University of Kentucky gymnast Mindy Smith is ranked No. 6 in the nation on thebalance beam in this week’s GymInfo national standings. Not since Jenny Hanson, anNCAA National Champion, has a GymKat been ranked so high in the standings.

“This is a great achievement for Mindy,” Coach Leah Little said. “She has really puta lot of work into her routines and works hard to continue to compete well.”

Smith, a sophomore from Borden, Ind., has been a steady contributor to UK’sbeam lineup this season scoring no less than 9.800 to tally a regional qualifying score of9.865, which also is No. 1 in the Central Region. At Auburn on Jan. 19, Smith turned ina career performance with a 9.900 to win the individual honors, and last week againstAlabama, Smith turned it up a notch and recorded another career high with a 9.925 tohelp lead the GymKats to a school-record beam score of 49.350.

In 17 competitions as a collegian, Smith has shown remarkable poise and balance,counting no falls during her routines.