor with a meet high score of 9.9. Alex Hyland won on beam with a 9.85. Two Wildcats – Danaea Davis and Mollie Korth -shared the vault crown with scores of 9.85, while Cori Rechenmacher shared the bars crown with Ball State after posting a 9.85.
Returning Two All-Americans
Mollie Korth and Alex Hyland were both named All-Americans last season. Korth earned All-America honors as an individual competitor after earning sixth in the All-Around with a score of 39.4500. That mark was highlighted by a 9.925 on bars, tying a career high and seventh place finish in the national meet. Hyland was a regular season All-American. She averaged a score of 9.894 over the course of the 2017 regular season, which was fourth in the nation.
