TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ? The University of Kentucky gymnastics squad prepares for the NCAA Central Region Championships Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Kentucky is the fifth seed at the regional meet to be held in Coleman Coliseum at 6 p.m. CST.
The Cats are vying for two spots to the NCAA Championship site in Auburn, Ala. The Central Region is one of six regionals which will be held around the country Saturday night. The top two teams from each regional will advance, filling out the 12-team field at the final site. Kentucky is looking for its first team NCAA Championship appearance.
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. There will also be five individual all-arounders in attendance from teams that did not make the regional field. They will also be vying for NCAA berths. 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 Championships 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.
The Iowa State squad has ties to UK, as assistant coach Kristen Hoeferlin was a former UK gymnast. Hoeferlin was named 1996 Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year and was team captain in 1999 and 2000.
The Cats received a great draw for the regional meet. Kentucky?s draw results are as follows: vault, bye, uneven bars, balance beam, bye and floor exercise.
?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.?
Last season, at the Central Region Championships, Michelle Gales finished 11th in the all-around with a score of 39.025, recording a season-high 9.825 on beam. Aronda Primault was the last Wildcat competitor to qualify for the Nationals, and was the eighth UK gymnast to individually qualify for Nationals at Kentucky.
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