Kentucky Welcomes Arizona State for Excite Night
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky gymnastics returns home for its first home meet of the 2026 season, hosting Arizona State for Excite Night, presented by White, Greer & Maggard. The meet is slated for 7 p.m. ET on Friday, January 16 inside Historic Memorial Coliseum. The contest will be streamed live on SEC Network + with Maggie Davis and former UK Gymnastics Head Coach Leah Little on the call.
As Friday Night Heights returns to Lexington, fans at Historic Memorial Coliseum can expect a show. Introductions will begin at 6:48 p.m. and fans are encouraged to arrive early to secure parking. Light Up Cat Ears will be given away, while supplies last, as fans enter the gates. UK Healthcare will also provide 10.0 cards at the doors and shakers and posters will also be provided for fans. Limited giveaways include the chance to win a custom, UK Gymnastics American Girl Doll, chance to win $1000 towards braces from WGM, and the chance to win a four-pack of tickets to Gabby’s Dollhouse LIVE! at the Lexington Opera House.
Tickets for Friday’s meet are still available and fans can purchase them through Ticketmaster or visit UKathletics.com/gymtix.
Friday’s meet sees Excite Night return to its traditional position as the Wildcats’ home opener after moving in 2025 to facilitate the soft opening of the renovated Historic Memorial Coliseum. The Cats have seen plenty of success at the event over the years, winning every Excite Night since 2016. Arizona State will not be making its first appearance at the historic meet, returning to Lexington after participating in 2015.
The Wildcats enter the meet after beginning their season at the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad in West Valley City, Utah. Anna Flynn Cashion and Delaynee Rodriguez each won individual event titles, with Cashion defending her vault title from 2025 with a 9.875 and Rodriguez claiming her third career all-around win with a 39.400.
In the meet, Kentucky posted the highest vault score of the four teams, scoring a 49.100. Four Wildcats scored 9.8 or better, led by Cashion’s winning performance. Overall, Rodriguez scored 9.8+ on all four of her events. The Las Vegas native currently ranks No. 10 in the NCAA in the all-around.
Kentucky will return to the road next week, traveling to Baton Rouge to face No. 2 LSU at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, January 23. The Cats will return to Lexington the following week, hosting defending national champion and No. 2 Oklahoma at 6 p.m. ET on Friday, January 30.
The Vault – Kentucky Gymnastics Booster Club
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)
For the latest on the Kentucky gymnastics team, follow @UKGymnastics on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, as well as on the web at UKAthletics.com.
