Jan. 20, 2012
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Behind a season-high team score on floor exercise, where two Wildcats set or tied their career-high marks, the University of Kentucky gymnastics team showed improvement from its first Southeastern Conference meet of the year to its second meet of the year in a 196.275-194.075 loss to No. 8 Florida at Memorial Coliseum on Friday night.
“I thought that our team performed well tonight,” said UK head coach Tim Garrison, who is in his first season as head coach of the program. “We still have a lot of work to do, but I am seeing a great deal of progress from this young group.”
Of UK’s 24 routines on the night, a total of 20 were performed by freshmen or sophomores. Kentucky (2-3, 0-2 SEC) used 18 routines from underclassmen in the first meet of the year and 19 last week in its SEC opener at No. 3 Arkansas. The SEC home-opening score of 194.075 is the highest for UK since 2010.
Overall, the youthful Wildcats showed improvement from last week, setting 10 season-high marks and setting or tying nine career-high scores on the night. Sophomore Audrey Harrison and freshman Alexis Gross were the lone two all-around competitors in the meet for Kentucky. Harrison led the way for UK, finishing fourth in the all-around competition with a career-high 38.975, while Gross, who was competing all-around for the first time in her career, earned a score of 38.4.
UK saved its best event of the night for last, earning a season-high mark of 48.625 on floor. Harrison finished fourth overall on the event and led UK with a season-high and career-tying mark of 9.8, while Gross followed close behind with a 9.725. Hedges set a career high with a 9.725, while sophomore Kayla Sienkowski went 9.7. Freshman Shelby Hilton made her second-consecutive floor lineup and went 9.675, while Hartley completed the UK rotation with a 9.375.
Kentucky started the night on vault, posting a team score of 48.75, just tenths off its season-high mark on the event. Harrison, who finished tied for fourth overall on vault, paced UK with a career-high 9.825, while fellow sophomore Holly Cunningham earned a career high with a 9.8. Senior Storey Morris, who was vaulting for only the fourth time collegiately, and freshman Kenzie Hedges each posted a 9.775. Hilton and Gross completed the rotation, going 9.575 and 9.425, respectively.
The Wildcats finished just a few hundredths of a point away from setting a season high on uneven bars after gathering a 48.425 as a team. Senior co-captain Morris led the Wildcats and finished tied fourth overall at the meet with a season-high mark of 9.8, followed by freshman Sara Shipley, who earned a career-high 9.675. Senior Whitney Rose continued her consistency on bars with a 9.65, while Harrison grabbed the same score for a career-high mark. Gross went fifth in the lineup and scored 9.65, while sophomore Kayla Hartley wrapped up UK’s scoring with a 9.525.
The Wildcats also showed improvement on balance beam with a team score of 48.275. Morris again led UK with a 9.725, while Harrison grabbed a season-high 9.7. Sophomores Cunningham and Sienkowski followed, going 9.65 and 9.6, respectively, while Gross went 9.6 and Hedges earned an 8.6.
Florida (3-0, 1-0 SEC) took home event titles on each event with Kytra Hunter winning the vault, uneven bars and balance beam titles, while Marissa King won floor exercise. Hunter also took home the all-around crown with a 39.475.
Kentucky will be in action again when it travels to face Illinois-Chicago on Saturday, Jan. 28 at 6 p.m. ET. UK’s next home meet will be Friday, Feb. 10 against defending National Champion Alabama. The meet with the Crimson Tide will kickoff at 7 p.m. ET inside Memorial Coliseum.
Team Results
1) UF 196.275; 2) UK 194.075
VAULT Results
1) Kytra Hunter (UF) 9.925, 2) Ashanée Dickerson (UF) 9.900, 3) Nicole Ellis (UF) 9.850, 4) Alaina Johnson (UF) 9.825, Audrey Harrison (UK) 9.825, 6) Holly Cunningham (UK) 9.800, 7) Jamie Shisler (UF) 9.775, Storey Morris (UK) 9.775, Kenzie Hedges (UK) 9.775, 10) Marissa King (UF) 9.700, 11) Shelby Hilton (UK) 9.575, 12) Alexis Gross (UK) 9.425
BARS Results
1) Kytra Hunter (UF) 9.875, Marissa King (UF) 9.875, 3) Alaina Johnson (UF) 9.850, 4) Nicole Ellis (UF) 9.800, Storey Morris (UK) 9.800, 6) Mackenzie Caquatto (UF) 9.775, 7) Ashanée Dickerson (UF) 9.725, 8) Sara Shipley (UK) 9.675, 9) Whitney Rose (UK) 9.650, Audrey Harrison (UK) 9.650, Alexis Gross (UK) 9.650, 12) Kayla Hartley (UK) 9.525
BEAM Results
1) Kytra Hunter (UF) 9.850, 2) Alaina Johnson (UF) 9.775, 3) Randy Stageberg (UF) 9.750, Rachel Spicer (UF) 9.750, 5) Storey Morris (UK) 9.725, 6) Marissa King (UF) 9.700, Audrey Harrison (UK) 9.700, 8) Ashanée Dickerson (UF) 9.650, Holly Cunningham (UK) 9.650, 10) Kayla Sienkowski (UK) 9.600, Alexis Gross (UK) 9.600, 12) Kenzie Hedges (UK) 8.600
FLOOR Results
1) Marissa King (UF) 9.850, Ashanée Dickerson (UF) 9.850, 3) Kytra Hunter (UF) 9.825, 4) Audrey Harrison (UK) 9.800, 5) Amy Ferguson (UF) 9.750, 6) Randy Stageberg (UF) 9.725, Alexis Gross (UK) 9.725, Kenzie Hedges (UK) 9.725, 9) Kayla Sienkowski (UK) 9.700, 10) Shelby Hilton (UK) 9.675, 11) Kiersten Wang (UF) 9.525, 12) Kayla Hartley (UK) 9.375
All-Around Results
1) Kytra Hunter (UF) 39.475, 2) Ashanée Dickerson (UF) 39.125, Marissa King (UF) 39.125, 4) Audrey Harrison (UK) 38.975, 5) Alexis Gross (UK) 38.400
UK: VAULT: 48.750, BARS: 48.425, BEAM: 48.275, FLOOR: 48.625
VAULT: Audrey Harrison 9.825, Holly Cunningham 9.800, Storey Morris 9.775, Kenzie Hedges 9.775, Shelby Hilton 9.575, Alexis Gross 9.425
BARS: Storey Morris 9.800, Sara Shipley 9.675, Whitney Rose 9.650, Audrey Harrison 9.650, Alexis Gross 9.650, Kayla Hartley 9.525
BEAM: Storey Morris 9.725, Audrey Harrison 9.700, Holly Cunningham 9.650, Kayla Sienkowski 9.600, Alexis Gross 9.600, Kenzie Hedges 8.600
FLOOR: Audrey Harrison 9.800, Alexis Gross 9.725, Kenzie Hedges 9.725, Kayla Sienkowski 9.700, Shelby Hilton 9.675, Kayla Hartley 9.375
All-Around: Audrey Harrison 38.975, Alexis Gross 38.400
