DENTON, Texas ? The No. 23 Kentucky Wildcats competed in a quad meet hosted by Texas Woman?s University on Friday March 14. UK also faced Utah State and Centenary. The Wildcats landed on top with a score of 195.200 to beat TWU, 194.200, Utah State, 193.900, and Centenary, 192.025.
Kentucky began the evening on the balance beam, an event on which they are ranked in the top-25 at No. 23. Junior Heather Hite took team top honors on the beam with a 9.675. Despite the rough start, the Wildcats persevered and overcame the beginning deficit by showing their claws on the team?s best event, floor.
As they are well known to do, the Wildcats tore up the floor with their explosive performances, jumping back on top of the competition. The team?s overall score of 49.325 is a season high as well as the third highest score in school history. Sophomore Emily Green nailed a career high mark of 9.900. Green tied for team top honors with SEC Gymnast of the Week Hillary Ferguson. The 9.9 scores gave the UK gymnasts a three way tie with Utah State?s Jasmine Minion for the event?s title.
Trailing Utah State by .550 after the second rotation, UK started vault with two season highs. Freshmen Phylicia Reshard and Andrea Mitchell each brought in new season highs with a 9.775 and 9.825, respectively. Individually ranked No. 18 on vault, Green nailed a 9.925, a career high for the New York native. Green?s mark was enough to win her the sixth vault title of her career. The 49.125 overall score for the Cats was another season high for the team.
Mitchell began the finale for Kentucky?s success on the uneven bars. She started the final rotation off by matching her career high of 9.750. Ferguson earned team top honors with a 9.825. Sophomore Jacque Behrendt landed a career high of 9.725. The team earned another season high score of 48.800 for the bars, the third season high of the night.
Along with the team?s three individual event titles, Kentucky took home the all-around title with Ferguson?s 39.200. The title is the first of its kind for the Kentucky native and her seventh title of the 2008 season. Ferguson also earned the floor title which she shared with teammate Green and Utah State?s Minion. The sophomore now holds the team?s second most career titles at nine, behind Hite?s 17.
?We started off rough and didn?t do our best on beam, despite no falls. It didn?t seem like we had any energy,? Head Coach Mo Mitchell stated. ?But the team showed a lot of heart. We came back and gave strong performances on the next three events.?
Kentucky will round out the weekend with a second meet on Sunday March 16 in Shreveport, La. hosted by Centenary. Sunday?s meet is slated for 2 p.m. ET.
For more information on Kentucky gymnastics, visit www.ukathletics.com.
