KatieToups
- height 5-3
- class Redshirt
- High school Baton Rouge Magnet
Coach Little on Katie
“Katie is someone we hope will continue to lead this team this year. She is one of our top athletes on bars. And in the preseason she is working on the same vault that Jenny Hansen did. She knows what she needs to do, and she is doing it.”
2002 Season: Opened season in bars lineup, but tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee during practice the following week bringing an end to her collegiate career? Given the team?s Evelyn Newton Spirit Award – named after the deceased wife of former UK Director of Athletics C.M. Newton, the award is given to the gymnast who best exemplifies team spirit and positive attitude.
2001 Season: Scored a career-high 9.800 on vault and a season-high 9.850 on bars at the SEC Championships (3/23/01)… Finished third on the team on bars with a 9.679 average, scoring 9.800 or better six times… Was inducted into the prestigious UK Society of Character… Named an NACGC/W Academic All-American and to the SEC Academic Honor Roll… Also was named a PNC Bank Scholar-Athlete of the Week.
2000 Season: Led the team on the uneven bars with a 9.825 average, including a career-high 9.900 vs. Florida/George Washington/C. Michigan (3/3/01)… Also provided support on vault, posting a 9.681 average… Named an NACGC/W Academic All-American and to the SEC Academic Honor Roll and the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll.
1999 Season: Posted a career-high 39.000 all-around score, while winning her first meet vs. Ball State (2/20/99)… Finished third on the team in all-around with a season average of 38.343… Was named “Most Improved” on the team for the 1999 season… Was awarded the “Spirit” award for the 1999 season… Named to the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll in her first semester at Kentucky.
Pre-College: Graduated summa cum laude from Baton Rouge Magnet High School… Member of the 1997 Region VIII A Team National Junior Olympics Championship Team… In the Louisiana State competition, ranked first on vault and bars and second on floor exercise and balance beam… 1998 Level 10 Nationals qualifier.
| Toups’ Career Averages | |||||
| Year | Vault | Bars | Beam | Floor | All-Around |
| 2002 | — | 9.225 | — | — | — |
| 2001 | 9.689 | 9.679 | — | 9.558 | — |
| 2000 | 9.681 | 9.825 | — | 9.750 | — |
| 1999 | 9.704 | 9.675 | 9.308 | 9.611 | 38.343 |
| Toups’ Collegiate Highs | |
| Vault: | 9.800 at SEC Championships (3/23/01) |
| Uneven Bars: | 9.900 vs. Florida/G. Washington/C. Michigan (3/3/00) |
| Balance Beam: | 9.750 vs. Ball State (2/20/99) |
| Floor Exercise: | 9.825 at Southeast Regional (4/10/99) |
| All Around: | 39.000 vs. Ball State (2/20/99) |
Personal
Full name: Paula Katherine Toups
Birth Date: January 1, 1980
Parents: Paula and Joseph Toups
Siblings: Kristy and Joseph
Major: Biology (Pre-Med)
Nickname: Toups
Did You Know?
Favorite Foods: Boiled Crawfish, King Cake
Favorite Books: Romance and Mystery novels
Favorite Movies: Remember the Titans, Top Gun
Favorite Musical Artists: Garth Brooks, Dixie Chicks
Favorite Apparatus: Bars
Not many know this about me: Once went 30 minutes in practice without talking
Pet Peeves: Drivers who don’t use blinkers
In my spare time I like to: Watch movies
If I was on Fear Factor, this would be my biggest fear: Basements after dark
The teammate or staff member I would use as a lifeline on “Millionaire”: Mo
If I could have dinner with three famous people, they would be: Ben Affleck, Harrison Ford, Matt Damon
The people in history I would most like to meet: Dwight D. Eisenhower and Adolph Hitler
If I was not competing in gymnastics, the other sport I would play: Softball
Best present I ever received: Car; Happies from Jennifer Simmons’ parents
The moment in my life when I was most proud: 2001 SEC Championships
The one thing I like most about gymnastics: The competition
Why UK? My sister was a gymnast here and I saw how happy she was