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LEXINGTON, Ky. ? Kentucky senior Julie Joy picked Senior Night to claim her first All-Around title of the season with a 39.275 score to lead the Wildcats past the Ball State Cardinals, 195.000 ? 193.900 in Memorial Coliseum. Joy, who has only competed in the All-Around twice this season, claimed titles on the uneven bars (9.875) and beam (9.800) and the Cats swept all four individual titles in the meet.
?It is really sad because I?m never going to compete here again,? Joy said. ?I had a good career. I?m going to miss everybody when I leave.
Kentucky started the meet with a strong performance on vault, led by freshman Krystle Cook. Cook posted a career-best 9.925 for the second time this season to claim individual honors, while juniors Lindsay Cameron and Michelle Gales registered a pair of 9.850 scores to tie for second place. UK held a 49.125 ? 48.350 lead after the first rotation.
The Wildcats continued their strong start with a 49.050 bars performance in the second rotation. Joy led the Cats with a 9.875, followed by Gales? 9.850 and a pair of 9.825 scores from freshmen Cook and Alison Sarucci. Jessica Surridge paced Ball State with a fourth-place 9.800 on vault, but Kentucky led after two rotations, 98.175 ? 96.875.
Ball State rallied in the third rotation with a 48.875 team floor score, while Kentucky struggled on beam with a 47.475. Joy was the lone bright spot in the Cats lineup as she claimed her second individual title of the night with a 9.800 on beam. Kentucky moved to the fourth rotation trailing the Cardinals, 145.750 ? 145.650.
In the fourth and final rotation of the night, Kentucky put together its best team floor exercise score in two seasons with a 49.350, led by Gales who tied her career-high in the event with a 9.950. Five Kentucky gymnasts scored a 9.825 or better in the floor exercise, including Joy who registered a season-high 9.875 and Cook who posted a career-best 9.875. UK?s future looks bright as four of its six competitors in the floor exercise were freshmen.
?We were going into floor down one tenth of a point and we put together a great floor performance,? Coach Mo Muhammad said. ?I have to give them a lot of credit for not folding. We needed this meet to have a chance to go to the Regional Championships. The freshmen stepped up well for us tonight and they have really made an impact with this team.?
Kentucky paid tribute to Joy, Aronda Primault and student manager Gina Augspurger who witnessed the final home meet of their careers as Wildcats. Joy was the lone senior competitor as Primault sat out for the second week in a row due to a knee injury she sustained at LSU (Feb. 20). Since Primault?s injury, UK has scored season-highs on beam and floor exercise.
?We have really pulled the slack and we know that whatever we do without Aronda, we could have been better with her,? Muhammad said. ?At the same time, we have to move on keep getting better every meet.?
?I think we became more focused after Aronda?s injury because we wanted to perform well for her,? Joy said. ?Our whole theme was that we wanted to do well for her.?
Joy has shown exceptional leadership in Primault?s absence by posting two consecutive All-Around scores of 39.200 or better after not competing in the All-Around all season before Primault?s injury.
?I had a great four years,? Joy said. ?I love competing and I?ve had fun my entire time at Kentucky.?
The Wildcats return to the mats, Friday Mar. 12 against Texas Women?s University, Missouri and Pennsylvania. The quad meet will take place in Denton, Texas.
