Kentucky Gymnastics punches ticket to 2023 NCAA National Championships

Kentucky Gymnastics is heading to Fort Worth, punching a ticket to the 2023 NCAA National Championships for just the second time in program history. The Wildcats finished with a 197.850 all-around score to advance to the national semifinals for the first time since 2018 where the team finished sixth overall.

It was a meet score that was second-highest in program history and highest ever in regional competition, facing off against host No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 8 Alabama and Ohio State on Saturday. Kentucky also set a new record on the balance beam with a 49.575, earning top-10 marks in every category outside of the floor event. The Sooners and Wildcats were the top two teams of the meet to advance to the national championships, which will be held at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth from April 13-15.

Senior Raena Worley finished with the top score for UK on the balance beam with a 9.950, good for second in the meet overall — a near-perfect performance. Juniors Bailey Bunn and Isabella Magnelli also finished in the top five with 9.925 scores each, respectively, with Bunn’s score tying a personal career and season best.

The Wildcats stayed alive on floor, finishing in a seven-way tie for first with a combined total of 49.375 — Worley led the team with a 9.950, followed by junior Hailey Davis with a 9.925. Magnelli and Mackenzie Wilson finished with a 9.850.

Things picked up on vault, with Kentucky finishing with a fourth-best total for a combined 49.450. Arianna Patterson led the way with a 9.950, tying a personal career and season best in the event. Jillian Procasky and Magnelli added 9.900 scores themselves, followed by Wilson and Worley with 9.850 each, respectively.

It was a strong finish to close out the meet, with the Wildcats tying its tenth best program score on uneven bars, rallying to a 49.450 score. Procasky and senior Kaitlin DeGuzman led the team earning 9.925 each from the judges, good for top-five finishes for the meet overall, followed by Bunn and Worley with 9.900 scores.

Worley was tied for second overall in the all-around with Oklahoma’s Audrey David, a combined total of 39.650, giving the Wildcat six finishes of 39.600 on the season. Procasky finished sixth overall with a 39.525, setting a new career record.

Next up? A trip to Texas for the Wildcats, a chance to make history under head coach Tim Garrison — a top-five finish will be best-ever for Kentucky. It won’t be easy, but the opportunity is there.

A little under two weeks to prepare.