Scouting the Tigers…

The Tigers play host to Kentucky for their 2001 home opener after traveling to Alabama last weekend. The Crimson Tide was too much for Auburn as the Tigers fell 196.250-192.350. Auburn’s 192.350 is ranked No. 22 in this week’s GymInfo Top-25 poll.

AU was led by freshmen Addi Hundley and Kristi Boyte who finished fourth and fifth in the all-around competition. Hundley scored a 38.600 while Boyte finished with a 38.525. Boyte won the vault title with a 9.850, and Hundley’s beam score of 9.775 was good for a second-place tie.

Junior Terri Brannan scored a 9.85 on the floor exercise to lead the team while Boyte came in just behind with a 9.825. On beam, freshman Lael Paschal notched a 9.675 for her only score of the night to help the Tigers’ cause.

On bars, freshman Hannah Littrell notched a 9.800, followed by sophomore Cheryl Lancaster’s 9.725.

As a team, AU got its best performances on the floor exercise with total score of 48.825. They tallied a 48.250 on the bars, a 47.950 on vault and a 47.325 on beam.

The Tigers are in their second season under the guidance of Jeff Thompson, a graduate of the University of Kentucky. He served as a graduate assistant with the Wildcats from 1986-89 before heading to Wisconsin for his first assistant position.

In his first season at Auburn, Thompson led the Tigers to a 4-8 record. Despite their finish, they set school scoring records on the bars, the balance beam, the floor exercise and overall.

GymKats in the Rankings…

With the first meet of the season in the books, a few GymKats have earned spots in the national rankings. With a score of 9.850 to tie a career high, sophomore Mindy Smith is tied for 17th nationally on the beam. Junior Jennifer Simmons returned to action after nearly a year on the sidelines recovering from an ankle injury to score a 9.775 on the vault, which is tied for No. 33 in the nation.

As a team, UK’s season-opening performance placed it in the Top-25 on all four apparatus and as a team. The 193.000 was good enough to place Kentucky at No. 17, while it’s individual apparatus scores rank as follows: No. 10 on vault (48.575), No. 20 on bars (48.150), No. 21 on beam (48.675) and No. 22 on floor exercise (48.675). This also is the first time UK has been ranked in all five categories at the same time since Feb. 24, 1998.

Simmons Returns…

Junior Jennifer Simmons returned to the lineup in the GymKats season opener against LSU. Simmons sat out most of the 2000 season after breaking her right ankle during practice in only the third week of the season.

After the opening meet this season, Simmons is performing as if she had never spent time away from the sport. Against LSU, Simmons started strong, winning the vault competition with a score of 9.775. She went on to claim second place in the all-around competition with a 38.775.

Simmons had an excellent freshman campaign in 1999. She led the team on the uneven bars with a 9.723 average, and she won two all-around titles, against Auburn and LSU.

Smith Tames the Beam…

With only one year of collegiate competition under her belt, sophomore Mindy Smith has shown an incredible knack for maintaining control on the beam. Through 10 meets in 2000 and one in 2001, Smith has yet to count a fall on the beam. Against LSU, she even tied a career high with a 9.850 en route to winning the individual apparatus title. In the first national rankings of the season, Smith is tied for 17th on the beam.

Gore Has Stellar Freshman Campaign…

As a member of the 1999 World University Games gymnastics team, Julia Gore began her collegiate career in 2000 will excellent credentials. And it did not take her long to make herself known.

Beginning with her performance at home against Alabama on Feb. 25, Gore scored a 39.000 or better five consecutive times to close out the season. Her career high of 39.225 came in the GymKats’ upset of No. 9 West Virginia. She went on to qualify for the NCAA Regionals in the all-around where she tied for third with a score of 39.050 and earned an alternate spot to the NCAA Championships.

Gore’s performances throughout the season earned her 2000 Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year and first team All-SEC honors.

Newcomers Make Impact…

UK welcomes five freshmen to the squad this season as Gina Augspurger, Stacey Hackett, Julie Joy, Aronda Primault and Melissa Tucker join the GymKats. Right away, Joy and Primault are both working toward earning a spot in the all-around lineup and are only one event away from doing just that.

In the season opener against LSU, Joy scored a 9.725 on the vault and a 9.625 on the floor, while Primault tallied a 9.700 on vault and 9.675 on the floor.

Captain Toups…

For the 2001 season, the GymKats selected junior Katie Toups as team captain. The Baton Rouge, La., native made an immediate impact upon her arrival in the Bluegrass and has provided leadership for the team.

As a freshman, Toups finished third on the team in the all-around with an average of 38.343 and posted her a career high 39.000 in winning her first meet against Ball State. As a sophomore in 2000, she led the team on the uneven bars with a season average of 9.825, scoring a career-high 9.900 in a quad meet with Florida, George Washington and Central Michigan.

Excite Nite Rings in New Year…

As in past years, Excite Nite was a rousing success as the 2001 edition entertained 5,500 enthusiastic University of Kentucky gymnastics fans at Memorial Coliseum.

With Master of Ceremonies Dick Gabriel, head coach Leah Little and Carl Nathe, the voice of the GymKats, leading the way, the crowd was introduced to this season’s squad with much hoopla and fanfare. Riding the “Jungle Gym” theme, the Kats opened the festivities with a dance number complete with safari hats and jungle attire.

The GymKats split into two squads headed up by senior Beth Coleman and junior Katie Toups for an intra-squad scrimmage with each side of the Coliseum cheering for one squad. The competition was fierce as Coleman’s white squad, down after the first two rotations, made a strong comeback in the final two to overtake Toups’ blue squad, 117.700-117.100.

The UK pom squad and 10-time national champion cheerleaders also were on hand and performed to the delight of the fans. The cheerleading squad even gave the fans a sneak peek at the routine it will perform at the upcoming national championships. To top things off, the Anderson All-Stars, from Anderson, Ind., entertained the crowd with their dance moves, while fan-favorite Percy Price offered an impersonation of Sisqo.

What the night gave the fans was fun, prizes and a chance to meet the GymKats, who signed autographs for 30 minutes afterward.

Academi-Kats…

The University of Kentucky gymnastics team has a tradition of excellence on and off the mats. In 2000, UK had eight student athletes named to the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches/Women Scholastic All-America team, more than half the team. The GymKats also placed five gymnasts on the 2000 Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll. Nationally, the team ranked in the top 20 with a team GPA of 3.30.

2000 SEC Academic Honor Roll

Mila Chitwood
Krissy Hoeferlin
Natalie Hunt
Jessie Lemp
Katie Toups

2000 Academic All-America

Karla Adelt
Nicole Allen
Mila Chitwood
Krissy Hoeferlin
Jessie Lemp
Mindy Smith
Stephanee Stone
Katie Toups

Kats From Across the Nation…

This seasons edition of the GymKats boasts athletes from nine different states. The state with the most representation is Texas with three. Here is the breakdown:
Texas – 3
Colorado – 2
Illinois – 2
Kentucky – 2
Ohio – 2
Indiana – 1
Florida – 1
Louisiana – 1
New York – 1

The quality recruiting continues…

Joining the GymKats for the 2002 season will be a recruiting class comparable to any in Kentucky’s past. Signing letters of intent were Michelle Gales and twins Kara and Krista Prestigiacomo of Atlanta, Ga., and Ashley Brown of Orlando, Fla.

“I am very excited about next year’s group of signees,” Coach Little said. “I feel we have assembled a class of recruits that will help us take it to the next level. They all have experience competing at the national level and have routines with a high degree of difficulty. They should provide depth for us in all the events, and we are excited about their potential.”

The Prestigiacomos bring excellent skill to the GymKats. Kara, who is second academically in her high school class, most recently qualified for the 2000 Level 10 Nationals where she finished 10th on the vault. In 1999, she claimed second on the vault at the Level 10 regional meet after finishing as the state Level 10 uneven bars champion.

Kara’s sister Krista, who is fourth academically in her high school class, excelled at the 1999 Level regional meet with a fourth-place finish on the floor exercise. At the state Level 10 meet, she captured the floor exercise, balance beam, all-around titles, while placing second on the uneven bars and the vault. Both Kara and Krista were members of the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Exhibition Team.

Gales comes to UK bearing excellent credentials having won Level 10 titles at state and regional competitions, including first place on the floor exercise at regionals in 2000. She also finished 11th in the all-around at the 2000 Level 10 national competition.

A Level 10 gymnast for more than three years, Brown has competed at the state and regional Level 10 competitions each year, earning a spot at the national meet in 1998.

SEC Dominates Yet Another Sport…

In the inaugural NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships, the University of Florida gave the Southeastern Conference its only representative in the meet. The Gators finished seventh that year.

However, UF set a standard that the remaining conference teams have followed. Since the second meet in 1983, Florida represented the conference each year through 1999. Most importantly, the Gators took at least two other SEC teams along with them. Even though UF did not make it as a team in 2000, three conference teams competed at the NCAA meet.

Not only have SEC teams gone to nationals, they have done quite well. The SEC has won eight national team titles and 49 individual titles. In 1998, the SEC had the top three finishers, becoming the only conference in history to do so.

Overall, the SEC has won the NCAA eight times, with Georgia taking the title five times and Alabama claiming three.

Though Kentucky has never competed in the NCAA Championships as a team, it does hold a couple of individual records. Kentucky is second in the NCAA in individual event champions in a single year with four and Jenny Hansen is third all-time in number of First-Team All-America honors with 13. Hanson is also the only gymnast to ever win three all-around championships.