SEC Championships on Television
The SEC Gymnastics Championships will be aired Saturday, March 27 at 8 P.M., EST, on Fox Sports Net.
DULUTH, Ga. ? The Kentucky Wildcats will participate in the 24th Southeastern Conference Championship gymnastics meet Friday, March 20 at the Gwinnett County Civic Center in Duluth, Ga., at 7 p.m. The SEC features some of the best gymnastics programs in the country including four teams that rank in the Top-10 and six that rank in the Top-25.
Kentucky comes into the meet with a young lineup that features 14 freshman and sophomore routines out of the 24 routines in the meet. The Wildcats have suffered several injuries to its upperclassman competitors, including senior Aronda Primault, who has led the Cats in the All-Around three consecutive seasons.
?This is probably the youngest team we?ve ever had competing at the SEC Championships,? Muhammad said. ?Injuries have done that to a lot of teams and it forces other people to step up. We?ll go out and try to hit our sets and do the best we can.?
Junior Michelle Gales had led the Wildcats in the All-Around this season and is currently in position to qualify for the Central Region Championships as an All-Around performer. Gales has posted four consecutive 39.000 or better All-Around performances, including a career-high 39.400 against then-No. 5 Florida on Feb. 27. She is ranked ninth in the SEC in the All-Around and tied for third in the conference on floor exercise.
The No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide will try to defend its title and take home its sixth SEC crown, while No. 4 Georgia will be aiming at taking its third title in the last four years. No. 5 LSU and No. 8 Florida round out the foursome of SEC schools ranked in the nation?s Top-10 who will vie for the conference title. No. 20 Auburn and No. 24 Arkansas are also ranked in the Top-25, making the SEC one of the nation?s top gymnastics conferences.
?The SEC meet is probably the best collegiate event next to Nationals,? Muhammad said. ?Sometimes it overwhelms Nationals because you have so many more fans and the energy level is so incredible. It is an experience that every athlete in the SEC enjoys being a part of.?
Georgia on my Mind
The SEC Championships is a homecoming for several Kentucky gymnasts, including Gales who is an Atlanta, Ga., native. Juniors Kara and Krista Prestigiacomo are also Atlanta products and sophomore Bethany Strauch hails from Lawrenceville, Ga.
Lindsay Cameron Named to SEC Good Works Team
Kentucky junior Lindsay Cameron was named to the 2004 Southeastern Conference Gymnastics Good Works team on Tuesday by the league office. The Good Works Team recognizes student-athletes who give back to their communities in superior service efforts. The SEC recognizes Good Works teams for all 20 sports it sponsors.
Cameron is very active in community service and believes in helping those who are less fortunate. She is a volunteer at the local Ronald McDonald House and the UK Children?s Hospital. She also serves as a mentor for a student at Leestown Middle School.
She spoke during Drug Awareness Week at Rosa Parks Elementary school this year and she volunteered with Habitat for Humanity. Cameron also collected food for God?s Pantry Food Drive and is active with the Kindacare Pre-School Read to Children program.
The junior from Cookeville, Tenn., is majoring in journalism at UK and was a member of the 2003 SEC Academic Honor Roll. She has been a regular in Kentucky?s vault lineup this season. She posted one of the highest scores of the year, a 9.925, at LSU on February 20.
Kara Prestigiacomo Nominated for Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award
Kentucky gymnast Kara Prestigiacomo was nominated for SEC Gymnastics Scholar Athlete of the Year Award. Prestigiacomo exemplifies how a student-athlete is supposed to be.
The Atlanta, Ga., product has kept academics as her main priority, with athletics as a close second, in her time at Kentucky. Prestigiacomo is a nursing major and she has registered a 4.0 GPA all five semesters she has been at UK. She was named to the 2003 SEC Academic Honor Roll and has made the Kentucky AD Honor Roll five times.
In the gym, Prestigiacomo is one of the Wildcats? most consistent performers on vault. This season, she has scored a 9.775 on vault on three occasions. She also scored a season-high 9.750 on beam against Ball State (3/5/04).
The Scholar Athlete of the Year Award will be announced after the SEC Championships meet, which takes place Fri., March 20 in Duluth, Ga.
