NOTES
This Weekend?s Meet
The Wildcats (7-4, 1-4) travel to Athens, Ga. for their SEC regular season finale with No. 1-ranked Georgia (12-0, 5-0), Fri., March 3, at 7 p.m. The meet marks the third SEC road contest in the last four weeks for the Cats as they try and snap a four-meet losing streak. Live stats for the event will be available on ukathletics.com
Rankings
The Wildcats check in at No. 19 in the recent GymInfo Poll (2/27). All seven schools in the SEC who sponsor gymnastics are represented in the rankings. Defending National Champion No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Florida, No. 4 Alabama, No. 7 LSU, No. 13 Auburn, No. 19 Kentucky and No. 20 Arkansas all reside in the top 25.
History
There aren?t a lot of teams who have defeated Georgia and the Cats are one of them as they search for their first-ever win against the Gym Dogs. Last season, UGA clipped UK, 195.850-193-325, in Lexington.
National Rankings
Three UK gymnasts are currently ranked among the top 50 nationally in various events — Krystle Cook (20th all-around, 14th bars, 13th vault, 37th floor), Heather Hite (t-9th beam) and Natalie Rubinstein (39th bars).
9.925s
The Cats posted two 9.925s last weekend at Arkansas — their two highest individual marks of the season. Cook hit the mark on bars, while Kristen O?Shields accomplished the feat on beam.
Season-Bests
Despite the loss to Arkansas last weekend, the Cats scored a season-best score of 196.250. The score currently ranks second all-time at UK. Kentucky also registered a season-high on beam (49.350), which tied UK?s 2001 squad for the highest mark in program history.
UK Gymnast of the Week 2/27
Cook was named UK Gymnast of the Week by the coaching staff after placing first in the all-around competition vs. Arkansas with a career-high 39.525. The score marked the eighth highest tally this season nationally. The Austin, Texas native placed first on vault (9.9), second on bars (9.925, tied career-high) and tied for second on beam (9.875).
Scouting Georgia (12-0, 5-0)
Georgia wraps up the home portion of the regular season on Friday night when Kentucky visits Stegeman Coliseum. The Gym Dogs moved their record to 12-0 overall and 5-0 in SEC meets with a win last week at Auburn. This year?s group joins the UGA teams of 1993-’94-’98-’99 as the only ones under Coach Yoculan to win the first nine meets of the season. A win on Friday by the Gym Dogs would give them an undefeated (6-0) season in the SEC standings for the seventh time in the last 10 years. No other team in the last decade has done it once. In the individual rankings Courtney Kupets, this week’s SEC Gymnast of the Week, is No. 1 in the all-around and on the uneven bars. She is also No. 3 on beam, No. 4 on vault and No. 9 on floor, joining UCLA’s Kate Richardson as the only gymnasts in the top 10 on every event.
Looking Ahead
Kentucky returns to the Commonwealth for its home finale and hosts a tri-meet vs. Air Force and Ball State, Fri., March 10, at 7:30 p.m.
