Worley, Bunn Lead Cats to Win Over Another Top-Five Foe

On Friday, the Kentucky gymnastics team welcomed a second consecutive top-five opponent to Memorial Coliseum. And for the second straight home meet, the Cats topped their highly-rated opposition.

Two weeks ago, it was fifth-ranked Arkansas who fell victim to Kentucky. On Friday night, it was second-ranked LSU that UK was able to knock off, winning by a 197.100-196.800 margin.

Friday’s 197.100 tally was UK’s highest score since a 197.275 on Feb. 7, 2020 at Auburn. It was Kentucky’s highest score inside Memorial Coliseum since March 8, 2019, when the Cats put up a 197.525 against Central Michigan.

Sophomore Raena Worley knew that Friday night was going to be special from the very beginning.

“From the start of the warm-ups today, there was a good feeling going on in the gym,” Worley said. “By the time competition started, you could feel the excitement in the arena. It was really nice.”

Worley and freshman Bailey Bunn were neck-and-neck until the final rotation in the competition for Friday’s all-around title. In the end, it was Worley who scored a 39.500, edging out Bunn, who set a new career high with a 39.450.

Worley says that those two continue to motivate each other.

“Before every meet, I always ask Bailey ‘how ready are you today?’ and she’ll be so ready and I’ll say ‘you’re not as ready as me’,” Worley said. “Then throughout the meet, we compete. That drive and competition between us has helped not only us, but the team to get better.”

Bunn continues to impress, seemingly getting better with each and every meet, which is her goal.

“I’m just trying to get better each time,” Bunn said. “I just want to continue to make sure that I’m doing my job in the lineup and that they want me in there and that they can trust me.”

Bunn also noted that the UK team is showing the nation that they are among the nation’s best teams.

“It was really rewarding tonight to show everybody out there that we are just as good as the top teams,” Bunn said. “We’re showing that Kentucky is in there with the top (teams).”

After knocking off a pair of top-five teams over the course of two weeks, where do the Cats go from here? Worley made it simple.

“From here, (we go) up,” Worley said. “Coming off of another 197, we got big strides behind us. Having everything that happened tonight behind us will be amazing.”

Bunn knows that the Cats’ goals are all still in play.

“We have goals – we want to make it to regionals, we want to make it to nationals, we want to make it to the night session (at the SEC Championship),” Bunn said. “And I think we can do that. I’m excited to see what the future holds.”

While Friday was a night when UK honored its five seniors (Madison Averett, Mackenzie Harman, Megan Monfredi, Allison Snyder and Ella Warren), it was a freshman and a sophomore who led the Cats to new heights