UK Gymnastics Ties Bow on Sensational Season
FORT WORTH, Texas – For seniors Alex Hyland and Sidney Dukes, it was only fitting that their storied Kentucky gymnastics careers ended at the same venue in which they began. Along with freshman Cally Nixon, the prolific pair competed as individuals on Friday at the 2019 Women’s National Collegiate Gymnastics Championships at Forth Worth Convention Center Arena, just as the two did as freshmen in 2016.
Hyland, the second athlete in program history to make four consecutive national championship appearances, earned Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association second-team All-America honors on both beam and all-around for posting top-eight scores from Friday’s first national semifinal session.
The two-time WCGA Regular Season All-American received a 9.8625 on vault, a 9.7125 on bars, a 9.8625 on beam and a 9.8625 on floor while rotating alongside the meet champion UCLA Bruins. Her 39.3000 all-around total placed 15th overall across both semifinal sessions.
In her third championship appearance, Dukes performed a 9.8125 floor routine in front of her home state crowd. She finished 24th in Friday’s afternoon session and 45th overall.
After recovering from a rare fall to cap off a fruitful debut collegiate season, Nixon managed a 9.0375 on uneven bars.
Having made its first team appearance in school history last season, Kentucky adds to its program-best streak of six straight years with at least one competitor on the season’s final stage. Oklahoma, UCLA, LSU and Denver will compete for the 2019 national title on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. The Wildcats defeated LSU at Memorial Coliseum on Feb. 8 and fell to Oklahoma in the NCAA Athens Regional Final on April 6.
For the latest on the Kentucky gymnastics team, follow @UKGymnastics on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, as well as on the web at UKAthletics.com.
