No. 28 UK vs. No. 5 Michigan
Friday, January 26
7:30 p.m.
Memorial Coliseum · Lexington, Ky.
Scouting the Wolverines…
Michigan comes into Lexington ranked No. 5 in the country, sporting a 5-3 record. The Wolverines opened the season at the Super Six Challenge in Tuscaloosa, Ala., where they finished fourth behind Southeastern Conference powerhouses Georgia and Alabama and Stanford with a score of 194.475. They rebounded in their next meet to defeat No. 12 Oregon State, 194.075-190.925.
Last week, UM added 2000 United States Olympian Elise Ray to the lineup and scored a season high 196.200 to defeat nationally ranked Iowa and Minnesota. Ray joined the Wolverines after sitting out the first two meets due to an NCAA ruling concerning a non-binding contract she signed to compete in a post-Olympic Tour. However, the NCAA resolved the issue and declared Ray eligible after two meets.
Ray responded by scoring a team-high 39.175 in the all-around to claim second place. Her highest individual-apparatus finish was second place on the uneven bars behind teammate Bridget Knaeble with a score of 9.900.
Uneven Bars: Knaeble, a senior, is tied for the team lead on bars with a 9.875 average (with Ray), while her highest score on the event was a team-high 9.900 last week. The Wolverines are strong on bars, ranked No. 10 in the country on the apparatus. Senior Karina Senior is second on the team with a 9.825 average, while junior Amy Kuczera (9.783) and sophomore Janessa Grieco (9.763) are not far behind.
Vault: This is one of the Wolverines best events (like Kentucky), and they are ranked ninth in the nation. Grieco leads the team with a 9.817 average, while her top score of the season was a 9.850. Senior Chrissy Michaud scored a season-high 9.825 against Oregon State on her way to her 9.792 average. Freshman Calli Ryals and Senior give UM depth with averages also above 9.700.
Balance Beam: This is Michigan’s least consistent event with individual high scores ranging from 9.900 to 9.100; however, UM is ranked 19th in the country on the apparatus. Junior Shannon McKenzie is tops on the team with a 9.808 average. Her 9.900 was good for first place against Iowa and Minnesota, coming in just ahead of Ryals’ season-high 9.850. Ryals also is just behind McKenzie on the team with a 9.788 season average.
Floor Exercise: Here lies the Wolverines’ strength. They are ranked second in the nation, tied with Georgia and Nebraska. Six of the eight gymnasts who have competed in this event have scored over a 9.850, with Knaeble and Ryals notching season highs of 9.925. Ray notched a 9.875 in her opening meet last weekend, while Knaeble, who is ranked 10th on the floor, has maintained a 9.858 average. Grieco is carrying a 9.850 average, and junior Jodie Rosenberg and Senior are holding steady at 9.833.
The GymKats Report:
UK has opened the season with two losses, the season-opener at home to LSU and the road opener at Auburn. Both meets have been close, with the Tigers of Auburn topping the GymKats by a slim 0.075 margin. Despite the slow start as a team, UK is still ranked 28th in the nation with a team high score of 193.600 and has seen a lot of promise from all the gymnasts who maintain rankings regionally and nationally. Regionally, Kentucky holds on to the No. 6 position.
All-Around: Junior Jennifer Simmons, who is returning to the team after sitting out most of 2000 with a broken ankle, is the team’s leading all-arounder. Her season-high total of 38.775 is good for 11th in the region. Sophomore Julia Gore follows closely behind in the No. 19 spot with a high of 38.400, while freshman Julie Joy’s lone AA performance of 38.125 puts her at 24th in the region.
Vault: Traditionally one of Kentucky’s strongest events, the vault is no different in 2001. UK is tied for 13th nationally on the vault and fourth in the region with a season-high score of 48.725. Leading the way for the GymKats is Gore, the 2000 SEC Freshman of the Year, with a 9.800, which is tied for 14th in the region. Simmons has tallied a 9.775 for 16th, while freshman Julie Joy’s high of 9.750 places her at 24th. Senior Beth Coleman and freshman Aronda Primault each have highs of 9.700, and junior Katie Toups has earned a 9.675.
Uneven Bars: Led by Toups’ 9.800 against Auburn last week, UK’s top score of 48.250 is ranked seventh in the region and 36th in the country. Junior Jessie Lemp and Gore have each notched a 9.725, with junior Nicole Allen just behind the No. 39 spot with a 9.700. Simmons (9.675) and Joy (9.625) have also contributed solid scores to the team effort.
Balance Beam: This event has been UK’s trouble spot in the first two meets. However, the GymKats high score of 47.950 is 10th in the region, and one GymKat in particular has shown excellent skill on the beam. Sophomore Mindy Smith opened the season with a 9.850, tying her career high, and then followed that up with another career high of 9.900 at Auburn. Smith is tied for 13th nationally and first in the region, while Gore and Allen have earned solid scores of 9.725.
Floor Exercise: Kentucky’s 48.675 on the floor in each of its opening meets has it ranked 35th in the country and ninth in the region. Smith leads the team here as well with a season-high 9.800, which puts her at 24th in the region. Joy and Allen are just 0.050 behind at 9.750, and Simmons has tallied a season-high 9.725.
Tough, Tough Schedule…
In 2001, the GymKats face as rugged a schedule as they have seen in years. UK will meet six of the top nine teams from last season and eight of the top 16, including four of the top six finishers at the 2000 NCAA Championships.
The Kats open with a home date against LSU, and then two weeks later the Kats host Michigan before another home date with Georgia, the 2000 NCAA third-place finisher. The tough competition does not let up during the season as they travel to Denver, Alabama and Arizona State.
This week, 11 teams on UK’s schedule are ranked in the GymInfo national poll, which is based on high score.
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 first two meets this season, Simmons was 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. At Auburn, she again scored a 9.775 to capture second place behind teammate Julia Gore.
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 two in 2001, Smith has yet to count a fall on the beam. Against LSU, she tied a career high with a 9.850 en route to winning the individual apparatus title. She then followed that with another career perfomance at Auburn where she tallied a 9.900, only the third gymnast in school history to score that high on the beam. Smith moved up to 13th in the national rankings and is tops in the region.
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.
Joy made the move to the all-around competion at Auburn where she scored a solid 38.125 to finish third, just behind teammate Julia Gore.
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. On January 9, 2001, junior Katie Toups earned the PNC Bank Student-Athlete of the Week honor.
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 also is the only gymnast to ever win three all-around championships.
