Every Tuesday, UK Athletics recognizes outstanding performances for our student-athletes.
These are the honorees for the week ending Sunday, Mar. 6:
Gymnastics: Seniors – Jasmine Minion, Andrea Mitchell, Phylicia Reshard, Colleen Williams
In their final home meet of their collegiate careers, these four gymnasts stepped up to the challenge and carried the Kentucky gymnastics team to a season-best score of 195.65. All four gymnasts had impressive scores at the event, but none more than Mitchell who set or tied a career high on three events en route to her career best all-around score of 39.550. Minion was great for UK on beam, scoring a career best beam score of 9.775, while Reshard continued her solid year as an all-arounder with a score of 39.2. Williams had arguably her best meet of the year Friday, taking home medalist honors on vault with a 9.85 and setting a season high on bars with a 9.8.
Baseball: Jordan Cooper
Sophomore right-hander Jordan Cooper turned in the start of his career in a must-win situation on Sunday at the 2011 Houston College Classic against Utah, hosted by the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park … Cooper hurled seven innings and allowed only one run on three hits, striking out a career-high nine … The Shelbyville, Tenn., native picked up the win over the red-hot Utes, holding UT to a .150 batting average … Cooper allowed only one run in the first inning on two back-to-back hits to start the game, including one that bounced off his cleats on the mound … On the year, Cooper owns a 1-0 record and a 3.86 ERA in four games and three starts, totaling one save … In 16.1 innings this season, Cooper has fanned 13.
Softball: Lauren Cumbess
Freshman Lauren Cumbess has been an offensive spark and a consistent performer in the circle in helping guide UK to its best start in program history following a 3-0 weekend at the Coach B Classic. Cumbess is currently on a six-game hitting streak which ranks as the fourth best streak on the team this season. In a win over Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, Cumbess had a day to remember. In her lone pitching performance of the week, Cumbess was nearly flawless with a complete game shutout in the win. She yielded what would become three meaningless singles and struck out a career-best 10 in the win. At the dish, Cumbess connected for her first career home run to aide her own cause with a solo shot in the fifth inning to lift UK to the 2-0 win. In the victory over Southern Illinois, Cumbess produced an RBI single in the first inning and would come around to score to help guide UK to a 9-5 win.
Softball: Kara Dill
Sophomore Kara Dill paced the Wildcats to a 3-0 week to improve to 14-3 overall on the season, which is the best start in school history. Dill batted .556 for the week, which included a career-best three hits in a win over Southern Illinois. Dill also tapped home a career-high three times in that outing. In the victory over Purdue, Dill executed a perfectly-played suicide-squeeze bunt to plate the final run of a three-run inning to lift UK to the comfortable advantage. She has started all 17 games for UK at shortstop in her first season in the role and has performed admirably registering 17 putouts and 24 assists while committing just one error in the opening weekend of action.
Baseball: Trevor Gott
Freshman right-hander Trevor Gott had a stellar weekend at the Houston College Classic, pitching in the Friday and Sunday games … Gott picked up a huge save in the Sunday game, entering with a 2-1 UK lead in the eighth inning and tossing two shutout innings with only one infield hit allowed … A native of Lexington, Ky., and a graduate of Tates Creek, Gott struck out four in the outing … In his appearance on Friday, Gott was called on to face reigning NCAA Player of the Year, Rice third sacker Anthony Rendon … Gott forced a first pitch swing and miss from Rendon, then educed a harmless ground out … On the year, Gott has appeared in a team-high five games this season, posting a 1-1 record and a perfect 0.00 ERA … Gott has tossed 8.1 innings without allowing an earned run, fanning 11 in 8.1 frames.
Baseball: Braden Kapteyn
Junior two-way star Braden Kapteyn had a productive weekend during UK’s three games at the Houston College Classic … A native of Lansing, Ill., Kapteyn hit in the middle of the order on the weekend and reached base safely in a staggering 11-of-13 plate appearances … On Friday vs. Rice, Kapteyn snapped 25 consecutive innings without a homer at the spacious Minute Maid Park, by sending a towering bomb into the famous Crawford Boxes over the tall leftfield fence … In five plate appearances vs. the high-octane Owls, Kapteyn reached five times … In a game with Houston, Kapteyn reached base safely in 2-of-4 visits to the plate, totaling a run … In Sunday’s win over Utah, Kapteyn was UK’s offense, reaching base safely in all four outings, including scoring UK’s only two runs in a 2-1 win … Kapteyn went 2-for-2 at the plate with two walks … In a tie game in the eighth inning, Kapteyn delivered a deep triple that sailed near the 4340foot centerfield fence, for his first career triple, coming around to score the go-ahead run.
Men’s basketball: Brandon Knight
Scored in double-figures for the 24th and 25th straight games … Was a perfect 12-for-12 from the free throw line on the week … Scored 12 of his 17 points and grabbed four of his six rebounds in the second half against Vanderbilt to help the Cats remain perfect at home for the second straight season … Iced the game vs. Vanderbilt with two free throws with :08 left to UK an insurmountable 68-65 lead … At Tennessee, he scored 17 of his game-high 19 points in the second half to help the Cats to a season sweep of the Volunteers … Hit a pair of free throws with just over a minute remaining to help put the game away … Broke the UK freshman record for 3-pointers in a season with 69th
Men’s basketball: Darius Miller
Tallied back-to-back double-digit efforts against Vanderbilt and Tennessee giving him a career-best six-straight double-digit scoring games … Shot better than .500 on the week for the second straight week … Hit a pair of free throws with 4:28 left in the game that gave Kentucky the lead for good … Hit a pair of crucial 3-pointers in the road win against Tennessee the second of which gave UK a four-point lead with 2:53 left in the game
Women’s tennis: Marni Venter
- Defeated Vivian Pietraroia of Mississippi State on Sunday 6-1, 6-1
- Paired with fellow freshman Caitlin McGraw, won at No. 2 doubles 8-1
