Following a win in the 2017 season opener against Eastern Michigan, the No. 15 Kentucky gymnastics team will stay on the road for its Southeastern Conference opener with No. 3 Florida. The Wildcats and Gators will square off at 6:45 p.m. ET inside the Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville. Fans can watch the meet live on the SEC Network+, ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app.
Kentucky began the season last weekend with a win over EMU 195.075 – 192.050. Freshman Mollie Korth stood out after the midseason signee won her first collegiate meet. She took the all-around victory after posting a score of 39.075. Korth edged teammate sophomore Sidney Dukes, who scored a 39.000.
The Wildcats have one win over Florida, coming in 1998. UK took down the Gators 194.100 – 192.250 inside of Memorial Coliseum.
SCOUTING THE GATORS
Florida started the year with a strong 197.100 performance in a win over North Carolina State on Sunday. The Gators took each apparatus title with the three Gators who earned 2016 All-America honors claiming the meet titles. Florida is currently ranked No. 3 in the latest Road to Nationals rankings.
LOOKING AHEAD: AUBURN
Following the meet with Florida on Friday night, Kentucky will return home to Memorial Coliseum to face Auburn on Jan. 20 at 7 p.m. ET. The meet is the annual Excite Night, and Kentucky will welcome Pentatonix star Kirstin Malonmando to Memorial Coliseum.
MOLLIE KORTH STARTS CAREER WITH WIN
Korth joined the team in December but wasted no time in getting acclimated. She won her first collegiate meet at Eastern Michigan after taking the all-around crown with a score of 39.075, and also won on bars with a score of 9.825. Korth edged fellow Wildcat Sidney Dukes who scored a 39.000 in the all-around.
KORTH, DUKES TOP-30 IN ALL-AROUND
Following one week of action, Korth and Dukes sit at No. 28 and No. 29 in the nation with scores of 39.075 and 39.000, respectively.
HYLAND WINS THREE EVENTS IN SEASON OPENER
While Hyland did not compete on the vault, she took the crown in the other three events after her strong start to the season. Hyland shared the win with Korth on bars with a score of 9.825. She won the beam with a score of 9.750 and floor with a 9.775. Hyland’s score of 9.825 was the 13th highest on bars in the country.
UK RANKED NO. 15 FOLLOWING WEEK ONE
Kentucky shot up the rankings after a strong start to the season. Every SEC squad except Georgia is ranked in the top 25 of the Road to Nationals rankings.
For complete news and updates on the Kentucky Gymnastics program, go to UKathletics.com. Season tickets can be found on UKathletics.com/Tickets. News and updates on the team can also be found on Twitter at @UKGymnastics and at @UKCoachGarrison and Facebook at Facebook.com/UKGymnastics.
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For more information contact:
Mike Scholze