April 13, 1999

BATON ROUGE, La. – The University of Kentucky gymnastics team finished sixth with a final team score of 191.825 in the 1999 NCAA Southeast Regional Championships in Baton Rouge, La. on Saturday, April 10, ending their 1999 season just short of the NCAA Championships.

The GymKats (9-17, 2-10 Southeastern Conference) started off slowly in the first rotation on balance beam after losing freshman all-arounder Jessie Lemp to a torn meniscus and a possible torn anterior crucial ligament during warm-ups. The Kats were led by junior Mila Chitwood, who scored a 9.425 en route to a team total of 46.425.

After a second rotation bye, the GymKats continued competition on floor exercise, where the tallied a team total of 48.725. Freshman and Baton Rouge native Katie Toups scored a season-high 9.825, while Chitwood led the Kats with a 9.875.

The GymKats were on vault during the fourth rotation, where they combined for a team total of 48.875, the highest team score of the meet. Freshman Jennifer Simmons led the Kats with a 9.875, while junior Krissy Hoeferlin contributed a strong 9.825. Simmons and Hoeferlin finished first and second, respectively, out of all competitors.

After a fifth rotation bye, the GymKats completed the evening of competition on the uneven bars. UK was led by senior Misty Marinik, who scored a 9.750 in her final meet at Kentucky. Simmons was second for the GymKats with a 9.675.

“It’s tough to compete in a competition as important as this one was after you lose one of your top all-arounders,” Head Coach Leah Little said. “We had our other three all-arounders fall on at least one event. We all felt the impact of Jessie’s injury tonight. I was very proud of the job Beth Coleman did in all-around considering she didn’t warm up on two events. We now have to go back, regroup and try again next year.”

More information will be available on the condition of Jessie Lemp after further medical attention is given.

UK Scores

Vault              48.875   Uneven Bars             47.800Beth Coleman       9.675    Shawnte Hall            9.475Katie Toups        9.725    Beth Coleman            9.650Shawnte Hall       9.775    Jennifer Simmons        9.675   Jennifer Simmons   9.875    Misty Marinik           9.750Krissy Hoeferlin   9.825    Katie Toups             9.250                            Krissy Hoeferlin        9.175 Balance Beam       46.425   Floor Exercise          48.725Katie Toups        9.375    Shawnte Hall            9.775   Krissy Hoeferlin   8.950    Katie Toups             9.825Misty Marinik      9.425    Beth Coleman            9.575   Beth Coleman       8.750    Jennifer Simmons        9.675   Jennifer Simmons   9.225    Mila Chitwood           9.875   Mila Chitwood      9.450    Krissy Hoeferlin        9.075