No. 8 Kentucky gymnastics hosted Temple in Historic Memorial Coliseum on Valentine’s Day and won with a score of 197.175-194.200.
The Wildcats’ last meet was at Oklahoma where they posted their best road score of the season, however still fell short, 197.885-197.225.
The Wildcats started on vault where they scored a 49.275, their second best event of the night. Makenzie Wilson had the fans on their feet after her 9.900 to start the meet off strong and ended the night with both an individual and a team win. Skylar Killough-Wilhelm wasn’t far behind with a 9.875.
Isabella Magnelli and Hailey Davis were both coming off individual wins in Oklahoma. Magnelli scored a 9.950 on beam and Davis had a 9.950 on floor. They used that momentum and continued to shine in the Wildcats’ win over the Owls.
“She’s (Magnelli) an incredible leader,” Kentucky Head Coach Tim Garrison said. “I think the biggest thing about her, she’s a vocal leader. Also, when you look for someone that’s talking to the athletes on the floor, you’re gonna find her…She performs well so I think when you’re performing well, you have the team’s ear.”
The beam was Kentucky’s lowest score of the night with a 49.200, however, the team performed well even after a fall. The “beam queen” (Magnelli) had another impressive performance and won that event again, recording a 9.925. Delaynee Rodriguez also did well on the beam, posting a 9.875.
Davis scored a 9.925 on floor, adding another individual win to her career. The floor was the best event for the Wildcats with an overall event score of 49.475. Killough-Wilhelm and Creslyn Brose both scored 9.900 and Magnelli and Rodriguez weren’t far behind, each recording a 9.875. Jillian Procasky scored a 9.850.
“We’re not coming out here to win individual titles, but it does make me feel good to be able to set up my team with a good score,” said Davis.
Killough-Wilhelm added a win to her record, scoring a 9.925 on uneven bars. This ended up being Kentucky’s third best event of the night with a score of 49.225. Isabella Rivelli posted a 9.850 and Annie Riegert and Rodriguez both had a 9.825.
“I think we did a lot of great things tonight, but we got to do more great things moving forward,” Garrison said.
Kentucky had an overall good performance against Temple, however small mistakes that didn’t end up costing it may cost it come tournament time. Making sure that every routine is sharp is crucial during tournament time as it is win or go home.
“That’s what we really need to do is work on continuing to build, keep the momentum all the way through each event, all the way through the meet, put a complete meet together,” said Garrison.
The LSU Tigers are the defending SEC Champions and Kentucky has a chance to make a statement next week as the postseason is nearing.
“LSU is the number two team in the nation and we have the potential to have a really good upset,” Davis said.
Historic Memorial Coliseum will be packed for next week’s matchup as Kentucky looks to upset No. 2 LSU.
“I think the atmosphere is gonna be incredible,” Garrison said. “I think it’s gonna be on par with everything we’ve seen.”
The Wildcats have an important meet coming up as they invite the Tigers into Historic Memorial Coliseum on Friday, Feb. 21, at 7 p.m. ET.
