No. 23 Kentucky Hosts No. 13 Georgia Friday at DanceBlue Meet

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LEXINGTON, Ky. – Following back-to-back losses, the No. 23 Kentucky Wildcats gymnastics team looks to right the ship on Friday evening in the friendly confines of Memorial Coliseum hosting No. 13 Georgia at 7 p.m. Friday evening.

The meet will serve as UK’s annual “DanceBlue” meet, in efforts to help raise funds and awareness for childhood cancer research. 

Tickets can be purchased by calling the ticket office at 1-800-928-2287. Tickets are also sold at the Joe Craft Center Ticket Office on the night of the event. Group tickets (20+ people) are available by calling the ticket office in advance of the event.

For those unable to attend, the match will stream via SEC Network+ via the Watch ESPN app. Neil Price will be on the call for play-by-play, while Leah Little will serve as the meet’s analyst. 

Kentucky’s Dance Blue meet with Georgia will include plenty of promotions including, but not limited to:

• American Girl Doll Giveaway: Winners of Kentucky’s “Golden Ticket” social media promotion will be entered for a chance to win a custom Kentucky Gymnastics American Girl Doll. For a chance to be selected for a golden ticket throughout the semester, fans must share the promotional Facebook posts leading up to the meet. Golden ticket recipients must be present for a chance to win.

• DanceBlue Meet: The DanceBlue committee will have a table setup on the East Concourse with fun givea-ways and informational pamphlets. DanceBlue overall chair, Erica Shipley, will come down to the floor 15 minutes prior to the start of the meet to talk about DanceBlue. Special guest and former UK gymnast Shelby Hilton will be honored in a pre-meet ceremony. Additionally, there will be a live auction set up in the east concourse for the UK gymnastics pre-meet warmup shirts with all proceeds going to DanceBlue. The minimum bid is 25 dollars.  

• Student Promotions: UK students will receive free admission and be directed to Section X on a first come, first serve basis. Students in this section will receive wristbands and free pizza during the second or third three-minute touch warmup period. 

• Pre-Meet Promotions: Fans are encouraged to come early and participate in free face painting and balloon animals on the concourse when doors to Memorial Coliseum open at 5:30 p.m. Both face painting and balloon animals will be set up near the marketing gazebo on the west concourse. 

• Post-Meet Autographs: Following the meet, the UK gymnastics team will be available for autographs on the west concourse. Additionally, posters and schedule cards will be available at the marketing gazeebo. 

Spectator parking is located in the following areas:

• All E-lots surrounding Memorial Coliseum are off control beginning 3 hours prior to the meet.  This includes the North Joe Craft Center, Rose Street, Linden Walk, and College of Education E-lots.

• The South Limestone Garage (PS#5, adjacent to Kennedy’s Bookstore) and the Rose Street Garage (PS#2) are available 2 hours prior to the meet. 

• Disabled parking is available in the E-Lot (Employee Lot) north of the Joe Craft Center, adjacent to the metered spaces running along the front of the Craft Center with a valid, state issued disabled hang tag.  These spaces are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis until full.

• Free shuttle service from the South Limestone Garage (PS#5) is available beginning 2 hours prior to the meet.  The shuttle picks up/drops off on Administration Drive, at the end of the pedestrian sky bridge accessed from the 3rd floor of the parking garage.  The pickup/drop off point is near Memorial Coliseum at the Euclid entrance.  Shuttles will operate until 1 hour post-meet.  

Please note: parking is prohibited in any R-lots (Residential). Vehicles parked in Residential lots without a proper permit, along yellow curbs, grass spaces, or other non-specified and unapproved areas may be subject to ticket and/or tow.

Kentucky fell to 1-2 on the season on Jan. 22 against LSU, 196.575-195.100. The Cats had some silver linings to look to in the process, posting season-best bars and beam routines. Freshman Sidney Dukes claimed her sixth event title after scoring a 9.900 on balance beam, the first 9.900 or higher by an individual at Kentucky this season.

Kentucky has consistently posted its highest average score on vault this season, posting no lower than a 48.700 on the event. UK currently ranks 19th in the country on the event, with a team-high 49.000 on Excite Night against Ball State.

For the third consecutive week this season, Kentucky is ranked in the top 25 at No. 23, with a 195.033 average. The Wildcats join the rest of the SEC in the top 25, as the only conference to have its entire conference represented in the top 25.

Kentucky freshmen Sidney Dukes and Alex Hyland both rank among the top 50 in the nation in All-Around following the second week of action. Dukes ranks tied for 25th following her 39.200 in the last outing, while Hyland’s 39.025 is good for No. 40 in the nation.

With a 9.850 average on the balance beam this season, freshman Alex Hyland ranks among the top 25 beam performers in the nation, coming in a tie for 17th. 

The Georgia Bulldogs are off to a 1-3 start this season despite a 196.775 average, good for No. 13 in the country. Last time the Bulldogs took the floor, senior Brandie Jay had a career night, taking the all-around title with a 39.475.

After hosting Georgia, the Wildcats will make a one-meet road trip, heading to Tuscaloosa, Ala., for an 8:30 p.m. ET matchup with the Crimson Tide. 

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