INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The 2005 National Collegiate Women’s Gymnastics Championships regional selections were announced Monday by the NCAA. Kentucky will be the fifth seed at the Central Regional meet in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on April 9.

The Central Region field includes No. 4 Alabama, No. 9 Iowa State, No. 16 Utah State, No. 21 Auburn, No. 23 Kentucky and Kent State. The Cats have not competed in regional competition as a team since 2002 when UK finished fifth in Morgantown, W Va., ahead of SEC foe Auburn.

?It?s very important for the team to make it to regional competition,? said UK head coach Mo Muhammad. ?A gymnast cannot be an All-American without competing in regionals, and the upcoming competition gives them that first step to becoming an All-American.?

The Central Region competition is the first meeting of the year between Iowa State and Kent State. Kentucky is 1-2 vs. Auburn, with a win coming at the Master?s Classic in Lincoln, Neb., on Jan. 27. The Cats are 0-2 vs. Alabama in 2005. The last meeting between the three schools came last weekend at the SEC Championship in Duluth, Ga. UK also defeated Utah State in Denver, Colo., on Mar. 19.

Kentucky?s draw results are as follows: vault, bye, uneven bars, balance beam, bye and floor exercise. Auburn will begin with a bye and end on vault, while Alabama begins on bars and ends in the fifth rotation on vault.

?We couldn?t ask for a better draw,? said Muhammad. ?Starting off on vault is like competing at home. We still have to compete on all four events, but with that order we pretty much have our destiny in our hands.?

Meet time is set for 6 p.m. CST.

-UK-