March 18, 2000

LEXINGTON, Kty. – The University of Kentucky gymnastics team finished 5th in the 2000 SEC Championships held Saturday in Gainesville, Fla. The Kats finished with a team total of 194.650, their second highest total this season. Alabama won the event with a total of 197.200. The Kats were led by freshman Julia Gore, who finished sixth in the all-around with a score of 39.100.

The Kats began competition on the balance beam, where freshman Mindy Smith led UK with a 9.825. It was the second highest score of the season for Smith and the fourth highest team total for the Kats on beam this season. Senior Mila Chitwood posted a strong 9.775 to finish second for UK. After a second rotation bye, the GymKats moved to the floor exercise where senior Mila Chitwood led UK with a 9.850.

On vault, senior Krissy Hoeferlin led Kentucky with a 9.850, while sophomore Katie Toups tied her season high 9.750. Hoeferlin finished in a tie for fourth on the event. After a fourth rotation bye, the GymKats moved to the uneven bars to wrap up the competition. On their last event, UK was led by sophomore Jessie Lemp with a score of 9.800.

“I have only positive things to say about our performance,” Coach Leah Little said. “These gymnasts came out and gave it their all. I think that, like at any meet, scores were kind of tight on beam, but other than that, I’m really impressed with the team tonight.”

Team Scores

UK Scores