Behind a solid 39.225 performance in the all-around competition, University of Kentucky sophomore gymnast Aronda Primault placed seventh at the NCAA Southeast Region Gymnastics Championships on Saturday, April 6 to earn a spot at the NCAA Championships.

“I am thrilled for Aronda,” coach Leah Little said. “She has done really well all year long, consistently scoring over 39. She will be our first gymnast to make nationals since Ashley Burkholder in 1998, and has an excellent shot at becoming our next All-American.”

With a 194.225 total for a fifth-place finish, UK will not be accompanying Primault as a team. Only the top two team finishers in the region advance to nationals, with those spots being taken by No. 2 Alabama, which finished first with a 197.900, and No. 11 Minnesota, which claimed second place with a 196.050. Rounding out the team finishes were West Virginia (194.850), North Carolina (194.825), UK and Michigan State (193.150). Primault qualified as one of the top two all-arounders whose teams did not qualify.

“I’m disappointed for our gymnasts because they’ve worked so hard since last summer,” Little said. “We needed a perfect meet to top Alabama and Minnesota, but we had too many little mistakes with small deductions that added up to a lot. But it was a good season, and we definitely look forward to next year.”

The GymKats got the night underway on bars after a first-rotation bye. Primault led the way with a 9.850, while junior Julia Gore added a 9.800. Senior Jessie Lemp and sophomore Julie Joy each scored a 9.775, and freshman Lindsay Cameron rounded out the scoring with a 9.650 to give UK a 48.850 team total.

For the second rotation, Kentucky moved to the balance beam, where they have had troubles with consistency this season. UK was led by junior Melanie Zaharias’ 9.775. Primault and junior Mindy Smith each added a 9.750, while Lemp tallied a 9.600. The GymKats’ 48.100 gave them a 96.950 team total and a fifth-place standing.

After another bye, the floor exercise was next for UK. Primault and freshman Kara Prestigiacomo paced the GymKats with a 9.775 each, a career high for Presitigiacomo. Gore came in with a 9.750, while freshman Michelle Gales scored a 9.600 and Joy scored a 9.550 for a team total of 145.400.

Finishing the night on vault, the GymKats scored a 48.825, the second-highest event total of the night behind a sixth-place 9.850 from Primault and a 9.800 from Zaharias. Prestigiacomo tallied another career-high 9.775, while Gales and Joy each scored a 9.700 to give Kentucky fifth place.

In an award ceremony last night, UK assistant coach Mo Muhammad was named the NCAA Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year, the second such honor in his five-year career at UK.

Team Scores: 1. Alabama 197.900, 2. Minnesota 196.050, 3. West Virginia 194.850, 4. North Carolina 194.825, 5. Kentucky 194.225, 6. Michigan State 193.150.

Attendance: 2,001

Individual Apparatus Results
(Top 3 and UK Finishers)

Vault

1. Alexis Brion (UA) 9.900, 1. Jeana Rice (UA) 9.900, 3. Courtney Norman (UM) 9.875, t4. Aronda Primault (UK) 9.850, t8. Melanie Zaharias (UK) 9.800, t13. Kara Prestigiacomo (UK) 9.775, t22. Michelle Gales (UK) 9.700, t22. Julie Joy (UK) 9.700, t37. Julia Gore (UK) 9.600.

Uneven Bars

1. Andree’ Pickens (UA) 9.975, 2. Natalie Barrington (UA) 9.950, 3. four gymnasts tied, t8. Aronda Primault (UK) 9.850, t13. Julia Gore (UK) 9.800, t17. Julie Joy (UK) 9.775, t17. Jessie Lemp (UK) 9.775, 33. Lindsay Cameron (UK) 9.650, t34. Nicole Allen (UK) 9.625.

Balance Beam

1. Alexa Martinez (UA) 9.950, 1. Andree’ Pickens (UA) 9.950, 1. Jeana Rice (UA) 9.950, 1. Kristin Sterner (UA) 9.950, t18. Melanie Zaharias (UK) 9.775, t21. Aronda Primault (UK) 9.750, t21. Mindy Smith (UK) 9.750, 32. Jessie Lemp (UK) 9.600, t38. Julia Gore (UK) 9.225, 40. Julie Joy (UK) 9.200.

Floor Exercise

1. Andree’ Pickens (UA) 9.950, 1. Mary Anne Kelley (UM) 9.950, 3. Alexis Brion (UA) 9.925, t17. Kara Prestigiacomo (UK) 9.775, t17. Aronda Primault (UK) 9.775, t21. Julia Gore (UK) 9.750, 36. Michelle Gales (UK) 9.600, 37. Julie Joy (UK) 9.550, 39. Melanie Zaharias (UK) 9.425.

All-Around

1. Jeana Rice (UA) 39.625, 2. Andree’ Pickens (UA) 39.300, 2. Raegan Tomasek (UA) 39.300, 2. Mary Anne Kelley (UM) 39.300, 7. Aronda Primault (UK) 39.225, 15. Julia Gore (UK) 38.375, 17. Julie Joy (UK) 38.225.