University of Kentucky gymnast Katie Toups suffered a career-ending injury when she tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee during practice, Coach Leah Little announced Thursday. The senior from Baton Rouge, La., will not seek a medical redshirt.

Toups was a solid contributor to the GymKats success in 2001, helping lead the team to fourth place at the Central Region Championhips, missing the NCAA Championships’ qualifying cut by a mere seven-tenths of a point. She scored a career-high 9.800 on vault for UK at the SEC Championships.

As a sophomore in 2000, Toups led the team on the uneven bars with a 9.825 average, including a career-high 9.900. During her freshman year, she set a career-high in the all-around with a 39.000, finishing third on the team with a 38.343 average.

Toups also was successful in the classroom. A member of the prestigious UK Society of Character, she was an NACGC/W Academic All-American and Southeastern Conference Honor Roll member.

A biology major, Toups will graduate in December with aspirations of attending medical school.