UK Gymnastics Records First 197-Point Performance of Season
AUBURN, Ala. – No. 13 Kentucky (6-2, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) cruised to its second SEC road victory of the season by passing the 197-point threshold for the first time, winning 197.275-196.250 against No. 17 Auburn (3-5, 2-3 SEC) on Friday at Auburn Arena.
Kentucky’s night was highlighted by top-five all-time scores on two rotations, as well as the meet’s top three all-around finishers.
“This was the most complete meet of the season and is a direct reflection of how they have been training,” said head coach Tim Garrison. “Their ability to take solid performances from the gym to the competition floor and focus on details made a big difference in the results tonight. We are extremely proud of them and are looking forward to making more progress in the coming weeks.”
The Wildcats got off to a relatively slow start on the contest’s first event, which happened to coincide with Auburn’s best go-round. Though Kentucky’s 49.075 bars rotation was the only apparatus on which no Wildcat matched or surpassed a season high, senior Mollie Korth tied for the first of three eventual wins with a 9.875. Auburn’s season-high 49.425 total on vault would prove to be the only event on which it outscored its opponent.
When the teams swapped events, Kentucky’s 49.400 tied the third-best team vault score in program history and put the Cats ahead for good when the Tigers managed just a 48.925 on bars. Korth’s 9.950 vault routine tied a career high and earned her the outright crown.
The teams continued to trend in opposite directions when Kentucky produced its best rotation and Auburn logged its worst. Freshman Raena Worley reset the first of three season highs and tied for first place on floor with a 9.950, marking the second event win of her collegiate career. AU scored 48.900 on beam as UK went 49.500 on floor, the fifth-best total on the event in school history.
Josie Angeny collected her third balance beam title in four meets with a 9.900, anchoring Kentucky’s 49.300 rotation that ended the night. Worley tied for second on beam with a career-high 9.875, while Auburn concluded the competition with a 49.000 on floor.
Korth’s 39.575 finish gave the eight-time All-American the 21st all-around victory of her career, while Worley’s career-high 39.425 landed her in second overall, and junior Ella Warren placed third with a career-high-tying 39.375.
The second installment of Kentucky’s lone back-to-back road stretch of the season continues with its only meet to fall on a Sunday, taking on No. 9 LSU on Feb. 16 at 3 p.m. ET.
To purchase tickets for the 2020 season, visit UKAthleticsTix.com. For the latest on the Kentucky gymnastics team, follow @UKGymnastics on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, as well as on the web at UKAthletics.com.
