March 11, 2012
Photo Gallery | Final Results (PDF)
LEXINGTON, Ky. — For only the 10th time in school history, the University of Kentucky gymnastics team has scored a 196 team score or higher, posting a dominating 196.025 mark in a tri-meet victory over George Washington and Ball State on Sunday at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Ky. The two victories on Sunday moves Kentucky’s record to 8-6 this season, assuring the Wildcats of a winning regular season for the first time since 2008.
“I am extremely proud of this group,” said UK head coach Tim Garrison, who is in his first season with the Wildcats. “I am so proud of everything they have accomplished not only today, but the entire season. This result today is a culmination of all the hard work they have put into this season. They have worked their tails off. We have a saying in the athletic department, `Expect to Win,’ and I told them today they deserved to win.”
The meet was a historic one for the Kentucky program, as the score of 196.025 tied the seventh-highest score in school history. The high mark is also tied for the second-highest team score in a home meet in UK history, while Garrison becomes the first head coach in program history to lead the team to a 196-plus team score during year one of a coach’s tenure.
Kentucky is coming off an impressive performance last week at Illinois, where it grabbed a team score of 195.95. Kentucky’s 196.025 Sunday marked the highest consecutive team scores in one season since the 2002 team posted back-to-back 196s against Ball State and Auburn.
The Wildcats defeated George Washington and Ball State on every event, while setting or tying eight season highs and seven career highs in the meet. UK scored a 49.0 or higher on three events, including a season-best 49.15 on uneven bars. Junior Caitlyn Ciokajlo took home the event title on bars with a 9.875, while senior Storey Morris won balance beam with a 9.875 and sophomore Audrey Harrison claimed floor with a 9.875. Harrison also took home her third all-around title of the season with a 39.175.
The win against the Cardinals and Colonials continued Kentucky’s recent success as the Wildcats have scored a 195 or higher in four of their last five meets. UK scored back-to-back 195.05s at Illinois-Chicago on Jan. 28 and at LSU on Feb. 3. UK posted a 195.95 last week in Champaign, Ill., while it had a slight setback at top-five ranked Georgia on Feb. 18, scoring a 193.125.
Kentucky started the night on vault with a team score of 48.725. Sophomore Holly Cunningham paced the Wildcats on the event with a 9.825, which was the second-highest score overall on the event. Fellow sophomore Kenzie Hedges and Morris followed with 9.775s, while Harrison and freshman Shelby Hilton scored 9.675s. Ciokajlo concluded the event for UK with a 9.225.
UK posted a season-best 49.150 on bars behind the event title from Ciokajlo, who scored a career-high tying 9.875. The native of Brooklyn, Mich., has now scored a 9.825 or higher in four-consecutive meets. Morris followed closely behind Ciokajlo with a 9.85, which was the second-highest score at the meet, while Harrison and freshman Sara Shipley set career-highs with a pair of 9.825s. Senior Whitney Rose tied a season-best score of a 9.775, while freshman Alexis Gross posted a 9.75.
The Wildcats scored an impressive 49.0 on balance beam, marking the second-consecutive meet they have scored a 49.0 or higher on the event. Entering last weekend at Illinois, Kentucky had only posted 11 team scores on beam of 49.0 or higher in its 38-year history as a program. Morris took home the title on the event with a career-high 9.875, while Gross also posted a career high with a 9.825. Harrison continued to be consistent on the event with a 9.8, while sophomore Kayla Sienkowski and freshman Shannon Mitchell posted 9.75s.
Floor exercise was also solid for Kentucky, earning its second-highest team score on the event this season with a 49.15. Harrison grabbed the event title with an impressive 9.875, while Sienkowski and Gross scored career-best marks with a 9.85 and 9.8, respectively. Hedges was solid for UK yet again with a 9.85, while Hilton posted a 9.775 and sophomore Kayla Hartley a 9.575.
Kentucky honored its two seniors, Morris and Rose, after the meet for their hard work and dedication to the Kentucky program. Morris and Rose have had a significant impact the past four years, earning countless accolades inside and outside the gym. Both were inducted into the Frank G. Ham Society of Character and are three-year members to the SEC Academic Honor Roll.
Morris, a native of Tyler, Texas, has been in every vault, uneven bars and beam lineup this season, leading UK in bars and beam average. Rose has also participated on bars in every meet with a strong average on the event.
“Outside of the gym, I don’t think you can measure the leadership of Storey Morris and Whitney Rose,” Garrison said. “They are invaluable to this team and they live life the right way. That is what we ask of our student-athletes, whether it be in the classroom, in the gym or socially. They are outstanding role models and I could not be more proud of how they live their lives. They are tremendous role models to our young girls.”
The Wildcats will be in action again Saturday when it travels to face Centenary in Shreveport, La., at 7 p.m. ET. After the meet, UK will return to Lexington for a few days of practice before it begins postseason play at the Southeastern Conference Championships in Duluth, Ga., on March 24.
For more information on the Kentucky gymnastics team, follow “UKGymnastics” on Twitter and Facebook or visit UKathletics.com.
Team Results
1) UK 196.025; 2) BSU 191.725; 3) GW 191.650
VAULT Results
1) Nicole Allen (BSU) 9.850, 2) Holly Cunningham (UK) 9.825, 3) Aftyn Siemer (BSU) 9.775, Storey Morris (UK) 9.775, Kenzie Hedges (UK) 9.775, 6) Morgan Coslow (BSU) 9.725, 7) Taylor Henderson (GW) 9.700, 8) Shelby Hilton (UK) 9.675, Audrey Harrison (UK) 9.675, Elena Corcoran (GW) 9.675, Courtney Willoughby (GW) 9.675, 12) Stephanie Stoicovy (GW) 9.600, Betsy Zander (GW) 9.600, 14) Sam Santos (BSU) 9.575, 15) Kiera Kenney (GW) 9.550, 16) Kelly Barock (BSU) 9.525, 17) Kristin Vignola (BSU) 9.425, 18) Caitlyn Ciokajlo (UK) 9.225
BARS Results
1) Caitlyn Ciokajlo (UK) 9.875, 2) Storey Morris (UK) 9.850, 3) Audrey Harrison (UK) 9.825, Sara Shipley (UK) 9.825, 5) Whitney Rose (UK) 9.775, 6) Alexis Gross (UK) 9.750, 7) Angie Hosbach (BSU) 9.725, 8) Morgan Coslow (BSU) 9.700
9) Julie Cotter (BSU) 9.675, 10) Taylor Henderson (GW) 9.650, Kiera Kenney (GW) 9.650, 12) Brooklyn Schumacher (BSU) 9.625, Betsy Zander (GW) 9.625, 14) Stephanie Stoicovy (GW) 9.500, 15) Nicole Allen (BSU) 9.350, 16) Kayla Kmiecik (BSU) 9.100, 17) Courtney Willoughby (GW) 8.950
BEAM Results
1) Storey Morris (UK) 9.875, 2) Alexis Gross (UK) 9.825, 3) Audrey Harrison (UK) 9.800, 4) Stephanie Stoicovy (GW) 9.775, 5) Kayla Sienkowski (UK) 9.750, Shannon Mitchell (UK) 9.750, Monique Blount (GW) 9.750, 8) Brooklyn Schumacher (BSU) 9.700, 9) Betsy Zander (GW) 9.650, 10) Emily Wehrle (BSU) 9.575, 11) Kayla Kmiecik (BSU) 9.475, 12) Kiera Kenney (GW) 9.425, 13) Leah Wilson (BSU) 9.050, Holly Cunningham (UK) 9.050, 15) Nicole Allen (BSU) 8.975, 16) Courtney Willoughby (GW) 8.950, 17) Aftyn Siemer (BSU) 8.925, 18) Elena Corcoran (GW) 8.900
FLOOR Results
1) Audrey Harrison (UK) 9.875, 2) Kayla Sienkowski (UK) 9.850, Kenzie Hedges (UK) 9.850, 4) Aftyn Siemer (BSU) 9.800, Alexis Gross (UK) 9.800, 6) Nicole Allen (BSU) 9.775, Shelby Hilton (UK) 9.775, 8) Stephanie Stoicovy (GW) 9.750, Monique Blount (GW) 9.750, 10) Kristin Vignola (BSU) 9.725, 11) Taylor Henderson (GW) 9.700, Betsy Zander (GW) 9.700, 13) Angie Hosbach (BSU) 9.575, Kayla Hartley (UK) 9.575, Courtney Willoughby (GW) 9.575, Nefertiti Roy (GW) 9.575, 17) Emily Wehrle (BSU) 9.550, 18) Brooklyn Schumacher (BSU) 9.525
All-Around Results
1) Audrey Harrison (UK) 39.175; 2) Stephanie Stoicovy (GW) 38.625; 3) Betsy Zander (GW) 38.575; 4) Nicole Allen (BSU) 37.950; 5) Courtney Willoughby (GW) 37.150
UK: VAULT: 48.725, BARS: 49.150, BEAM: 49.000, FLOOR: 49.150
VAULT: Holly Cunningham 9.825, Storey Morris 9.775, Kenzie Hedges 9.775, Shelby Hilton 9.675, Audrey Harrison 9.675, Caitlyn Ciokajlo 9.225
BARS: Caitlyn Ciokajlo 9.875, Storey Morris 9.850, Audrey Harrison 9.825, Sara Shipley 9.825, Whitney Rose 9.775, Alexis Gross 9.750
BEAM: Storey Morris 9.875, Alexis Gross 9.825, Audrey Harrison 9.800, Kayla Sienkowski 9.750, Shannon Mitchell 9.750, Holly Cunningham 9.050
FLOOR: Audrey Harrison 9.875, Kayla Sienkowski 9.850, Kenzie Hedges 9.850, Alexis Gross 9.800, Shelby Hilton 9.775, Kayla Hartley 9.575
All-Around: Audrey Harrison 39.175
