Gymnastics Returns to the Road for Top-15 Matchup at Georgia

Jan. 23, 2015

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The No. 14 Kentucky gymnastics team travels to No. 10 Georgia for its third meet in the first 12 days of the season Saturday at 4 p.m. ET.

The top-15 contest between the two SEC foes will air live on the SEC Network+ in addition to airing on ESPN2 the following day at 7 p.m. Bart Conner, Kathy Johnson-Clarke & Amanda Plufgard will be on the call from UGA’s Stegeman Coliseum. Live results will be available on GeorgiaDogs.com, while additional notes and behind-the-scenes updates can be found on Twitter at @UKGymnastics.

TThe Wildcats (2-1, 0-1 Southeastern Conference) opened the season with a 194.975-194.325 win at then-No. 24 Washington on Jan. 12 before a second-place finish on Excite Night on Jan. 16 in Memorial Coliseum. UK rose nine spots in the rankings after its season-opening score in Seattle before a 195.600 to finish ahead of No. 24 Arizona State and behind No. 2 LSU in Lexington.

Georgia (1-2, 1-0 SEC) has competed three times to open the year, including a 195.800-195.225 win over Missouri on Jan. 16 and a 194.850-194.300 loss at No. 15 Denver three days later.

IN THE RANKINGS

In addition to an average team score of 195.288 that is 13th nationally, UK is in the top 25 on every event for the second consecutive week. Kentucky’s beam average of 48.788 is 13th, while the Wildcats are tied for 15th on uneven bars with a 48.825. UK is 22nd on vault with a 48.925 and 23rd on floor with a 48.750. Last season, the Wildcats were never ranked in the top 25 on every event in the same week, while they have achieved the feat in each of the first two weeks of the 2015 season.

Three meets into the season, Georgia is 14th with a 195.233 average team score. The Bulldogs are in the top 12 on two events, with a 49.075 average on bars to rank seventh and a 49.083 on vault, No. 12 in the country. UGA is also 21st on floor with a 48.808 and 36th on beam with a 48.267.

Click image for UK’s Meet Notes (PDF)

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SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS

No. 10 Georgia is 1-2 on the season after competing in three meets in the first nine days of the year. UGA opened the year with a 196.600-195.600 loss to Michigan before a 195.800-195.225 win over Missouri. Three days later, the Bulldogs were in Colorado, where they lost a 194.850-194.300 decision to No. 15 Denver.

In the individual rankings, three Bulldogs are ranked in the top 25 on individual events, led by Brandie Jay, who is tied for ninth on vault with a 9.908 average. On bars, Chelsea Davis is tied for 17th with a 9.867 and Brittany Rogers is tied for 25th with a 9.850.

LAST TIME OUT: UK SECOND ON EXCITE NIGHT

Competing for the second time in five days to open the season, UK recorded a season-high score by over 0.600 points with a 195.600 on Jan. 16 in Memorial Coliseum. In its home opener, UK improved to 7-2 on Excite Night in head coach Tim Garrison’s four seasons. The 195.600 marks the first time in program history UK has recorded a score higher than 195.500 in the month of January.

Senior Shannon Mitchell and freshman Sydney Waltz each recorded two team-best scores and each tied for the meet high on one event. Mitchell was one of two gymnasts to score a 9.900 on balance beam, while Waltz posted a career-high 9.850 on vault for a meet-high-tying score. Waltz also led UK on uneven bars with a career-best 9.875, while Mitchell was one of three Wildcats to post a 9.775 on floor. It was a close battle between UK and the second-ranked Tigers. LSU held a 0.125-point lead after one event, but a meet-best 49.150 on uneven bars gave the Wildcats a 98.100-98.050 lead at the halfway point. Tied for the ninth-highest bars total in program history, it was one of three events where UK gymnasts recorded four season- or career-best totals. LSU regained its lead on the third event, after a 49.300 on floor and Kentucky scored a season-high 48.825 on balance beam. UK closed with a 48.675 on floor and LSU ended the night with a 49.250 on vault. The Wildcats opened the competition with a 2015-best 48.950 on vault.

UP NEXT: DANCEBLUE NIGHT VS. ALABAMA

The Wildcats return home for a top-15 matchup vs. No. 7 Alabama on Jan. 30. The contest is the second annual DanceBlue Meet, where UK will join the fight against pediatric cancer and support the on-campus organization DanceBlue. The team will raise awareness and money to benefit children with cancer who are treated at the Pediatric Oncology Hematology Clinic on the UK campus.

UK WILL #COMPETEFORKYLIE IN 2015

This season, the UK gymnastics team will dedicate each meet to Kylie, who has stage 4 high risk neuroblastoma. Kylie is almost 3 and was diagnosed a year ago. Her mom was a gymnast for Tim Garrison when Garrison coached in California. This season, the Wildcats will #CompeteForKylie in each meet, and encourage their opponents to join the fight as well. More information can be found on Facebook at Facebook.com/PrayersForKylie1.

For complete news and updates on the Kentucky Gymnastics program, go to UKathletics.com. Breaking news, behind-the-scenes updates, photos and more can be found on Twitter at @UKGymnastics and Facebook at Facebook.com/UKGymnastics.