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The University of Kentucky gymnastics team will be represented at the 2002 NCAA Gymnastics Championships by sophomore Aronda Primault on Thursday, April 18. Primault is the first UK gymnast to compete at nationals since Ashley Burkholder in 1998. Action will begin at Coleman Coliseum on the University of Alabama campus on Thursday at 1 p.m. with the first of two six-team sessions and will continue through Saturday, April 20 with the individual event finals at 7p.m.

“This is such a great opportunity for Aronda,” coach Leah Little said. “We are all excited about the opportunity she has and know she will be a fine representative of the University of Kentucky.”

Primault qualified as an individual to the NCAA Championships by finishing seventh in the all-around at the NCAA Southeast Regional Championships with a 39.225. Finishing second among all-arounders whose teams did not qualify, the Canton, Ohio, native grabbed one of two at-large berths.

“I was surprised,” Primault said. “Going into the last event (at regionals), I wasn’t sure whether I could qualify. I am very disappointed my team won’t be competing with me because we had a great season. I am going to go out there and do the best I can.”

In addition to finishing seventh at regionals, she tied for fourth on the vault and tied for eighth on the uneven bars, scoring a 9.850 on each.

In 2001, Primault nearly qualified for nationals, placing third among non-team all-arounders at regionals and missing out by just 0.100 points.

Primault saw action in 12 of UK’s 13 meets this season, competing in the all-around 11 times. In those 11 meets, she scored a 39.200 or better nine times. Primault’s all-around average of 39.139 is the highest at UK since Jenny Hansen completed the 1995 season with a 39.310.

With a fifth-place finish in the all-around at the Southeastern Conference Championships, Primault earned first-team All-SEC honors, the first of her career.

This season, Primault led UK on the vault, bars, floor and all-around, while finishing third on the balance beam. She has hit 45 of 47 routines on the year and had tallied a career high on each apparatus and in the all-around.

Primault is paired with Minnesota and will rotate with the Gophers in the second of two sessions starting at 7 p.m. Thursday night. In a random draw, UM was selected to start on vault, therefore, Primault will be following the typical regular-season home rotation this week. After vault, she will have a bye before moving on to the uneven bars. The balance beam will be next. Following a second bye, Primault will finish the night on the floor exercise.