2001 Kentucky Gymnastics

Transcription

1 2001 Kentucky Gymnastics GymKats Complete One of the Best Seasons in School History Ranked No. 16; Finish Fourth at NCAA Central Region Championships With Nation s 13th-Best Score 2001 Schedule/Results DATE OPPONENT TIME/RESULTS Jan. 12 LSU L, Smiley Face Night Jan. 19 at Auburn L, Jan. 26 MICHIGAN L, Winter Wonderland Feb. 2 GEORGIA L, G. WASHINGTON W, Flippin' Kickin' Country Feb. 10 ILLINOIS W, Cartoon Night Feb. 16 at Denver L, Feb. 24 at Alabama L, March 2 at Florida L, Iowa State L, Ball State W, March 9 BOWLING GREEN W, CENTRAL MICHIGAN W, PITTSBURGH W, Big Blue/Senior Night March 16 at Arizona State L, Nebraska L, Iowa W, March 23 SEC Champs (B ham, Ala.) th, April 7 NCAA Regionals th, HOME meets are capatilized and held in Memorial Coliseum All times are Eastern 2001 By the Numbers The margin by which the GymKats missed upsetting No. 2 Alabama, at Alabama The number of points by which freshman Aronda Primault missed qualifying for nationals. The number of points by which the GymKats missed qualifying as a team for nationals. The highest regional ranking on beam held by Mindy Smith this season, which she held for six weeks. The number of team scores from 2001 that rank in the top three all-time at UK. The number of wins over Top 25 teams the GymKats had this season. The highest national ranking on beam held by Mindy Smith this season, which she held on two occasions. The number of teams the GymKats faced this season that advanced to the final 12 at the NCAA Championships GymKats Roster Name Height Class Hometown/Club Karla Adelt 5-4 So. Englewood, Colo. (Colo. Gym Institute) Nicole Allen 5-4 Jr. Bowmansville, N.Y. (SUNY Brockport) Gina Auspurger 5-4 Fr. Louisville, Ky. (Champion Gymnastics) Beth Coleman 5-3 Sr. Deerfield, Ill. (The Gymnastics Spot) Julia Gore 5-4 So. Pflugerville, Texas (Capital Gymnastics) Stacey Hackett 5-0 Fr. Munson, Ohio (Gymnastics World, Inc.) Julie Joy 4-11 Fr. Villa Park, Ill. (Illinois Gymnastics Institute) Jessie Lemp 5-6 Jr. Houston, Texas (Brown's Houston) Aronda Primault 5-3 Fr. Canton, Ohio (Gymnastics of Ohio) Jennifer Simmons 5-4 Jr. Pasadena, Texas (Brown's Houston) Mindy Smith 5-2 So. Borden, Ind. (S. Ind. Gymnastics School) Stephanee Stone 5-6 So. Louisville, Ky. (All-American Gymnastics) Katie Toups 5-3 Jr. Baton Rouge, La. (Elite Gymnastics) Melissa Tucker 5-4 Fr. Largo, Fla. (LaFleur's Gymnastics) Melanie Zaharias 5-6 So. Lakewood, Colo. (Colo. Gym Institute) Head Coach: Leah Little Assistant Coaches: Mo Muhammad & Robin Ewing Volunteer Assistant: Darin Gerlach Student Manager: Susan Buffington The number of returning athletes from 2000 who tallied a career high on at least one apparatus. The number of scores of or better this season by the GymKats. The number of academic honors received so far this year by current GymKats. The number of event team scores that rank in the top six all-time at UK. The highest regional ranking on vault held this season by senior Beth Coleman, who steadily progressed from 35th at the beginning of the season. UK Media Relations Memorial Coliseum Lexington, Ky Fax Brad Duncan Gymnastics Media Relations Director bddunc1@pop.uky.edu

2 The GymKats' national ranking after the first round of NCAA competition. The number of Top 25 teams the GymKats faced this season. The number of athletes the GymKats welcome back next season. The GymKats' final national ranking after the NCAA Championships. The number of spots the GymKats jumped in the national rankings from the end of last season to the end of this season The score the GymKats achieved at the Southeastern Conference Championships to surpass the Michigan State Spartans for fifth place in the Central Region guaranteeing them a spot in NCAA competition. The GymKats Report The University of Kentucky gymnastics team put together a strong performance at the NCAA Central Region Championships on April 7, to finish fourth by scoring a , the highest regional score in school history and the 13th-best score in the nation in NCAA opening round action. The GymKats score also was.800 from qualifying them to the NCAA Championships as a team, and after the national competition, UK finished the season ranked 16th in the country. All-Around: When sophomore Julia Gore, UK's top returning all-arounder from 2000, left the lineup due to a knee injury suffered against Georgia on Feb. 2, freshman Aronda Primault was ready to fill the spot. The next week against Illinois, Primault made a name for herself by performing on each apparatus for the first time in her collegiate career and scoring a total of to earn Southeastern Conference Athlete of the Week honors. She has been very consistent this season with an average of to lead the team. On March 9, at a quad meet on senior night, the freshman recorded personal bests on three events to tally a career-high AA total of and win her third AA title of the season. Then she scored a for 10th place at the SEC Championships followed by a 10th-place at the NCAA region meet, a scored that was just.100 from qualifying Primault to nationals. We recruited Aronda as an allarounder, Coach Leah Little said. But when she got here she was a little rough around the edges. I never really expected her to compete in the all-around this season. Once she did, it was like, I ve got my spot and nobody s getting it. She did great. Junior Jennifer Simmons started the season in the AA lineup for the first two meets and began strong scoring a in the season opener against LSU for second place. She competed in the AA three more times before a four-week hiatus and returned at Arizona State to score a At the SEC Championships, she had her best performance of the season in tallying a and two weeks later scored a at regionals for 11th place. Freshman Julie Joy also has competed in the all-around this season, with three competitions under her belt. In the second meet of the season, Joy tallied a in her first collegiate AA competition to finish third. She then exited the lineup until the Prior To Regionals Rank/Team RQS 1. UCLA Georgia Nebraska Alabama Utah Stanford Michigan Iowa State Ariz. State Penn State BYU Florida Oregon St Iowa Washington Minnesota W. Virginia LSU Oklahoma Kent State Ohio State Md.-CP Arizona Denver Illinois St Kentucky UK & Opponents in bold 2001 GymInfo Rankings - Final After Regionals Rank/Team Score 1. Alabama * 2. Georgia * 2. UCLA * 4. Michigan * 5. Stanford * 6. Florida * 7. LSU Nebraska * 9. Arizona State * 10. Maryland Minnesota Oklahoma * 13. Kentucky Ohio State Arizona Penn State G. Washington Washington New Hampshire Oregon State * 20. Utah * 22. Denver * 23. Iowa NC State Iowa State *NCAA Final 12 final home meet of the season where she scored a career high on each appartus to tally a Joy s third-place finish at Arizona State led the way for UK, and her total of surpassed the previous week s effort by 0.05 to set a new career high. Joy jumped into second on the team in the AA with an average of Gore is third on the team with a average. Her season high of came against No. 5 Michigan. In that meet, Gore put together a solid effort that included a career high on bars to finish ahead of Olympic team member Elise Ray. However, Gore suffered an injury during the Georgia meet that has sidelined her for the rest of the season. Vault: This was the GymKats secondstrongest event as they tallied the sixthhighest team score in school history in the last two regular-season meets with a (versus Bowling Green and at Arizona State) and scored the second-highest total of the season at the SEC Championships with a Their at the Central Region meet was second among the six teams, and their final RQS of ranked 18th nationally and third in the Central Region. With an RQS of 9.820, senior Beth Coleman led the way for UK in Final - After Nationals Rank/Team Score 1. UCLA Georgia Utah Michigan Alabama Nebraska Florida Stanford Arizona State Oklahoma Oregon State Denver LSU Maryland Minnesota Kentucky Ohio State Arizona Penn State G. Washington Washington New Hampshire Iowa NC State Iowa State top 12 ranked according to finish at nationals - remainder ranked by regional score 2

3 2001 Quick Facts GENERAL INFORMATION Location: Lexington, Ky. Enrollment: 31,000 Colors: Blue and White Founded: 1865 Nickname: Wildcats NCAA Div.: Division I Conference: Southeastern Arena (Cap.): Memorial Coliseum (8,700) TEAM INFORMATION Head Coach: Leah Little (Eastern Ky) Overall Record (Yrs): (25 yrs.) School Record (Yrs): Same Office Phone: (859) Best Time To Call: 9am - noon EDT Assistant Coaches: Mo Muhammad (Houston, 1995), Robin Ewing (Kentucky, 1997), Darin Gerlach (Temple, 1998) 2000 Dual Meet Record: Overall Record: NCAA Finish: N/A Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 8/3 Newcomers: 4 SPORTS INFORMATION Mailing Address: 23 Memorial Coliseum, Lexington, KY Overnight Address: same Asst. AD/SID: Rena Vicini Gymnastics Contact: Brad Duncan SID Home Phone: (859) SID Office Phone: (859) SID Office (Night): (859) ext. 335 SID Fax: (859) Website: PRESS SERVICES Weekly releases and updated statistics are available on Fax-On-Demand. Media members can access the service by dialing (770) from the handset of your fax machine and enter your Personal Identification Number (PIN). To obtain a PIN, call Pivotal at (770) When prompted, enter the SEC passcode (732) and then enter the document number (1747). The same information can also be obtained via the Internet at MediaTeamLink.com. INTERVIEWS All interviews with UK student-athletes and coaches must be coordinated through the UK Media Relations Department. UK gymnasts will be available during weekday afternoons and Coach Leah Little will be available upon request. Please make all interview requests at least 24 hours before the desired interview to Brad Duncan at (859) ON THE COVER Senior Beth Coleman claimed 11th on the vault at the Central Region Championships in her last meet as a GymKat. Freshman Aronda Primault claimed 10th place in the all-around, while junior Jennifer Simmons finsihed 11th. Simmons also earned fifth place on the vault, and sophomore Mindy Smith took sixth on the beam. Coleman got off to a slow start this season but notched a or better in six of her last seven competitions to rank 11th in the region. On Senior Night, Coleman pulled out all the stops to score a season-high for second place. She almost had a not so fairy-tale ending to her career at regionals when she suffered a slight case of whiplash during her vault warmups; however, showing the resilience the team exhibited all season, she stayed in the lineup and scored a to finish 11th. Simmons has been a steady performer on vault for UK, culminating with a seasonhigh for third place at Arizona State to close out the regular season, and she did not score less than a in the regular season. Her against Illinois was good for first place, while her against Michigan gave her second. Her RQS of ranked 18th in the region, but at the region championships, she pulled out one of her best vaults of the season to place fifth with a Primault scored a career-high for first place in the home finale and followed with a at ASU and a at SECs to push her RQS up to for 24th in the region. On the heels of her career-high at ASU, Joy scored a at SECs and tallied an RQS of 9.775, which ranked her 27th in the region. Her previous top mark was 9.775, which she scored three times this season. Sophomore Melanie Zaharias tied Joy with a RQS after scoring a seasonhigh at ASU and a at SECs and regionals. Entering the vault lineup at home against Georgia, Zaharias was very steady for the GymKats tallying a three times, and she was second on the team in overall average with a Senior Katie Toups has been consistent throughout the season tallying an RQS of after her 2001 top mark of at SECs. Uneven Bars: UK was inconsistent on bars early this season but rebounded to push its RQS to for a No. 9 regional ranking. The GymKats ended the regular season with two consecutive scores of , the sixth-highest team total in school history and the best this season, and a at the SEC Championships. 3 They nearly topped 49 again with a at the Central Region Championships to finish fifth among the six teams. Juniors Jessie Lemp and Katie Toups head up this group. Lemp has been a steady competitor having scored a three times this season. She tallied her second of the season at ASU and a at SECs to push her RQS to for a No. 29 regional ranking. She completed the season with another at the regional meet. Toups got off to a slow start in the first meet but rebounded to score two 9.800s and a 9.775, before tallying a against Illinois for first place and another against Alabama. With another at ASU and a season-high at SECs, Toups improved her RQS to for 26th in the region. Primault was one of UK s most consistent bar performers after entering the lineup against Illinois and finished the season second on the team with a average. She finished the regular-season portion of the 2001 schedule with a career-high Joy also started the season slowly on bars but put together eight straight routines scoring or better including a careerhigh in the home finale and a at ASU. Her RQS of ranked 35th in the region. Simmons scored a season-high at ASU to move her RQS up to Her second-best score of the season came at Alabama where she tallied a Balance Beam: The balance beam was another troublesome area for UK early on. However, the GymKats put their troubles aside tallying a RQS for fifth in the region and put together their best performances at the end of season. Against Illinois they scored a , the fifth-highest beam score in school history, and counted no falls. Then at Alabama, they set a school record with a team total of After a slight stumble at Florida, the GymKats got back on track to score a at SECs and a at regionals. Mindy Smith was the bright spot, with a RQS, which ranked fourth in the region and 29th in the nation. At Auburn, Smith turned in a career performance with a to win the individual honors, and then

4 2001 GymInfo Central Region Polls - Final Overall Team Team RQS 1. Alabama LSU Kent State Ohio State Kentucky Michigan State Ball State Bowling Green E. Michigan Auburn C. Michigan W. Michigan Centenary Team Vault Team RQS 1. Alabama Ohio State Kentucky Bowling Green E. Michigan C. Michigan Kent State LSU Michigan State Ball State Auburn W. Michigan Centenary Team Uneven Bars Team RQS 1. Alabama Ohio State LSU Kent State Michigan State C. Michigan W. Michigan Ball State Kentucky Bowling Green Auburn E. Michigan Centenary Team Balance Beam Team RQS 1. Alabama Kent State LSU Michigan State Kentucky Auburn W. Michigan E. Michigan Ohio State Bowling Green Ball State C. Michigan Centenary Team Floor Exercise Team RQS 1. Alabama Kent State Ohio State LSU Bowling Green Ball State Auburn Kentucky E. Michigan Michigan State C. Michigan W. Michigan Centenary at Alabama, she turned it up a notch and recorded another career high with a for first. At Florida she extended her streak of competitions without a fall to 18, scoring her third of the season and matched that a week later at the home finale. She closed out the regular season with a at ASU. At SECs and regionals, she tallied a to improve her season average to Her performance at regionals pushed her number of meets without a fall to 22, which spans her entire collegiate career. Lemp is second on the team with a RQS which ranked 31st in the region, while junior Nicole Allen's RQS was No. 38. Lemp, who also averaged 9.715, was very steady on the beam since entering the lineup in the third meet of the season. She scored a season-high at Florida and notched a three times. Allen got a boost when she tallied a career-high against Michigan and then topped it with a at Alabama. Primault finished fourth on the team with a RQS and scored a career-high at Alabama for third-place honors. She finished the season with two consecutive scores of Zaharias also contributed to UK s high score at Alabama by scoring a career-high of her own and also tallied a at the GymKats home finale. Having scored a career-high twice this season, sophomore Karla Adelt was sixth on the team. Floor Exercise: The floor exercise was the GymKats best event based on their RQS which ranked eighth regionally. UK started the season strong but had a poor performance at home against Georgia; however, the GymKats rebounded the next week against Illinois to score a Following that meet, UK scored or better in six of seven meets including a at Florida, a in the home finale, a (the secondhighest floor total in school history) at the SEC Championships and a at the Central Region Championships. Primault finished second at Denver with a career-high and matched it at Florida and at UK s last home meet to move into first on the team with a RQS to rank 17th in the region. At the SECs, she scored her second of the season, while she tallied a at regionals. Smith scored a career-high in the last home meet of the season and a at SECs, her second of the season, to push her RQS to Her at regionals also was her second of the season. At Florida her performance earned the Gators Ernestine Weaver Award for the most entertaining routine of the meet regardless of apparatus. Joy is third on the team with a RQS and was the third GymKat to score a at the home finale. She also matched Priamault s and Smith s at the SEC Championships. Her season average of 9.756, which was second on the team, was boosted by her at the regional meet. Coleman was added to the floor lineup against Michigan and earned a RQS. One of five GymKats to tally career highs on the floor against Illinois, Coleman scored a and then matched it at SECs to help lead the GymKats to a team total. She rebounded from a whiplash 4 injury sustained during vault warmups at the regional championships to complete her UK career with a and a average, the highest of her career. Allen finished the season with a RQS, while scoring a career-high against Illinois and at regionals. Toups and Simmons round out the GymKats on floor with averages of and 9.550, respectively. Simmons also notched a career high against Illinois with a 9.850, and at the SECs, she scored Smith Tames the Beam With two years of collegiate competition under her belt, Mindy Smith has shown an incredible knack for maintaining control on the beam. Through 10 meets in 2000 and 12 in 2001, Smith has yet to count a fall on the beam. Against LSU, she tied a career high with a en route to winning the individual apparatus title. She then followed that with another career perfomance at Auburn where she tallied a 9.900, only the third gymnast in school history to score that high on the beam. After achieving a against Michigan, a against Georgia, another against Illinois and a at Denver, Smith put together her best career performance at Alabama with a to become just the second gymnast in UK history to score higher than a She then tallied two 9.875s, a and a She finished her sophomore season with a to claim sixth at the regional championships. Her highest rankings this season were No. 1 in the region and No. 6 nationally. Included in the success has been 16 consecutive scores of or better.

5 Primault Named SEC Gymnast of the Week... Freshman Aronda Primault won the allaround competition in a dual meet with Illinois, scoring a Her performance caught the eye of the Southeastern Conference which named her its Gymnast of the Week on Feb. 13. In her first outing as an all-arounder, Primault established career highs in all five categories on the way to winning the title. She placed second on the vault with a and first on the floor with a Her total score was 0.6 greater than the second place finisher. Simmons Returns Jennifer Simmons returned to the lineup in the GymKats season opener against LSU. Simmons sat out most of the 2000 season after breaking her right ankle during practice in only the third week of the season. After the first three meets this season, Simmons was performing as if she had never spent time away from the sport. Against LSU, Simmons started strong, winning the vault competition with a score of She went on to claim second place in the all-around competition with a At Auburn, she again scored a on vault to capture second place behind teammate Julia Gore. Against Michigan, she scored a season-high for second-place honors. Against Illinois, Simmons tied a career high on the floor exercise with a to tie for third place on the apparatus. And with steady vault performances throughout the season, including a season-high at Arizona State, she ranked 18th in the region with a RQS. Simmons also worked back into the allaround lineup. She competed in the AA four of the first five meets with a high of before sitting out of the beam lineup the next four meets. At ASU, Simmons jumped back in and scored a on the beam for a AA total to claim fourth place. She then scored a season high at the SEC Championships with a and finished 11th at the Central Region Championships with a Simmons had an excellent freshman campaign in She led the team on the uneven bars with a average, and she won two all-around titles, against Auburn 2001 UK Gymnastics Postseason Team Awards Gina Augspurger Spirit Award Nicole Allen Highest Grade-Point Average Beth Coleman Senior Award Jessie Lemp Uneven Bars - Top Average Coaches Award (to the athlete who exemplifies the total package - athletics, academics and service) Aronda Primault MVP Most Improved Floor Exercise - Top Average All-Around - Top Average Jennifer Simmons Comeback of the Year Vault - Top Average Mindy Smith DDD - Desire, Dedication & Determination Balance Beam - Top Average and LSU. She also won the vault title at the NCAA Regional Championships. Allen Named First Team Verizon District IV Academic All-America... Junior Nicole Allen was named to the 2001 Verizon Academic All-District IV first team for her achievements in and out of the classroom. The team consists of athletes from the fall/winter sports of cross country, fencing, gymnastics, ice hockey, rifle, skiing, soccer, swimming, water polo and wrestling, and honorees are selected by a district vote of the College Sports Information Directors of America based on athletic and academic accomplishments during the past season Allen, a Bowmansville, N.Y., native, is one of UK's key performers on the uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise this season. She is third on the team on beam and floor, and has established career highs in all three of her events this season, tallying a on bars, a on beam, and a on floor. The career best on beam 5 came at No. 2 Alabama and helped lead UK to a school record beam total of Allen's work in the classroom has earned her selection to the Athletics Director's Honor Roll, the Dean's List, the Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society and the UK Society of Character. In 2000, she also was named a National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches/Women Academic All-American. Allen, Toups Inducted Into UK Society of Character... Juniors Nicole Allen and Katie Toups were inducted into the UK Center for Academic and Tutorial Service s Society of Character. The Society of Character is part of the University of Kentucky's CHAMPS / Life Skills Program. It is designed to help student-athletes realize the value of higher academic achievement, a higher level of maturity, self-responsibility and greater overall success. The Society was founded in 1998 to recognize those individuals who epitomize the term "student-athlete." Each candidate is nominated by a counselor, coach, trainer or manager and then evaluated on five criteria: commitment to academic excellence; commitment to athletic participation; commitment to personal development, commitment to being a role-model, and commitment to preparing for the world of work. The mission of the Society of Character is: to recognize student-athletes who have achieved and continue to achieve a high level in all areas of their life; to bring together these high achieving student-athletes for interactive programs: to further enhance the high achieving student-athletes' best interests and well being; to promote continued interaction with other organizations. Each candidate nominated for election into the Society of Character must meet the following requirements: must have completed a minimum of 30 hours prior to nomination; must have a competitive grade point average; must demonstrate a commitment to their academic success as well as to per-

6 sonal development, career development and service activities. Kentucky GymKat Records Toups, Smith Named PNC Bank Scholar-Athletes... Katie Toups and Mindy Smith each were named PNC Bank Scholar-Athletes of the Week this season. A biology junior from Baton Rouge, La., Toups has several academic honors to her credit. She has been named to the dean s list in the fall of 1998 and 1999 and the spring of 1999 and She also made the athletic director s honor roll in her first semester at UK. Toups has been named to the 2000 Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll and Academic All- American by the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches for Women. A native of Borden, Ind., majoring in psychology, Smith was named to the dean s list in both the fall and the spring of 2000, including her 4.0 grade point average last fall. She was also named 2000 Academic All-American by the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches/Women. Tough, Tough Schedule... In 2001, the GymKats have faced as rugged a schedule as they have seen in years. UK met six of the top nine teams from last season and eight of the top 16, including four of the top six finishers at the 2000 NCAA Championships. The Kats opened with a home date against LSU and then two weeks later played host to Michigan before another home date with Georgia, the 2000 NCAA third-place finisher. UK then traveled to Denver, Alabama and Florida, before heading off to Arizona State to close out the regular season. This season, 13 teams on UK s schedule (including regional competition) were ranked in the GymInfo Top 25, six of which are in the top 10. At the Central Region Championships, UK squared off against No. 4, No 9, No. 16, No. 20 and No. 21. Gore Has Stellar Freshman Campaign As a member of the 1999 World University Games gymnastics team, Julia Gore began her collegiate career in 2000 with excellent credentials. And it did not Team Vault vs. Florida /1/ vs. GW/Radford /9/ at Auburn /12/ vs. LSU /15/ vs. Georgia/Illinois /14/ vs. BG/CMU/Pitt /9/01 at ASU/Nebraska/Iowa /16/ at SEC Championships /29/ vs. Georgia /5/99 Uneven Bars vs. Florida /1/ vs. Alabama /10/ vs. Towson State /24/ vs. GW/Radford /9/ times vs. BG/CMU/Pitt /9/01 at ASU/Nebraska/Iowa /16/01 Balance Beam at Alabama /24/ at SEC Championships /29/ vs. West Virginia /10/ vs. Georgia/Illinois /14/97 at SEC Championships /22/ vs. Auburn /18/ vs. Illinois /10/01 at SEC Championships /23/ vs. Georgia/G. Washington.....2/2/ at Auburn /12/ three times at Alabama /26/ vs. LSU /5/93 Floor Exercise vs. George Washington /30/ at SEC Championships /23/ vs. Georgia /5/ vs. Illinois /10/ vs. BG/CMU/Pitt /9/ vs. Alabama /25/ vs. LSU /5/ four times including at Fla./Iowa St./Ball St /2/ vs. West Virginia /10/ vs. Northern Illinois /10/ at N.C. State /19/ at Alabama /24/01 at C. Region Championships....4/7/01 Team Score vs. Illinois /10/01 vs. GW/Radford /9/ at SEC Championships /23/ at Alabama /24/01 vs. BG/CMU/Pitt /9/ vs. Towson State /24/ vs. West Virginia /10/ vs. Alabama /10/ vs. Florida /1/ at SEC Championships /29/96 *2001 Performances in bold. take her long to make herself known. Beginning with her performance at home against Alabama on Feb. 25, Gore scored a or better five consecutive times to close out the season. Her career high of came in the GymKats' upset 6 Individual Vault Jenny Hansen times Shawnte Hall times Jenny Hansen times Jennifer Simmons at Auburn....3/12/ Jenny Hansen times Jenny Hansen times A. Primault vs. BG/CMU/Pitt.....3/9/01 J. Simmons at ASU/Neb./Iowa..3/16/01 Shawnte Hall vs. GW/Radford.....3/9/96 Jenny Hansen times Jennifer Van Outer vs. LSU /5/96 Krissy Hoeferlin at Auburn /12/99 Uneven Bars Jenny Hansen times Jenny Hansen times Robin Ewing vs. Florida /1/ Robin Ewing vs. Ohio State.....1/10/97 Jenny Hansen times Katie Toups vs. Fla./GW/C. Mich...3/3/ Julie Joy vs. BGSU/CMU/Pitt....3/9/01 Robin Ewing times Jenny Hansen times Jessie Lemp times Katie Toups at N.C. State /19/00 Balance Beam Jenny Hansen at NCAA Champs...4/22/ Jenny Hansen at NCAA Champs..4/23/ Jenny Hansen times Mindy Smith at Alabama /24/01 Melanie Zaharias at Alabama...2/24/01 Jenny Hansen times Mindy Smith vs. Illinois /10/01 Jenny Hansen times Robin Ewing vs. Towson State..3/23/96 Floor Exercise Jenny Hansen times Jenny Hansen times Jenny Hansen times Mila Chitwood vs. GW/NC State..1/30/ Mila Chitwood at NCAA Regionals.4/5/97 Jenny Hansen times Mindy Smith vs. BG/CMU/Pitt..2 times A. Primault vs. BG/CMU/Pitt...3 times Julie Joy vs. BG/CMU/Pitt /9/01 Robin Ewing vs. Michigan /3/96 Jenny Hansen times Jennifer Van Outer vs. LSU.....3/5/93 Mila Chitwood vs. GW/NC State..1/29/99 Krissy Hoeferlin times All-Around Jenny Hansen times Jenny Hansen at NCAA Champs...4/20/ Jenny Hansen vs. Auburn.....2/18/ Jenny Hansen vs. LSU /5/ Jenny Hansen vs. Florida /1/96 of No. 9 West Virginia. She went on to qualify for the NCAA Regionals in the allaround where she tied for third with a score of and earned an alternate spot to the NCAA Championships. Gore's performances throughout the

7 season earned her 2000 Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year and first team All-SEC honors. Newcomers Make Impact UK welcomed five freshmen to the squad this season as Gina Augspurger, Stacey Hackett, Julie Joy, Aronda Primault and Melissa Tucker joined the GymKats. Right away, Joy and Primault earned a spot in the all-around lineup. Primault scored a to win the AA competition against Illinois. Earning career highs in all four events, she was named SEC Gymnast of the Week on Feb. 13. She scored a on vault, on bars, a on beam and a on floor. At Denver, Primault topped her floor performance with another career-high and then matched that at Florida. In front of more than 7,000 raucous fans at Alabama, Primault showed no concern and scored another career high with a to win the all-around. In the final home meet of the season, she tallied career highs in three events en route to winning the all-around competition with another career-high At the SEC Championships, again in front of nearly 7,500 fans (mostly cheering for Georgia and Alabama), Primault came through with a strong to finish 10th in the competition. At the Central Region Championships, she also finished 10th with an all-around total of and missed qualifying for nationals by a tenth of a point. Joy made the move to the all-around competion at Auburn (just the second meet of the season) where she scored a solid to finish third, just behind teammate Julia Gore. At home against Illinois and on the road at Denver, Joy scored back-toback 9.775s on bars, and she then scored a career high on floor at Alabama with a Joy competed in her second AA competition of the year in the GymKats home finale as she scored career highs on each apparatus to tally a career-high AA total of She then surpassed that the next week to place third at ASU with a Captain Toups For the 2001 season, the GymKats selected junior Katie Toups as team captain. The Baton Rouge, La., native made an immediate impact upon her arrival in the Bluegrass and has provided leadership for the team. As a freshman, Toups finished third on the team in the all-around with an average of and posted a career-high in winning her first meet against Ball State. As a sophomore in 2000, she led the team on the uneven bars with a season average of 9.825, scoring a career-high in a quad meet with Florida, George Washington and Central Michigan. Excite Nite Rings in New Year... As in past years, Excite Nite was a rousing success as the 2001 edition entertained 5,500 enthusiastic University of Kentucky gymnastics fans at Memorial Coliseum. With Master of Ceremonies Dick Gabriel, head coach Leah Little and Carl Nathe, the voice of the GymKats, leading the way, the crowd was introduced to this season's squad with much hoopla and fanfare. Riding the "Jungle Gym" theme, the Kats opened the festivities with a dance number complete with safari hats and jungle attire. The GymKats split into two squads headed up by Beth Coleman and Katie Toups for an intra-squad scrimmage with each side of the Coliseum cheering for one squad. The competition was fierce as Coleman's white squad, down after the first two rotations, made a strong comeback in the final two to overtake Toups' blue squad, The UK pom squad and 10-time national champion cheerleaders also were on hand and performed to the delight of the fans. The cheerleading squad even gave the fans a sneak peek at the routine it will perform at the upcoming national championships. To top things off, the Anderson (Ind.) All-Stars entertained the crowd with their dance moves, while fan-favorite Percy Price offered an impersonation of Sisqo. What the night gave the fans was fun, prizes and a chance to meet the GymKats, who signed autographs for 30 minutes afterward. Academi-Kats... The University of Kentucky gymnastics team has a tradition of excellence on and 7 off the mats. In 2000, UK had eight student-athletes named to the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches/Women Scholastic All-America team, more than half the team. The GymKats also placed five gymnasts on the 2000 Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll and matched that in Nationally in 2000, the team ranked in the top 20 with a team GPA of On Jan. 9, 2001, Katie Toups earned the PNC Bank Student-Athlete of the Week honor, while Allen was named to the Verizon Academic All-District IV first team SEC Academic Honor Roll Mila Chitwood Beth Coleman Krissy Hoeferlin Jessie Lemp Katie Toups 2000 SEC Academic Honor Roll Mila Chitwood Krissy Hoeferlin Natalie Hunt Jessie Lemp Katie Toups 2000 Academic All-America Karla Adelt Nicole Allen Mila Chitwood Krissy Hoeferlin Jessie Lemp Mindy Smith Stephanee Stone Katie Toups Kats From Across the Nation... This season s edition of the GymKats boasts athletes from nine different states. The state with the most representation is Texas with three. Here is the breakdown: Texas - 3 Colorado - 2 Illinois - 2 Kentucky - 2 Ohio - 2 Indiana - 1 Florida - 1 Louisiana - 1 New York - 1

8 SEC Dominates Yet Another Sport... In the inaugural NCAA Women s Gymnastics Championships in 1992, Florida gave the Southeastern Conference its only representative in the meet, finishing seventh. However, UF set a standard that the remaining conference teams have followed. Since the second meet in 1983, Florida represented the conference each year through Most importantly, the Gators took at least two other SEC teams along with them. Even though UF did not make it as a team in 2000, three conference teams competed at the NCAA meet. Not only have SEC teams gone to nationals, they have done quite well. The SEC has won eight national team titles and 49 individual titles. In 1998, the SEC had the top three finishers, becoming the only conference in history to do so. Overall, the SEC has won the NCAA eight times, with Georgia taking the title five times and Alabama claiming three. Though Kentucky has never competed in the NCAA Championships as a team, it does hold a couple of individual records. Kentucky is second in the NCAA in individual event champions in a single year with four and Jenny Hansen is third all-time in number of first-team All-America honors with 13. Hanson also is the only gymnast to ever win three all-around championships. The GymKats on the Web... The University of Kentucky's official athletics website, ukathletics.com, went through a major overhaul during the summer. With a new company in charge of design and maintenance, UK's athletic Internet presence is better than ever. For all the latest news, statistics and information you can handle on the GymKats and all other sports, just log onto: 8

9 2001 University of Kentucky Gymnastics Season Review I n 2000, for the first time in nine years, the UK GymKats missed qualifying for NCAA regional competition. Heading into the 2001 season, the team was determined to not let that happen again. Many in collegiate athletics believe that facing the top teams in the country early and often only benefits a team by preparing it for the rigors of postseason action and making that team better, despite possible early season stumbles. The 2001 GymKats wasted no time in the first meet of the season, facing Southeastern Conference-rival LSU, a team that finished ninth at the 2000 NCAA Championships. And stumble this team did. UK got off to a good start in the home opener as Jennifer Simmons won the vault in her first meet back after sitting out most of the '99 season with a broken ankle, while Mindy Smith tallied a to claim the individual honors on beam. However, the GymKats soon found trouble, counting one fall on bars and two on beam to lose to the Tigers of LSU, The night was still promising as Simmons claimed second in the all-around with a and Julia Gore, the 2000 SEC Freshman of the Year, tallied a for third. The GymKats hit the road for their next SEC matchup, traveling to Auburn, Ala., to face another set of Tigers. It was a close battle throughout with UK's Smith The GymKats pose before action gets underway at the Arizona State quad meet. taking the beam and floor titles, while Gore finished first on vault and second in the allaround. The visitors looked destined for their first win of the season before last minute inquiries by AU gave the home team a narrow victory, With no rest for the weary, UK returned home to face No. 5 Michigan and 2000 U.S. Olympic Team Captain Elise Ray in the first meet of a three-meet home stand. The GymKats stayed close to the Wolverines through one rotation but could not hang on, dropping the meet UK again was led by stellar performances on beam by Smith, who claimed her third beam title in as many meets, and Nicole Allen, who established a career best on beam. Simmons again led the way on vault, while Jessie Lemp and Katie Toups gave solid performances on bars. The No. 25 GymKats welcomed No. 3 Georgia and George Washington to Memorial Coliseum for what would prove to be the turning point of the season for UK. Georgia entered the season coming off a third-place finish at the 2000 NCAA Championships and was primed to improve. However, after two rotations, the highly ranked Bulldogs had suffered three falls on beam and found themselves tied with UK. Getting a each from Smith, Lemp and Gore on beam, UK finally made the necessary corrections on the apparatus to count no falls for the first time. The season-high score of kept the GymKats close, but the Gym Dogs pulled away in the final rotation for the victory. With 9 We proved to a lot of people that we are an incredible team and they can't just write us off anymore. Sophomore Mindy Smith a from GW, UK also earned its first win and with newfound confidence would not count a lower total score the rest of the season. We were ecstatic after two rotations," Little said. "The team got a taste of what it feels like to be even with a strong team. They now have to learn how to maintain that competitive edge at all times." However, UK faced a daunting task, replacing all-arounder Gore. In the final rotation, she injured her knee during a tumbling pass on floor, an injury that would keep her out of the lineup the rest of the season. Freshman Aronda Primault moved into the all-around lineup and UK had its breakthrough performance against No. 22 Illinois, matching the school-record team score to drop the Fighting Illini, The GymKats claimed individual honors on each apparatus and the allaround. Simmons scored a to win vault, Toups tallied a to claim the bars title, Smith was tops on beam with a and Primault took first on floor with a and first in the all-around with a With her AA performance, Primault was named the SEC Gymnast of the Week. The beam finally became a blessing rather than a burden for the GymKats as they scored a , the fifth-highest beam total in school history, while they also proved their mettle on the mats with a score on floor, the third-best floor score in school history. Allen performed well on the night tallying a on beam and a on floor. Also contributing to the high floor total was Coleman and Simmons, who each matched Allen's score of "This was a huge emotional victory for us," Little said. "We've pushed these athletes, and they were frustrated. We knew

10 2001 University of Kentucky Gymnastics Season Review (con t) they were capable of this type of performance, and they showed it." With things moving in the right direction midway through the season, UK took its No. 23 national ranking to Colorado to face the No. 18 Denver Pioneers. Primault finished third in the all-around with a to pace the GymKats, while the team scored its second-best totals of the season on bars and vault. Julie Joy, another freshman contributor, led the way on bars, and Melanie Zaharias returned to her home state with a on vault. However, UK's , its second best of the season, was not enough to overcome UD's Coming off a loss can be a tough task for any team, but even more so when it must travel to another highly ranked opponent. For UK, that meant a trip to No. 2 We said last year that we didn't want another year like that. There was so much fight in this team. Junior Katie Toups Alabama. But the GymKats were anything but nervous. So confident were these athletes that they put together solid performances on bars and vault, led by Lemp's bar routine and Coleman's on vault. With a on bars and a on vault by UK, the GymKats and Tide were separated by only two-tenths of a point. In the third rotatation, Bama tallied some unfortunate deductions on beam as UK scored a on floor with the help of a from Joy, a from Coleman and a from Primault to take a point advantage. In front of more than 7,000 Alabama fans, the GymKats ended the evening on the apparatus that had given them much trouble early on, trouble they had begun to overcome. Their response was to score a school-record beam total of on the heels of a career-high each by Smith and Zaharias. However, the Tide completed competition on their best event, the floor exercise, tallying a to claim the victory, With a , Primault won her second allaround competition of the season. "That was the best performance by any team I've ever coached," Little said. "I'm so impressed with our performance. Moving to balance beam last, this team really held together and shined." UK seemed to be living by the notion of face the best and improve, but a trip to Gainesville to face Florida, Iowa State and Ball State slowed the progress a bit. The beam again was the downfall for the GymKats as they were forced to count three falls for a , the lowest beam score of the season. However, they rallied to score a on the floor exercise in the next rotation, led by Primault's 9.900, and a on vault, paced by Coleman's first-place 9.825, to total , finishing just ahead of Ball State for third place. Memorial Coliseum greeted UK a week later for its last home meet of the season, and the GymKats did not disappoint the home crowd. Saying goodbye to seniors Coleman and Susan Buffington, the GymKats scored a , the secondhighest score in school history to top Bowling Green, Central Michigan and Pittsburgh, and regain their balance for the upcoming postseason. The GymKats scored or better in three events, Junior Nicole Allen was an integral part of the bar, beam and floor lineups for the GymKats. while three gymnasts tallied a on four occasions to lead UK to the victory. Primault led the way with a career-high to win the allaround honors, while Joy scored a careerhigh to finish fourth in just her second AA performance of the season. Joy, Smith and Primault each scored a career-high on floor to lead the team to a , the fourthbest floor total in school history. On vault, Primault tallied a 9.900, Coleman added a in her last home meet as a GymKat and Simmons chipped in a to help UK to a , while the team achieved a on bars with the help of a from Joy and a each from Lemp and Primault. To close out the regular season, UK traveled to Tempe, Ariz., for its toughest meet of the season against three top-12 teams. In a meet that saw No. 8 Arizona State and No. 7 Nebraska battle for first the entire evening, the GymKats overcame the loss of Allen to an injury in warm-ups and put together their strongest vault performance of the year to overtake No. 12 Iowa, , for third place. In the third rotation of the evening, UK scored a season low on floor, an event that had been good for the GymKats the previous few weeks, to slip to fourth place. However, Simmons hit her vault to score a to lead the team past the Hawkeyes. With the strong finish to the regular season, UK increased its regional qualifying score to for sixth place in the Central Region. With 36 spots available in the first round of NCAA competition and 10

11 2001 University of Kentucky Gymnastics Season Review (con t) six regions in the country, on average six teams from each region qualify for NCAAs. However, the actual number of teams that qualify from each region is based on this formula: the number of teams ranked in the top 18 plus the next three. Only two teams in the Central Region were ranked in the top 18, so only five teams could qualify. Therefore, being sixth in the region was not enough for UK, and the GymKats were again faced with the prospect of ending the season at the SEC Championships. Heading to Birmingham, Ala., they needed a to surpass Michigan State for that last qualifying spot. In front of a crowd of more than 5,000 fans cheering mostly for Alabama and Georgia, the GymKats finished fifth among the six league schools, but more importantly, they scored a At SECs, UK opened up one of its most important meets in recent history on bars and responded with a solid effort behind a from Toups. The GymKats moved on to the beam where Smith again led the team, this time to a score of , with a 9.850, while Simmons added a In the third rotation on floor, they stepped it up to a new level, scoring a , the second-best floor total in school history. Smith, Joy and Primault each tallied a while Coleman scored a (a career high) and Simmons scored a Rounding out the scoring was the team's secondbest effort of the season on vault, a , headed up by a from Coleman and a from Joy, Toups and Zaharias. Needing a to surpass MSU, their total of not only overtook the Spartans for fifth in the region but also Junior Jessie Lemp led the 2001 GymKats on the uneven bars with a average. made it mathematically impossible for MSU to move back ahead of UK, returning the team to NCAA competition. The GymKats traveled back to Tuscaloosa, the site of their near upset of the Crimson Tide earlier in the season, facing No. 4 Alabama, No. 9 Arizona State, No. 16 Minnesota, No. 20 Kent State and No. 21 Ohio State at regionals. Again, UK gave a solid performance, scoring a to finish fourth, just eight-tenths of a point away from second place and a spot at nationals. Before the competition even started, however, concern arose about whether this team would be able to overcome another obstacle - the loss of Coleman. Coleman had been an important member of the UK vault and floor lineups and had been performing extremely well leading up to the meet, but a case of whiplash suffered during a warm-up vault threatened to end her career early and hinder the GymKats chances. Showing the will and desire this team had shown all season long, Coleman regrouped and competed in both events. Along with Joy, she scored a that, added to the from Smith and Primault, pushed the GymKats past Ohio State and into fourth place heading into the final rotation on vault. There, Coleman scored a to go along with Simmons' and Zaharias' to give UK the fourth-place finish. Coleman's tied Simmons for fifth place. In the all-around competition, Primault completed a stellar freshman season with a to finish in seventh place, missing an at-large berth to nationals by a tenth of a point. Simmons completed her comeback season with a for ninth We got a taste of what it is like to be a threat to some of those powerhouse schools. Junior Nicole Allen place. Adding to the individual honors was Smith, whose on beam, her 16th consecutive score of or better, tied her for sixth in the region. "Finishing only eight-tenths of a point from qualifying for nationals is tremendous progress," Little said. "This was a very successful season, and we are on the verge of greater things." In a season that began with expectations of reaching regional competition once again, these GymKats started slowly but gelled at the right time and came together as the unit they knew they could be. They wound up the season with the 13th-best score in NCAA regional competition and finished ranked 16th after nationals. They matched the best team total in school history once and tied or surpassed the second-best team total in school history three times. Eight of nine returning GymKats who saw action this season recorded a career best on at least one apparatus, with three gaining career highs on at least two. And on 13 occasions, these GymKats scored an event or overall total that ranks in the top six all time at UK. "These athletes gained tremendous ground with what they accomplished this year," Little said. "I really have to commend them for going from a No. 40 ranking at the end of last season to 13th this year. We got ourselves back up to the point where it will help recruiting and will help put us back where we feel we rightfully belong, in the top 10 in the country. They did what they needed to do to put themselves back in a position where they gained respect and national attention." 11

12 2001 Senior Salute Susan Buffington and Beth Coleman Seniors Beth Coleman and Susan Buffington took center stage on Friday, March 9, for the University of Kentucky gymnastics team's senior night festivities as they said goodbye to the home crowd. The GymKats faced Bowling Green, Central Michigan and Pittsburgh in the final home meet of the 2001 season. These two young women who have made a solid impact on the UK program have each taken different, yet equally important paths to get to this special day, one on the mats and one on the sidelines. Coleman came to the Bluegrass from the Chicago area in Her choice of Kentucky was not a difficult one as she considered a number of factors. Other schools had one or another of the characteristics she was looking for in a college, but only Kentucky provided her with all the ingredients for which she was searching. For Buffington, a Jonesboro, Ga., native, UK was the only school she really considered. She was friends with UK gymnast Shawnte Hall, who told Buffington about the program. One visit was all it took for her to decide on UK. "Kentucky was the only school I visited," Buffington said. "When I got here, I just knew this was the place for me." And it has been a good place for them both. Coleman got into gymnastics at the age of six, when she started taking classes to follow in her older sister's footsteps, but that was not where she started. "My first classes were in ballet," Coleman said. "But I was kicked out of Susan Buffington and Beth Coleman greeted the home crowd for the last time on March 9. ballet because all I wanted to do were cartwheels." She started competing at the age of nine but stopped for a year at 11. After picking it back up Coleman took it more Beth Coleman seriously and came to the realization that this could be the sport for her. As a freshman at UK, Coleman had a solid season entering the all-around lineup at the Nebraska Invitational, while recording a career-high on the vault against Florida. In 1999, she had to fight off an injury in preseason and, after missing much of the season, went on to establish career-highs on the floor, bars and allaround. After competing in the first seven meets of 2000, Coleman sat out the remainder of the season with a case of mononucleosis. However, in her senior season, she has shined. Competing for the GymKats on vault and floor, Coleman has positioned herself second on the team in both events. She has recorded three consecutive scores of or better on the vault and tallied a careerhigh on the floor against Illinois in February. "This has been a great experience," Coleman said. "When I was young I never really had any intentions of going to college. I just wanted to compete. When I was about 15 I realized I could compete well, and that opened the door for what I have done the last four years. I am very happy with my choice and can look back at my time here with no regrets." "Beth has seen adversity," assistant coach Mo Muhammad said, "and despite that has shown that she can be a motivator and a team leader in the good times and the bad. She has been an integral part of this program for four years." Buffington, on the other hand, has not competed nearly as much as Coleman. As a matter of fact, her UK career consisted of exactly two meets. She did not have the best start since she had four surgeries in high school alone. As a freshman she had an ankle injury, and then by the time she graduated, she had had three surgeries on her left knee. As an incoming freshman, Buffington was ready to begin what she and the coaches thought would be a wonderful collegiate career, but during her physical Susan Buffington examination, another tear in the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee was detected, requiring another operation. After more rehab, she was again ready to perform, but after two meets her knee just was not as strong as it should be and the decision was made to end her competitive career. "In the back of my mind, I knew I probably couldn't continue," Buffington said, "but the coaches were the ones who convinced me that I should stop competing. They said that it was more important for me to be able to walk when I am 25 rather than continue to compete." Instead of competing, she has served as the team's manager. Her duties include handling music for the GymKats' floor routines, organizing equipment for home and away meets, and videotaping of all meets. "It means so much to me that I can still be a part of this program," Buffington said. "I worked hard my whole life to be a part of a college team, and even though I can't 12

13 2001 Senior Salute Susan Buffington and Beth Coleman (con t) physically compete, I still feel like I'm a member of the team." "Susan brings so much to our program," Coach Leah Little said. "She suffered a career-ending knee injury but wanted to stay with the program. She helps out in all aspects of the program and is such a positive person to be around day-in and day-out." Coach Mo added, "What would we do without her? A day without Buff is like a day without sunshine." Both gymnasts give credit to great coaching and wonderful teammates in helping them make it to this day. It has been a rough road at times, but they are stronger because of their experiences. "One thing I have learned while at UK is to go out and do my best no matter what happens," Coleman said. "It is important to have a team like we have to be behind you and help you through those tough times." Added Buffington, "It has been hard for me to not get to compete, but it is important to not give up no matter what you try to do, and it is okay to rely on others. This team has really helped me through it all. Most importantly, you need to be happy in whatever you do." Beth Coleman came to Kentucky from the Chicago area and has become one of the team s leaders in and out of the gym. Susan Buffington (right) joins teammates Jessie Lemp (left) and Stephanee Stone in a skit at UK s Schoolhouse Rock to teach elementary students about the dangers of drugs and the importance of getting an education. 13

14 2001 UK GymKats Meet Summaries 14

15 2001 Meet Summaries Kentucky vs. No. 8 LSU Lexington, Ky. Jan. 12, 2001 UK , LSU The University of Kentucky gymnastics team fell to the No. 8 Louisiana State Tigers in its season opener, , on Friday, Jan. 12. Kentucky opened up competition on the vault, an event that has a different look for the 2001 season. Until last year, gymnasts were allotted two opportunities and were awarded the higher average of the two judges' scores. This season, each gymnast has only one opportunity, making each trip down the track very important. The GymKats posted a strong , led by junior Jennifer Simmons with a Simmons made her return after sitting out the 2000 season with an ankle injury and her score was good enough to claim individual honors in the event. The Tigers posted a on the vault, led by Adrienne Couret's In the second rotation, the GymKats hit the uneven bars, posting a after being forced to count a fall. Junior Jessie Lemp and sophomore Julia Gore led UK with a each, which tied them for fourth on the event. Junior Nicole Allen also had a strong showing, notching a career high on the event. LSU had a strong bar team, posting a , including a firstplace performance by Beth Boudreaux. The Kats struggled in the decisive third rotation, counting two falls on the balance beam. The beam once again proved lucky for sophomore Mindy Smith, who has yet to count a fall in a collegiate meet on the event. Smith posted a career-high to lead her team and claim the individual honor. While the beam proved to be a foe for the Kats, the Tigers found their rhythm, scoring their highest event total of the evening with a The Kats fought hard to make up lost ground in the final rotation, where they posted a on floor to LSU's on the same event. Once again, Smith came up big for UK, notching a for a second-place finish overall. Allen and Gore also contributed strong performances with a pair of 9.750s. Two UK freshmen saw action for the first time as Wildcats as Julie Joy competed on vault, bars and floor exercise, and Aronda Primault showed her skills on the vault, balance beam and floor exercise. The Kats took second and third place in the all-around as Simmons notched a for second and Gore posted a for third. LSU's Nikki Arnstad had a solid performance to claim the individual all-around title. "For our first meet, we did some good things," Coach Leah Little said. "I'm disappointed, because we were very prepared, but we gave it away on the beam. Our goal is to come out and do well, but we had to count two falls on beam. It's hard enough to win in the SEC without having those problems. We have tremendous potential." Nicole Allen Beth Coleman Julia Gore Julie Joy Jessie Lemp Aronda Primault Jennifer Simmons Mindy Smith Katie Toups Melanie Zaharias Team No. 17 Kentucky at No. 22 Auburn Auburn, Ala. Jan. 19, 2001 UK , AU Despite a career-high on beam by sophomore Mindy Smith, the University of Kentucky gymnastics team fell to Auburn on Friday, Jan. 19, at Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum on the campus of Auburn University. "It is a tough way to lose a meet, on inquiries," Coach Leah Little said. "I am not sure that has happened to us before. We need to go back, practice and get ready for next week." The GymKats began competition on the uneven bars where they were led by junior Katie Toups' Junior Jessie Lemp gave UK its second-highest score with a 9.675, followed by a by junior Jennifer Simmons. Freshman Julie Joy rebounded from a fall in the season opener by notching a However, the Tigers took the lead after the first rotation. In the second rotation, the GymKats moved on to the vault, their strongest event, and they showed it. Junior Katie Toups stepped up first and scored a strong 9.675, but that score would not be needed as the remaining five gymnasts scored great than a 9.700, led by sophomore Julia Gore's 9.800, which gave her first place in the event. Junior Jennifer Simmons' was second on the team, while freshman Julie Joy scored a career high with a to give UK a Auburn and Kentucky finished even in the third rotation as each squad tallied a , AU on beam and UK on floor. Smith scored a season-high to lead the team and the event, while Gore and Joy each tallied For the second consecutive meet, the final results depended on Kentucky's beam routines, and again it was close as two GymKats recorded falls. However, this time around, UK only had to count one fall in scoring a , led by Smith's careerhigh 9.900, her 12th consecutive meet without a fall. UK appeared headed to victory before inquiries on the bar routines for both teams resulted in the Tigers taking the narrow victory. In the all-around competition, Gore finished the night with a 15

16 2001 Meet Summaries , coming in just behind Auburn's Gettle, who tallied a Karla Adelt Nicole Allen Beth Coleman Julia Gore Julie Joy Jessie Lemp Aronda Primault Jennifer Simmons Mindy Smith Katie Toups Team Kentucky vs. No. 5 Michigan Lexington, Ky. Jan. 26, 2001 UK , UM Despite a season-high team score, the University of Kentucky gymnastics team could not overcome a strong Michigan team, falling to the Wolverines, , on Friday, Jan. 26, at Memorial Coliseum. UK's record drops to 0-3, while UM improves to 6-3. "We are very disappointed in our performance tonight," Coach Leah Little said. "We know we are a better team than we are showing. We need to compete with more aggressiveness and assertiveness. Our gymnasts are improving each week, but they are still making falls. You can't go against the No. 5 team and make those mistakes." The GymKats began the night on their strongest event, the vault, and were led by junior Jennifer Simmons' second-place Freshman Julie Joy improved again, scoring a careerhigh 9.775, followed closely by sophomore Julia Gore and senior Beth Coleman, who each tallied a UK's total of was just a hair behind the Wolverines' UK went to the uneven bars next, tallying a Gore led the way in this rotation, tying a career high with a for third place on the apparatus. Junior Katie Toups followed her with a 9.800, while Junior Jessie Lemp and Joy contributed solid scores. The beam has been a trouble area for the GymKats this season, and tonight was not much different as they had to count one fall. Sophomore Mindy Smith continued her dominance on the apparatus tallying a first-place score of 9.875, completing her 13th meet without a fall. Junior Nicole Allen earned fourth-place honors with a career-high Lemp completed her first performance on the beam this season with a 9.750, helping UK earn a as a team. The GymKats closed out the evening with the floor exercise, where they earned their top team score of the night with a season-high Gore led the way with a 9.825, as Coleman, Smith and Joy each scored a Joy's score was a new career-high. In the all-around competition, Gore stepped up with some solid scores to finish with a season-high total of , good for third. Michigan freshman and 2000 US Olympian Elise Ray was well on her way to claiming the title, but a fall on the beam dropped her back to fourth. Karla Adelt Nicole Allen Beth Coleman Julia Gore Julie Joy Jessie Lemp Aronda Primault Jennifer Simmons Mindy Smith Katie Toups Team No. 25 Kentucky vs. No. 3 Georgia/G. Wash. Lexington, Ky. Feb. 2, 2001 UK , UGA , GW Despite being tied with Georgia after two rotations, the University of Kentucky gymnastics team fell to the No. 3 Bulldogs, , on Friday, Feb. 2. However, the GymKats did secure their first win of season, finishing ahead of George Washington's in their first tri-meet this year. "We were ecstatic after two rotations," Coach Leah Little said. "We headed to floor for the last rotation, the best event for a home team but couldn't get it done. The team got a taste of what it feels like to be even with a strong team. They now have to learn how to maintain that competitive edge at those times. I still have faith we will put it together by tournament time." UK (1-4, 0-3 Southeastern Conference) began the evening on vault, where senior Beth Coleman led the way with a seasonhigh Sophomore Jennifer Simmons chipped in a to help the GymKats to a At the end of the first rotation, UK was down to Georgia (9-0-1, SEC) by Kentucky moved on to the uneven bars where junior Jessie Lemp and sophomore Julia Gore each earned a 9.825, a season high for Lemp and a career high for Gore. Junior Katie Toups was close behind with a 9.775, while junior Nicole Allen scored a The GymKats scores were good enough to make up the difference with Georgia, thanks to three falls on beam by the Gym Dogs. It was the GymKats' turn on beam next, and they responded by scoring a season-high , having no falls for the first time this season. Sophomore Mindy Smith, Lemp and Gore each 16

17 2001 Meet Summaries scored a to lead the way, as Simmons tallied a However, UK lost a little ground to Georgia, which scored a on the floor exercise to regain the lead. UK entered the floor exercise with one final shot. Smith closed out the rotation with a season-high to go along with a from Coleman, but the team's was not enough to overtake the Gym Dogs. Georgia All-American Kristi Lichey won all-around honors with a , scoring a or better on each apparatus to lead UGA to the team victory. Gore tallied a to claim fourth place. Nicole Allen Beth Coleman Julia Gore Julie Joy Jessie Lemp Aronda Primault Jennifer Simmons Mindy Smith Katie Toups Melanie Zaharias Team Kentucky vs. No. 22 Illinois Lexington, Ky. Feb. 10, 2001 UK , UI Tying a school record with its best performance of the season, the University of Kentucky gymnastics team defeated No. 22 Illinois, , on Saturday, Feb. 10, at Memorial Coliseum. The score matches the UK team-total record set in "This is a huge emotional victory for us," Coach Leah Little said. "We've pushed these athletes, and they were frustrated. We knew they were capable of this type of performance, and now they have shown it. We just have to build on this and get ready for Denver next week to put ourselves in good position for the postseason." The GymKats (2-4, 0-3 Southeastern Conference) began competition on their best event, the vault, and proceeded to score a season-high as all five individual scores were season highs. Counting no score less than 9.725, UK was led by junior Jennifer Simmons' first-place 9.850, while freshman Aronda Primault tallied a Not far behind were freshman Julie Joy (9.775), sophomore Melanie Zaharias (9.750) and junior Katie Toups (9.725). With some falls by Illinois (0-5) on the bars, UK took a commanding lead. On the uneven bars, UK matched its vault score to increase the overall lead. Toups led the way in this rotation with a seasonhigh to claim individual honors. Lemp contributed a for second place, while junior Nicole Allen and Joy tied for third with a 9.775, both career highs. Simmons closed out the scoring with a season-high The Illini picked up some ground in the third rotation with a strong performance on the floor exercise, but the GymKats hung tough by scoring the fifth-best balance beam score in school history with a Sophomore Mindy Smith was tops on the beam for UK for the fifth time this season by scoring a Allen added 9.800, as sophomore Karla Adelt and Lemp each scored a 9.725, a career high for Adelt. Primault finished with a In the closing rotation, the floor exercise, UK scored over for the first time this season with a , the third-best floor score in school history. Primault closed out a career night with a career-high for first place. Close on her heels were senior Beth Coleman, Allen and Simmons at Joy rounded out the scoring with a career-high In her first all-around performance of the season, Primault put together an excellent score of , a team high this season, to claim individual all-around honors. Karla Adelt Nicole Allen Beth Coleman Julie Joy Jessie Lemp Aronda Primault Jennifer Simmons Mindy Smith Katie Toups Melanie Zaharias Team No. 23 Kentucky vs. No. 18 Denver Denver, Colo. Feb. 16, 2001 UK , UD The University of Kentucky gymnastics team scored its second-best team total of the season but was narrowly defeated by the University of Denver, , on Friday, Feb. 16 at Hamilton Gymnasium. UK fell to 2-5, while the Pioneers improved to 7-3. "We are pleased that this was our highest road score of the season," Coach Leah Little said. "We didn't count any falls for the second week in a row, so that is a positive. It was also a good accomplishment for Aronda (Primault) to be our top all-arounder again, and she is staying consistent." The GymKats began the night on the bars where they scored a , the second-best bar total of the season. Freshman Julie Joy led the way by tying a career-best Coming in just behind were juniors Jessie Lemp and Jennifer Simmons and 17

18 2001 Meet Summaries freshman Aronda Primault, each scoring a UK was slightly behind at this point by only points. In the second rotation, UK moved to its best event, the vault, and responded by tying its second-best score of the season with a Sophomore Melanie Zaharias, returning to her home state, scored a season-best to tie for third on the apparatus. Simmons and Joy each added a 9.750, while Primault contributed a to the GymKats' cause. In just her second vault of the season, Lemp tallied a to round out the scoring. The Pioneers counted some strong bar routines to increase their overall lead, Next up for UK was the floor exercise, which has given the GymKats some trouble in the past. However, with the help of Primault's career-best 9.900, the GymKats finished with a Along with Joy's and the Pioneers counting a fall on beam, UK cut Denver's lead to only The final rotation took UK to the beam where sophomore Mindy Smith continued her mastery of the apparatus. She tallied a to tie for individual honors. Lemp added a 9.775, while Zaharias scored a 9.700, a season high, in only her second beam competition of the season. However, the Pioneers had two scores over on floor to pull out the victory. In just her second all-around competition, Primault totaled a for third place, behind Denver's Ashley Shible, who scored a stellar for first. Karla Adelt Nicole Allen Beth Coleman Julie Joy Jessie Lemp Aronda Primault Jennifer Simmons Mindy Smith Katie Toups Melanie Zaharias Team No. 26 Kentucky vs. No. 2 Alabama Tuscaloosa, Ala. Feb. 24, 2001 UK , UA In a thrilling Southeastern Conference matchup, the University of Kentucky gymnastics team came within eight-hundredths of a point of knocking off No. 2 Alabama and posted the second-highest score in school history in a loss. Freshman Aronda Primault took all-around honors with her career-high , which included a career best score of on balance beam. The Kat's tops the previous school record of set at the SEC Championships in The GymKats (2-6, 0-4 SEC) opened strong on the uneven bars, posting their second highest score on the apparatus this season with a Junior Jessie Lemp led the way for UK with a 9.825, which tied her season high. Fellow juniors Katie Toups and Jennifer Simmons came up big, both posting scores of Alabama (12-1-1, 4-0 SEC) turned in a on vault, led by sophomore Kristen Sterner's UK posted a on the vault as senior Beth Coleman led the way on Alabama's Senior Night with a Alabama had an uncharacteristic bad night on bars as they were forced to count two early falls, but came back strong with a performance by senior Dara Stewart and Andree' Pickens' first 10.0 bar routine of the season. The Tide tallied a in the event, closing the gap between the teams to just two-tenths of a point. The Kats came alive in the third rotation, posting a on the floor exercise and capitalized on Alabama's misfortune to take a narrow lead entering the final rotation. Freshman Julie Joy posted a career-high to lead the way for UK on floor exercise, while Coleman was close behind with a The Kats were forced to count a.10 reduction on Smith's routine after she stepped out on her final tumbling pass. In the final rotation, the GymKats posted a school-record as UK swept individual honors. Sophomores Melanie Zaharias and Smith each had phenomenal performances to tie for first. Smith extended her streak on the beam, never counting a fall in collegiate competition with 17 meets under her belt. Alabama pulled together on floor exercise though, posting a to eliminate Kentucky's chance of the upset. "That was the best performance by any team I've ever coached," Coach Leah Little said. "I'm so impressed with our performance. Moving to balance beam last, our team really held together and shined. I couldn't be more proud of these gymnasts." Alabama's was its second-lowest score of the season and its lowest dual-meet score in the 2001 campaign. Karla Adelt Nicole Allen Beth Coleman Julie Joy Jessie Lemp Aronda Primault Jennifer Simmons Mindy Smith Katie Toups Melanie Zaharias Team

19 2001 Meet Summaries No. 26 Kentucky vs. No. 10 Florida/ No. 8 Iowa State/Ball State Gainesville, Fla. March 2, 2001 UK , UF , ISU BSU Despite tallying the sixth-highest floor exercise score in school history and winning two individual event honors, the University of Kentucky gymnastics team finished third in a quad meet at the University of Florida on Friday, March 2, with a team score of No. 10 Florida won the meet with a , while No. 8 Iowa State claimed third with a and Ball State took fourth with a With the four-team format, UK (3-8, 0-5 Southeastern Conference) started on the bars where junior Jennifer Simmons and freshman Julie Joy each scored a Three other GymKats, juniors Jessie Lemp and Katie Toups and freshman Aronda Primault, tallied 9.675s to give Kentucky a team total of With strong performances from Florida on vault and Iowa State on beam, UK was in third at the end of the first rotation, only behind the leading Gators. UK moved to the balance beam next where they have been phenomenal the last three meets. Sophomore Mindy Smith led the way again as she notched a for the third time this season to win individual honors, while Lemp added a season-high However, the GymKats had to count three falls for a beam total of and slipped into fourth place with a team total. The Gators slipped into third, counting two falls of their own on bars, as the Cyclones made a move into first. The third rotation took UK to its strongest event in 2001, the floor exercise, and the GymKats tallied their best event score of the night with a , setting a season best and matching the sixth-best floor score in team history. Primault led the way with a career-best to finish second and was followed by Smith's season-best Joy added a 9.775, while senior Beth Coleman scored a and Allen scored a for the UK cause. In the team standings, UK stayed in fourth with a total of The most notable aspect of the rotation was Smith's routine which won the Ernestine Weaver Award as the most creative and entertaining routine of the competition. The GymKats ended the night on the vault where they scored a to surpass the Ball State for third place. Coleman led the team and won the individual honors with a 9.825, while Zaharias and Simmons each added a Primault finished the night with a 9.700, and Toups contributed a to the team total of In the all-around competition, the GymKats only competitor, Primault, finished sixth with a total score of Karla Adelt Nicole Allen Beth Coleman Julie Joy Jessie Lemp Aronda Primault Jennifer Simmons Mindy Smith Katie Toups Melanie Zaharias Team No. 29 Kentucky vs. Bowling Green/Central Michigan/Pittsburgh Lexington, Ky. March 9, 2001 UK , CMU , BGSU PITT On a night when two seniors were bid farewell to the home crowd, the University of Kentucky gymnastics team turned in its second-best performance of the season to win a quad meet at Memorial Coliseum on Friday, March 9. The GymKats tallied a , also the second-best score in school history, by winning each individual title to defeat Central Michigan ( ), Bowling Green ( ) and Pittsburgh ( ). The meet was a battle from the start between UK (6-8, 0-5 Southeastern Conference) and CMU (7-10, 2-3 Mid-American Conference) as the GymKats began the night on vault. Freshman Aronda Primault scored a career-high to win the event, while senior Beth Coleman scored a season-high to tie for second in her last home meet. Junior Jennifer Simmons notched a to place fourth, as freshman Julie Joy and sophomore Melanie Zaharias each contributed a to the team total. After the first rotation, the Chippewas held a slim advantage over UK, The GymKats moved to the uneven bars next where they scored the sixth-highest bar total in school history with a to edge ahead of the Chippawas. Julie Joy scored a career-high to claim the individual title, while junior Jessie Lemp and Primault tied for second with a 9.825, a season best for Lemp and a career best for Primault. Juniors Katie Toups and Nicole Allen added a and a 9.725, respectively. UK then increased its lead with a effort on the beam despite counting a fall, as CMU also counted a fall on vault. Sophomore Mindy Smith continued her dominance of the apparatus, finishing first with her fourth of the season. She has now completed 19 consecutive meets without counting a fall. Lemp and Zaharias each scored a 9.800, while Primault notched a The GymKats' newfound success on the floor in recent weeks continued as they closed out the competition with a , the fourth-highest floor score in school history. Leading the way was a trio of career-high 9.900s by Joy, Primault and Smith. Allen added to the UK cause with a 9.750, while Simmons scored a 19

20 2001 Meet Summaries to help the team pull away from CMU for the victory. In the all-around competition, Primault won her second title of the season with a career-best performance of Joy finished fourth in just her second AA appearance of the season with a career-high The GymKats also said goodbye to senior Susan Buffington, who has served as team manager since suffering a career-ending knee injury her freshman season. Karla Adelt Nicole Allen Beth Coleman Julie Joy Jessie Lemp Aronda Primault Jennifer Simmons Mindy Smith Katie Toups Melanie Zaharias Team No. 28 Kentucky vs. No. 8 Arizona State/ No. 7 Nebraska/ No. 12 Iowa Tempe, Ariz. March 16, 2001 UK , UN , ASU Iowa The University of Kentucky gymnastics team put together its strongest vault performance of the year to overtake No. 12 Iowa for third place with a at a quad meet hosted by Arizona State on Friday, March 16, at Wells Fargo Arena. No. 7 Nebraska collected the meet title with a , while the No. 8 Sun Devils finished second with a "We had a great meet for a road meet this late in the season," Coach Leah Little said. "The scores on floor just weren't there tonight, even though we hit five of six routines and didn't get the scores we were accustomed to this season. We had to pull Nicole Allen from the lineup with an injury in warmups and had to go with some gymnasts who weren't completely warmed up. Now we just have to get focused on the Southeastern Conference Championships." The GymKats (7-10, 0-5 SEC) got underway on the uneven bars and put together their best bar routines for the second straight week, matching last week's Junior Jennifer Simmons gave her best performance of the season with a teamleading She was followed closely by fellow junior Katie Toups and freshman Julie Joy, each with a 9.825, which was a season high for Toups. Junior Jessie Lemp added a 9.800, while freshman Aronda Primault contributed a to put UK in third place after the first rotation. UK moved on to the balance beam in the second rotation where sophomore Mindy Smith again led the way with a Primault and Simmons each added a 9.725, while Joy chipped in a 9.70 and Zaharias a The GymKats score of on beam pushed their total up to , keeping them in third place overall. In the third rotation, UK was on what had been one of their best events the past month; however, the GymKats scored a season-low on the floor exercise to slip to fourth overall with points. Senior Beth Coleman led the way with a The GymKats finished the night strong by tying a season-best mark on the vault with a , the sixth-highest vault mark in school history. Simmons hit a season best with a to lead a group of four UK gymnasts to score top season marks. Joy was second for UK with a career-best 9.850, while Zaharias and Primault each scored a 9.825, a season best for Zaharias. Junior Katie Toups rounded out the scoring for UK with 2001 best of In the all-around competition, Joy topped her previous careerhigh set last week with a to lead UK's three all-arounders and place third overall. Simmons was very close behind with a season-best , while Primault totaled a Beth Coleman Julie Joy Jessie Lemp Aronda Primault Jennifer Simmons Mindy Smith Katie Toups Melanie Zaharias Team No. 28 Kentucky at SEC Championships Birmingham, Ala. March 23, 2001 UK th Place Needing another high score to get solid position for qualifying to regional competition as a team, the University of Kentucky GymKats scored a , the second-highest score in school history, to finish fifth at the Southeastern Conference Gymnastics Championships on March 23. The No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs claimed the title with a , while No. 3 Alabama took third with a Florida finished third with a , LSU took fourth with a and Auburn finished sixth with a "I am really proud of our gymnasts," Coach Leah Little said. "This was our highest SEC score ever, and we needed a to move up in the regional standings. We needed a heading into vault to contend for third and fourth and they gave it their all. I am really proud of all our kids, especially our freshmen who came in here and did not let the size of the crowd 20

21 2001 Meet Summaries disrupt them. This was our best SEC meet ever." In the first rotation of the night, the GymKats sat out with a bye, but jumped into the competition on bars in the second. Team captain Katie Toups led the way with a season-high Junior Jessie Lemp followed up with a 9.775, while fellow junior Jennifer Simmons added a UK finished solid with a from junior Nicole Allen and freshmen Aronda Primault and Julie Joy to give the Kats a team total of The GymKats moved on to the balance beam for the third rotation and scored a , the third highest of the season. Leading the way for UK was sophomore Mindy Smith with a The score marked her 21st consecutive routine without a fall and her 15th straight score of or better. Simmons scored a season-high 9.825, while Primault added a and Lemp a With a team total of , UK stood in fifth place just ahead of Auburn. After another bye in the fourth rotation, UK entered the fifth on the floor exercise needing a solid score to stay in contention for their highest finish in school history. And the GymKats responded with a , the second-best floor team total in school history. Leading the way for UK was the trio of Smith, Joy and Primault who each matched her second-best score of the season with a Senior Beth Coleman, in her last conference championship, added a career-best 9.850, while Simmons also contributed the second-best score of her career with a to keep the GymKats in fifth place with a team total of UK finished the night on vault and tallied a , its second highest score of the season. Coleman finished tops on the team with a solid 9.825, while Toups, Joy and Zaharias each added a Primault finished the night with a to give the GymKats their final score of In the all-around competition, Aronda Primault scored her third highest total of the season with a , while Simmons scored a season high with a Nicole Allen Beth Coleman Julie Joy Jessie Lemp Aronda Primault Jennifer Simmons Mindy Smith Katie Toups Melanie Zaharias Team No. 28 Kentucky at NCAA Regionals Tuscaloosa, Ala. April, 2001 UK th Place Matching its second-best NCAA Regional Championships finish in school history with its highest ever regional score and defeating two higher ranked teams, the University of Kentucky gymnastics squad claimed fourth place with a team total of at the Central Region Championships on Saturday, April 7, at the University of Alabama. In finishing fourth, UK (10-17) also topped two higher ranked teams, No. 20 Kent State ( ) and No. 21 Ohio State ( ). No. 4 Alabama pulled away from the competition with a to claim the title. No. 9 Arizona State earned the second of two berths to the NCAA Championships with a , while No. 16 Minnesota took third with a "Finishing only.800 points from qualifying is tremendous progress for this team," Coach Leah Little said. "We competed really well, but just came up short and took a couple of steps on landings. This was a very successful season, and we are on the verge of greater things. Next year we will have everyone back with the exception of Beth (Coleman). "Beth did a phenomenal job after suffering whiplash in the vault warmups," Little said. "To come back from that and compete is just great. Mindy (Smith) and Jennifer (Simmons) placed in the beam and vault and did very well. And Aronda (Primault) was just.100 from qualifying for nationals as an all-arounder. I am just so proud of this team." The GymKats got the night under way on bars with junior Jessie Lemp leading the way with a Fellow junior Katie Toups and freshman Julie Joy each added a 9.775, while freshman Aronda Primault chipped in a Rounding out UK's scoring on the opening event was junior Jennifer Simmons with a to give the GymKats a going into the second rotation. The beam was next for UK and for the 12th time this season sophomore Mindy Smith was tops on the team and tied for sixth in the region with a 9.850, her 16th consecutive score of or better. Primault finished with a 9.775, while Lemp added a The GymKats score of gave them a team total of going into the third rotation, a bye. UK tumbled back into the competition in the fourth rotation on floor in fifth place, but with a solid score of on floor, the GymKats moved past Ohio State into fourth place. Senior Beth Coleman and Joy each scored a to head up the squad. Smith and Primault each added a 9.800, while Allen scored a heading into the fifth rotation. The GymKats finished the night on their second-best event, the vault, and nearly matched their floor score of Coleman, the 11th-ranked vaulter in the Central Region, finished out her wonderful career with a Simmons was tops for UK on the night with a to tie for fifth-place honors, while sophomore Melanie Zaharias also contributed a Rounding out the scoring were Joy and Primault, each with a to help the GymKats to a fourth-place finish. In the all-around competition, Primault finished a stellar freshman season totaling a for seventh place, nearly earning 21

22 a spot at nationals. Simmons was not far behind with a for ninth place. With the season over, the GymKats now look forward to the promise of the 2002 season. Nicole Allen Beth Coleman Julie Joy Jessie Lemp Aronda Primault Jennifer Simmons Mindy Smith Katie Toups Melanie Zaharias Team Meet Summaries 22

23 2001 UK GymKats Statistics 23

24 2001 GymKats Karla Adelt 5-4 Sophomore Englewood, Colo. Colorado Gymnastics Institute Vault: Uneven Bars: Balance Beam: Floor Exercise: All-Around: Collegiate Bests Twice Career Averages Year Vault Bars Beam Floor All-Around Stats LSU at Auburn MICHIGAN UGA/G. WASHINGTON ILLINOIS at Denver at Alabama at Fla./Iowa St./Ball St BGSU/CMU/PITT at Ariz. St./Neb./Iowa at SEC Championships at NCAA Regionals Average RQS* Nicole Allen 5-4 Junior Bowmansville, N.Y. Stumpf s Gym/SUNY Brockport Vault: Uneven Bars: Balance Beam: Floor Exercise: All-Around: Collegiate Bests vs. Illinois (2/10/01) at Alabama (2/24/01) vs. Illinois (2/10/01) Career Averages Year Vault Bars Beam Floor All-Around Stats LSU at Auburn MICHIGAN UGA/G. WASHINGTON ILLINOIS 9.775@ @ at Denver at Alabama @ at Fla./Iowa St./Ball St BGSU/CMU/PITT at Ariz. St./Neb./Iowa at SEC Championships at NCAA Regionals Average @ 9.691@ RQS* = career high; *final RQS rating prior to regional competition 24

25 2001 GymKats Gina Augspurger 5-4 Freshman Louisville, Ky. Champion Gymnastics Vault: Uneven Bars: Balance Beam: Floor Exercise: All-Around: Collegiate Bests 2001 Stats LSU at Auburn MICHIGAN UGA/G. WASHINGTON ILLINOIS at Denver at Alabama at Fla./Iowa St./Ball St. BGSU/CMU/PITT at Ariz. St./Neb./Iowa at SEC Championships at NCAA Regionals Average RQS* Beth Coleman 5-3 Senior Deerfield, Ill. The Gymnastics Spot Vault: Uneven Bars: Balance Beam: Floor Exercise: All-Around: Collegiate Bests vs. Florida (1/16/98) vs. George Washington./NC State (1/29/99) at SEC Championships (3/21/98) Three Times at NCAA Regionals (4/10/99) Career Averages Year Vault Bars Beam Floor All-Around Stats LSU at Auburn MICHIGAN UGA/G. WASHINGTON ILLINOIS at Denver at Alabama at Fla./Iowa St./Ball St BGSU/CMU/PITT at Ariz. St./Neb./Iowa at SEC Championships at NCAA Regionals Average RQS* = career high; *final RQS rating prior to regional competition 25

26 2001 GymKats Julia Gore 5-4 Sophomore Pflugerville, Texas Capital Gymnastics Vault: Uneven Bars: Balance Beam: Floor Exercise: All-Around: Collegiate Bests Twice Four Times vs. Georgia/G. Washington (2/2/01) vs. West Virginia (3/10/00) vs. West Virginia (3/10/00) Career Averages Year Vault Bars Beam Floor All-Around Stats LSU at Auburn MICHIGAN UGA/G. WASHINGTON ILLINOIS at Denver at Alabama at Fla./Iowa St./Ball St. BGSU/CMU/PITT at Ariz. St./Neb./Iowa at SEC Championships at NCAA Regionals Average RQS* Stacey Hackett 5-0 Freshman Munson, Ohio Gymnastics World, Inc. Vault: Uneven Bars: Balance Beam: Floor Exercise: All-Around: Collegiate Bests 2001 Stats LSU at Auburn MICHIGAN UGA/G. WASHINGTON ILLINOIS at Denver at Alabama at Fla./Iowa St./Ball St. BGSU/CMU/PITT at Ariz. St./Neb./Iowa at SEC Championships at NCAA Regionals Average = career high; *final RQS rating prior to regional competition 26

27 2001 GymKats Julie Joy 4-11 Freshman Villa Park, Ill. Illinois Gymnastics Institute Vault: Uneven Bars: Balance Beam: Floor Exercise: All-Around: Collegiate Bests at Arizona State/Nebraska/Iowa (3/16/01) vs. Bowling Green/C. Michigan/Pittsburgh (3/9/01) at Arizona State/Nebraska/Iowa (3/16/01) vs. Bowling Green/C. Michigan/Pittsburgh (3/9/01) at Arizona State/Nebraska/Iowa (3/16/01) 2001 Stats LSU at Auburn MICHIGAN UGA/G. WASHINGTON ILLINOIS at Denver at Alabama at Fla./Iowa St./Ball St BGSU/CMU/PITT at Ariz. St./Neb./Iowa at SEC Championships at NCAA Regionals Average RQS* Jessie Lemp 5-6 Junior Houston, Texas Brown s Houston Vault: Uneven Bars: Balance Beam: Floor Exercise: All-Around: Collegiate Bests vs. Georgia (3/5/99) Twice at Auburn (3/12/99) vs. Georgia (3/5/99) at SEC Championships (3/27/99) Career Averages Year Vault Bars Beam Floor All-Around Stats LSU at Auburn MICHIGAN UGA/G. WASHINGTON ILLINOIS at Denver at Alabama at Fla./Iowa St./Ball St BGSU/CMU/PITT at Ariz. St./Neb./Iowa at SEC Championships at NCAA Regionals Average @ 9.715@ RQS* = career high; *final RQS rating prior to regional competition 27

28 2001 GymKats Aronda Primault 5-3 Freshman Canton, Ohio Gymnastics of Ohio Vault: Uneven Bars: Balance Beam: Floor Exercise: All-Around: Collegiate Bests vs. Bowling Green/C. Michigan/Pittsburgh (3/9/01) vs. Bowling Green/C. Michigan/Pittsburgh (3/9/01) at Alabama (2/24/01) Three Times vs. Bowling Green/C. Michigan/Pittsburgh (3/9/01) 2001 Stats LSU at Auburn MICHIGAN UGA/G. WASHINGTON ILLINOIS at Denver at Alabama at Fla./Iowa St./Ball St BGSU/CMU/PITT at Ariz. St./Neb./Iowa at SEC Championships at NCAA Regionals Average RQS* Jennifer Simmons 5-4 Junior Pasadena, Texas Brown s Houston Vault: Uneven Bars: Balance Beam: Floor Exercise: All-Around: Collegiate Bests at Auburn (3/12/99) vs. George Washington/NC State (1/29/99) at Auburn (3/12/99) Twice at Auburn (3/12/99) Career Averages Year Vault Bars Beam Floor All-Around Stats LSU at Auburn MICHIGAN UGA/G. Washington ILLINOIS @ at Denver at Alabama at Fla./Iowa St./Ball St BGSU/CMU/PITT at Ariz. St./Neb./Iowa at SEC Championships at NCAA Regionals Average 9.781@ RQS* = career high; *final RQS rating prior to regional competition 28

29 2001 GymKats Mindy Smith 5-2 Sophomore Borden, Ind. S. Indiana Gymnastics School Vault: Uneven Bars: Balance Beam: Floor Exercise: All-Around: Collegiate Bests vs. Nebraska/Illinois/James Madison (2/11/00) at NC State (2/19/00) at Alabama (2/24/01) Twice at Georgia (2/4/00) Career Averages Year Vault Bars Beam Floor All-Around Stats LSU at Auburn MICHIGAN UGA/G. WASHINGTON ILLINOIS at Denver at Alabama at Fla./Iowa St./Ball St BGSU/CMU/PITT at Ariz. St./Neb./Iowa at SEC Championships at NCAA Regionals Average RQS* Stephanee Stone 5-6 Sophomore Louisville, Ky. All-American Gymnastics Vault: Uneven Bars: Balance Beam: Floor Exercise: All-Around: Collegiate Bests Career Averages Year Vault Bars Beam Floor All-Around 2000 Did not compete due to injury Stats LSU at Auburn MICHIGAN UGA/G. WASHINGTON ILLINOIS at Denver at Alabama at Fla./Iowa St./Ball St. BGSU/CMU/PITT at Ariz. St./Neb./Iowa at SEC Championships at NCAA Regionals Average = career high; *final RQS rating prior to regional competition 29

30 2001 GymKats Katie Toups 5-3 Junior Baton Rouge, La. Elite Gymnastics Vault: Uneven Bars: Balance Beam: Floor Exercise: All-Around: Collegiate Bests at SEC Championships (3/23/01) vs. Florida/George Washington/C. Michigan (3/3/00) vs. Ball State (2/20/99) at Southeast Regional (4/10/99) vs. Ball State (2/20/99) Career Averages Year Vault Bars Beam Floor All-Around Stats LSU at Auburn MICHIGAN UGA/G. WASHINGTON ILLINOIS at Denver at Alabama at Fla./Iowa St./Ball St BGSU/CMU/PITT at Ariz. St./Neb./Iowa at SEC Championships at NCAA Regionals Average RQS* Melissa Tucker 5-4 Freshman Largo, Fla. LaFleur s Gymnastics Vault: Uneven Bars: Balance Beam: Floor Exercise: All-Around: Collegiate Bests 2001 Stats LSU at Auburn MICHIGAN UGA/G. WASHINGTON ILLINOIS at Denver at Alabama at Fla./Iowa St./Ball St. BGSU/CMU/PITT at Ariz. St./Neb./Iowa at SEC Championships at NCAA Regionals Average = career high; *final RQS rating prior to regional competition 30

31 2001 GymKats Melanie Zaharias 5-6 Sophomore Lakewood, Colo. Colorado Gymnastics Institute Vault: Uneven Bars: Balance Beam: Floor Exercise: All-Around: Collegiate Bests at Michigan (1/28/00) at NC State (2/19/00) at Alabama (2/24/01) Career Averages Year Vault Bars Beam Floor All-Around Stats LSU at Auburn MICHIGAN UGA/G. WASHINGTON ILLINOIS at Denver at Alabama at Fla./Iowa St./Ball St BGSU/CMU/PITT at Ariz. St./Neb./Iowa at SEC Championships at NCAA Regionals Average RQS* = career high; *final RQS rating prior to regional competition 31

32 2001 GymKats Team Statistics Vault Bars Beam Floor Total LSU at Auburn MICHIGAN UGA/G. WASHINGTON ILLINOIS $ at Denver at Alabama $ at Fla./Iowa St./Ball St BGSU/CMU/PITT at Ariz. St./Neb./Iowa at SEC Championships at NCAA Regionals Average RQS* Averages Through 4/7/01 (Final) Vault Avg. RQS* High Score Opponent 1. Jennifer Simmons at ASU/Neb./Iowa (3/16/01) 2. Melanie Zaharias at ASU/Neb./Iowa (3/16/01) 3. Beth Coleman BGSU/CMU/PITT (3/9/01) 4. Julie Joy at ASU/Neb./Iowa (3/16/01) 5. Julia Gore at Auburn (1/19/01) 6. Aronda Primault BGSU/CMU/PITT (3/9/01) 7. Katie Toups at SEC Champs (3/23/01) 8. Jessie Lemp at Denver (2/16/01) Bars Avg. RQS* High Score Opponent 1. Jessie Lemp Three Times 2. Aronda Primault BGSU/CMU/PITT (3/9/01) 3. Katie Toups at SEC Champs (3/23/01) 4. Julie Joy BGSU/CMU/PITT (3/9/01) 5. Julia Gore Twice 6. Nicole Allen ILLINOIS (2/10/01) 7. Jennifer Simmons at ASU/Neb./Iowa (3/16/01) 8. Melanie Zaharias at Florida/ISU/BSU (3/2/01) Beam Avg. RQS* High Score Opponent 1. Mindy Smith at Alabama (2/24/01) 2. Jessie Lemp at Florida/ISU/BSU (3/2/01) 3. Nicole Allen at Alabama (2/24/01) 4. Aronda Primault at Alabama (2/24/01) 5. Julia Gore UGA/GW (2/2/01) 6. Melanie Zaharias at Alabama (2/24/01) 7. Karla Adelt Twice 8. Jennifer Simmons at SEC Champs (3/23/01) 9. Julie Joy at ASU/Neb./Iowa (3/16/01) Floor Avg. RQS* High Score Opponent 1. Aronda Primault Three Times 2. Julie Joy BGSU/CMU/PITT (3/9/01) 3. Beth Coleman Twice 4. Mindy Smith BGSU/CMU/PITT 3/9/01) 5. Nicole Allen ILLINOIS (2/10/01) 6. Julia Gore MICHIGAN (1/26/01) 7. Katie Toups at Denver (2/16/01) 8. Jennifer Simmons ILLINOIS (2/10/01) All-Around Avg. RQS* High Score Opponent 1. Aronda Primault BGSU/CMU/PITT (3/9/01) 2. Julie Joy at ASU/Neb./Iowa (3/16/01) 3. Julia Gore MICHIGAN (1/26/01) 4. Jennifer Simmons at SEC Champs = career high; $ = school record; * final RQS rating prior to regional competition 32