Rodriguez Nabs Pair of Wins at No. 3 Alabama
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – No. 22 Kentucky (1-9-1, 1-5-1 SEC) dropped a 197.200-196.675 decision to No. 3 Alabama (8-4, 4-3 SEC) inside Coleman Coliseum on Friday night. In the loss, Delaynee Rodriguez won a pair of event titles on the balance beam and in the all-around, bringing her season total to 16.
After a less-than-stellar first half of the meet, the Cats closed strong with solid rotations on the floor exercise and balance beam to improve their National Qualifying Score.
Rodriguez won her seventh all-around title in nine meets this season with a 39.500 showing—her fifth all-around this season at that mark or better. The Las Vegas native also won her second career title on the beam, tying her career-high of 9.925 for the second consecutive week.
Cecily Rizo delivered another solid all-around performance, closing the night at 39.250. The junior from Coppell, Texas closed the meet with career-high marks of 9.875 on floor and 9.850 on the beam. Gabby Van Frayen and Chesney Bennett each matched their personal best floor scores with a 9.850 and 9.875, respectively.
Kentucky began the meet on the uneven bars, scoring a 49.100. Rizo led off with a 9.800, but a drag of the feet on the low bar from Sabrina Nemcek resulted in a 9.600. Van Frayen responded with a 9.825 while Bennett and Ryan Noonan each matched Rizo at 9.800. Rodriguez rounded out the opening rotation with a 9.875.
The Wildcats followed with an uncharacteristic vault rotation, sticking zero vaults and only posting a 48.975—the first vault rotation under the 49 point mark since January 22, 2021. Addie Hofseth began the rotation with a 9.750, with Rizo following with a 9.725. Callie Gardner delivered the first of three consecutive 9.800 scores, with Noonan and Rodriguez each matching that mark. Anna Flynn Cashion scored a 9.825 in the anchor position.
Kentucky rebounded with a 49.400 on the floor, the third time the Cats have met that mark this season. Van Frayen, Rizo, and Bennett each set or matched their career highs to begin the rotation. Gardner added a 9.850 while Rodriguez and Creslyn Brose each added 9.900s to cap the penultimate event.
The Wildcats closed the meet with a 49.200, the fifth consecutive meet that Kentucky has scored at least that mark. Rizo led off with her second career-high of the night, followed by a season-high 9.900 from Brose. Sharon Lee added a 9.825 in the No. 3 position before wobbles from Bennett and Van Frayen resulted in scores of 9.700 and 9.625, respectively. Rodriguez steadied the ship in the anchor position, closing the meet with a 9.925.
The Wildcats will close out the regular season inside Historic Memorial Coliseum next weekend, hosting No. 4 Florida at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, March 13. The meet will serve as Senior Night, with festivities taking place after competition concludes.
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.
