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Kentucky Gymnastics Celebrates 50th Anniversary with Program Records and Two Perfect Scores

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Kentucky Gymnastics Celebrates 50th Anniversary with Program Records and Two Perfect Scores


LEXINGTON, Ky. – No. 7 Kentucky gymnastics (4-2, 2-1 SEC) celebrated its 50th anniversary with a program record 197.950-195.650 victory over No. 18 Georgia (1-3, 0-3 SEC) for Excite Night in Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center.

Junior Makenzie Wilson and fifth-year senior Raena Worley recorded their first career 10.000’s, the first since Jenny Hansen competed for the Cats 1993-1996. The perfect marks were the first ever recorded in Rupp Arena.

Joined by over 100 Kentucky gymnastics alumni and 10,302 members of Big Blue Nation, the Wildcats showed off and showed out for the 40th Excite Night. Competing in Olympic order, Kentucky began the night with a bang tying its program best on vault, 49.550. Followed by a 49.325 on the uneven bars, the combined 98.875 was the highest ever two-event score in the month of January.

At the conclusion of the third rotation, the balance beam, Kentucky tallied 148.300. The combined score was the highest ever in a home meet. The floor exercise was not an exception as the Cats tied its program best on the event, which was set in 2014, with a 49.650 resulting in an overall new record to kick off the 2024 homestand.

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On vault, Wilson executed perfection with a front handspring pike half twist which she drilled into the mat to stick her landing. The 10.000 set a new career and season best for the Tennessee native who previously held a personal best of 9.975 proving why she is the anchor on the event.

Senior Isabella Magnelli posted the second highest score on the first apparatus with a 9.925 while Worley recorded a 9.900. Arianna Patterson earned a 9.875 from the judges with the event rounded ouT by Cecily Rizo’s 9.850 and Delaynee Rodriguez’s 9.725.

Junior Jillian Procasky held the top mark on the uneven bars for the night with a 9.900. Senior Bailey Bunn was not far behind with a 9.875-worthy routine. Three Kentucky gymnasts tallied an 9.850 (Rodriguez, Annie Riegert and Worley) while Rizo scored a 9.775.

Next, it was time for the Beam Queens to shine in the third rotation. Magnelli held the top score of Excite Night with a beautiful routine earning her a 9.925. Freshman leadoff, Rodriguez, recorded a 9.800, but after a judges’ inquiry, the score was elevated to a 9.900. Bunn stayed balanced with a 9.900 of her own. Freshman Creslyn Brose made her beam debut with a 9.850. The same mark was earned by Worley while Patterson saw a 9.825 flashed from the judges’ table.

To finish out the historic evening, the Wildcats headed to the floor exercise where Worley earned a long-awaited perfect score – the first of her five-season career at UK. Set up for perfection in the anchor position by her teammates, the Virginia native ended the first home meet of the season in the best way possible. The 10.000 topped her previous career and season best 9.975 on the event.

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Worley was not the only one to bring the house down on the floor exercise as Brose set a new career and season best of her own with a 9.975. Hailey Davis rocked out with a 9.900 while Patterson was in her Renaissance Era with a Beyonce-inspired routine that earned her a 9.925. Both Magnelli and Rodriguez scored 9.850.

The historic night set records and celebrated those who have built the program into what it is today. Fans can catch the Cats back in Rupp Arena three more times this season against BYU, Missouri and Florida. For the full 2024 meet schedule, click here.

Season and single-meet tickets are on sale and can be purchased through UKAthletics.com. Groups interested in special discounted tickets for meets should email WeAreUK@uky.edu.

For the latest on the Kentucky gymnastics team, follow @UKGymnastics on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, as well as on the web at UKAthletics.com.

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Kentucky among Southeastern states receiving FEMA disaster recovery funding

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Kentucky among Southeastern states receiving FEMA disaster recovery funding


LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced the approval of nearly $23 million in funding to support natural disaster recovery throughout the Southeast.

Kentucky is among several states receiving funds for state-managed recovery programs after Hurricane Helene and other past disasters hit the Southeast, a news release from FEMA said.

According to FEMA, Kentucky, Florida and Tennessee will administer more than $2.1 million for disaster unemployment assistance to help those who may not be able to work as a direct result of a disaster.

Kentucky, alongside Georgia and Tennessee, was also awarded $2.4 million to fund crisis counseling and mental health support.

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The funds will help pay for counselors and other services to help people with disaster-related stress and trauma, according to FEMA.

More information about state-managed recovery programs funded by FEMA can be found on the agency’s website.



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Kentucky mother, daughter turn down $26 million offer for their land: “It’s priceless”

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Kentucky mother, daughter turn down  million offer for their land: “It’s priceless”




Kentucky mother, daughter turn down $26 million offer for their land: “It’s priceless” – CBS News

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A mother and daughter in Kentucky have turned down a $26 million offer for their land. The offer came from an unnamed tech company wanting to build a data center. CBS News’ Jared Ochacher spoke with the family.

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Key dates and a possible sneak peek for Kentucky Basketball fans

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Key dates and a possible sneak peek for Kentucky Basketball fans


During his recent radio show, Pope offered a sobering reality check regarding the timeline for the rest of his staff overhaul.

“We’re going through a little bit of a hiring process that will be ongoing—probably for the next six weeks,” Pope explained. “We could have some closure on some things quickly, but I can’t really talk in detail about anything until it gets through the whole HR process.”

In a vacuum, a six-week HR timeline is standard corporate procedure. But in the modern landscape of college basketball, that timeline is a massive hurdle because of the newly accelerated Transfer Portal window instituted by the NCAA.

The 15-Day Transfer Portal window

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Players cannot officially enter their names into the Transfer Portal until April 7th. However, anyone paying attention knows that backdoor deals are already being orchestrated, and agents are prematurely announcing their clients’ intentions to leave. It is an unregulated mess, but it is the reality of the sport.

That April 7th opening is the first major date to circle on your calendar.

Once the portal opens, it remains active for exactly 15 days. When that window slams shut, no new names can enter. There are no graduate exemptions or special loopholes for late decisions. If a player plans on transferring, they must formally notify their current school before that 15-day window expires on April 21st at 11:59 PM. If they miss the deadline, they are stuck.

Mark Pope has to have his staff aligned, his evaluations complete, and his recruiting pitches perfected before that window opens. It is indeed a very short clock as the coaching staff looks to change drastically.

Once the dust from the transfer portal finally settles, the new-look Wildcats will quickly hit the floor.

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Official mid-June practices will tip off the summer schedule, but Pope recently hinted that an international offseason trip is currently in the works. Per NCAA rules, college basketball programs are only allowed to take these foreign exhibition tours once every four years.

If the trip gets finalized, BBN will get a highly anticipated, early look at this brand-new roster competing against actual opponents long before Big Blue Madness in the fall.

Needless to say, it is going to be an incredibly busy, high-stakes few months in Lexington.

Any guesses on where Pope and company plan on going? And do you like the new Transfer Portal window?



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