No. 9 Kentucky Opens 2026 at Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Ninth-ranked Kentucky will open its 2026 campaign at the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad in West Valley City, Utah on Saturday, January 10. Competition from the Maverik Center, site of Ice Hockey competition at the 2022 Salt Lake Olympic Winter Games, will begin at 8 p.m. ET and will be televised nationally on ESPN2, with John Roethlisberger, Samantha Peszek, Aly Raisman, and Taylor Davis on the call.
The Cats will compete in Session II of the eight-team event hosted by ESPN, facing No. 6 Michigan State, No. 14 Michigan, and No. 20 California. Session I will see No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 2 LSU, No. 4 UCLA, and No. 5 Utah battle at 4 p.m. ET on ABC.
2026 marks the second consecutive year in which the Cats have started their season at the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad, with Kentucky taking second in Session II last year after defeating No. 7 Arkansas and No. 16 Ohio State while falling to No. 10 UCLA. Saturday marks the third iteration of the annual event. The event began in 2024 at the Maverik Center and was held in Oklahoma City in 2025.
Kentucky enters the meet as a preseason top ten team for the third consecutive season and for the fifth time in program history. The Cats open the new year on the heels of a fourth-straight top ten finish and sixth consecutive trip to the Regional Finals.
Despite losing over half of its competing routines from 2025, Kentucky returns valuable pieces like All-American Creslyn Brose and consistent all-arounder Delaynee Rodriguez. Other returning contributors from last season include Chesney Bennett, Sharon Lee, Ryan Noonan, Isabella Rivelli, and Cecily Rizo, while Anna Flynn Cashion and Cadence Gormley are primed to return to competition after injury.
The Wildcats also welcome eight newcomers to the program in 2026, featuring seven incoming freshman and one transfer. Leading the freshman class is Gabby Van Frayen, 2025 USA Gymnastics Development Program National Champion on beam and all-around runner-up, 2025 Nastia Liukin Cup beam champion, and holder of two perfect 10.0s on beam in her club career. Callie Garnder is the team’s only incoming transfer this season, coming to Lexington after one season at Towson where she was named to the All-EAGL Tournament Team on vault and holds a career high vault score of 9.900.
Kentucky, Michigan State, and Michigan all featured at the 2025 NCAA Pennsylvania Regional, with the Spartans are Cats meeting in both the regional semifinals and regional final. Michigan featured in the other semifinal and did not advance to the final. Michigan State claimed both head-to-head meetings over the Wildcats and advanced to the national semifinals for the second time in their program’s history.
Kentucky opened the 2024 regular season against both Michigan State and Michigan at the Mean Girls Super 16 Championships in Las Vegas, with the Cats claiming victories over both teams in that meeting. Kentucky claimed the most recent meeting against Cal, outscoring the Bears at the 2023 NCAA National Semifinals.
The Wildcats will open their home campaign next Friday, taking on No. 24 Arizona State for Excite Night, presented by White, Greer, & Maggard, at Historic Memorial Coliseum on Friday, January 16 at 7 p.m. ET.
Season tickets and single meet tickets for the 2026 Kentucky gymnastics season are officially on sale. Fans can purchase them through Ticketmaster or visit UKathletics.com/gymtix. For additional information, please contact the UK Athletics Ticket Office at (800) 928-2287 Monday- Friday 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
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The Vault is the Official Booster Club of Kentucky Gymnastics. Joining The Vault means investing directly in our program. Your contributions help us provide top-notch training facilities, essential equipment, and opportunities for our athletes to excel in this challenging environment. Every dollar counts, and every Vault member makes a difference. Our various membership club levels offer fantastic benefits with each contribution strengthening our program and empowering our athletes as they compete at the highest levels.
You can join The Vault by clicking this link or you can donate directly by visiting this link. For questions or any other information, please contact Amy Coyle (amy.coyle@uky.edu)
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