Mollie Korth Named SEC Freshman of the Year

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – After leading the Southeastern Conference with four SEC Freshman of the Week awards throughout the season, Kentucky gymnast Mollie Korth earned SEC Freshman of the Year honors, the league announced on Friday.

“We are so proud of, and excited for, Mollie,” head coach Tim Garrison said. “She has had a tremendous impact on our program with her performances and has also proven to be an absolute team player. She has exceeded our expectations in every way. Being honored as the SEC Freshman of the Year by the coaches in this conference is truly high praise for a very deserving young lady.”

All eight conference head coaches voted on the SEC awards. 

Korth was named All-SEC and to the SEC All-Freshman team for her performance at the SEC Championship last Saturday. She earned all-league honors after winning the first session of the SEC Championship with a score of 39.425. Korth earned All-SEC on vault after taking the first session vault crown with a 9.9. Along her awards, has 19 individual titles this season, including six in the all-around, six on bars, four on vault and three on the floor. 

Korth joins the record books as the sixth SEC Freshman of the Year in UK history. She joins Jenny Hansen (1993), Kristin Hoeferlin (1997), Ashley Burkholder (1998), Julia Gore (2000) and Whitney Rose (2009). 

The freshman holds the eighth and ninth highest all-around scores in UK history, and also the highest all-around mark from anyone other than three-time NCAA all-around champion Jenny Hansen.  Her best in the all-around this season is 39.625 in the meet against Alabama, where she earned the vault and bars title with scores of 9.925, as well as the all-around title. Her performance helped the Cats earn their first ever victory over the Crimson Tide. 

Kentucky continues its season at the NCAA Seattle Regional on Saturday, April 1 at 7 p.m. ET. UK will face No. 1 Oklahoma, host Washington, Stanford, BYU and Utah State in the regional. 

Gymnast of the Year: Alex McMurtry, Florida

Event Specialist of the Year: Ashleigh Gnat, LSU

Freshman of the Year: Mollie Korth, Kentucky

Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Alex McMurtry, Florida

Coach of the Year: D-D Breaux, LSU

Katie Bailey          Alabama Wynter Childers Alabama

Maddie Desch Alabama Maddie Desch Alabama

Kiana Winston Alabama Hailey Garner Arkansas

Hailey Garner Arkansas Jessica Yamzon Arkansas

Samantha Cerio Auburn Gracie Day         Auburn

Gracie Day         Auburn         Emma Slappey Auburn

Emma Engler Auburn Rachel Gowey Florida

Kullen Hlawek Auburn Amelia Hundley Florida

MJ Rott         Auburn Mollie Korth         Kentucky

Emma Slappey Auburn Kennedi Edney LSU

Kennedy Baker Florida Ruby Harrold LSU

Alicia Boren         Florida

Amelia Hundley Florida

Alex McMurtry Florida

Rachel Slocum Florida

Lauren Johnson Georgia

Sydney Snead Georgia

Sidney Dukes Kentucky

Alex Hyland         Kentucky

Mollie Korth         Kentucky

Ashleigh Gnat LSU

Myia Hambrick LSU

Ruby Harrold LSU

McKenna Kelley LSU

Lexie Priessman LSU

Becca Schugel Missouri

Britney Ward         Missouri

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.