Vicky Graff Photo
Skylar Killough-Wilhelm might not be the best known transfer on the University of Kentucky campus this year but she certainly could be based on her talent.
She was a first team All-American on bars and all-around second team All-American after earning a 9.925 on boards and 39.550 all-around at the NCAA Championships during her senior year at Washington.
Now she’s working her magic for Kentucky after transferring and will be back in the spotlight tonight when the Cats host defending national champion LSU, the nation’s No. 1 team after beating previous No. 1 Oklahoma last week.
Killough-Wilhelm has three all-around wins at UK this year and is positioning herself well for another trip to the NCAA Championships. She scored a season-best for the third time in four weeks with a 39.550 to get her win last week.
Kentucky gymnastics coach Tim Garrison said she’s yet to hit her peak this season.
“She’s an all around All-American. I think she’s still hitting her stride, or getting close to hitting her stride. I don’t think she’s hit it yet. I think her potential is unlimited,” Garrison said. “Her artistry is second to none. We’ll put it that way.
“She has power on vault and she has great swing on bars. She doesn’t have a ceiling, and I’m excited to watch her continue to improve throughout the season.”
Garrison said his team took about “seven minutes” to adjust to having Killough-Wilhelm on the team.
“She’s easy to like. She’s a really special person, a very kind soul. She fits in well with the team,” Garrison said.
She also loves horses and was on Kentucky’s saddle seat team part of the first semester before giving it up to not take away from her gymnastics.
“Sadly my horse passed away a few weeks ago but my love of horses will never die,” Killough-Wilhelm said. “I rode on the saddle seat team here for a while and it was great.”
However, it was not her love for horses that brought her to Kentucky. Instead, it was Kentucky assistant coach Chad Wiest, who was coaching at Washington her freshman year before joining Garrison’s staff.
“He’s amazing. I loved him so much, and him and the girls, they really just took me under their wing,” she said. “They reached out to me throughout my whole recruiting process. I really felt the love from them. So I’m just happy to be here, and I really do not feel like there could have been a better fit for me.”
Killough-Wilhelm knew about the talent in the Southeastern Conference before LSU won the national championship. She says competing in the SEC is “different” and can be “cut throat” every match.
“It’s almost like every meet is a top 15 team. You really have to stay honed in and just focus on one routine at a time,” she said. “I am a fifth-year (gymnast), so I have a lot of experience. However, you always have to stay humble no matter what success you have or who you are competing against.
“The energy and enthusiasm in the SEC is so different. Even though I am a fifth-year, I have not competed in a lot of different areas and it has been amazing to kind of spread my wings and just see how different the SEC is from everywhere else.”
Killough-Wilhelm has struggled at times on bars but worked with Garrison to correct her flaws, especially with her dismount. She admits she might have an “oopsie or mistake” but knows not to let that ruin her performances.
“Each routine I do is just building on top of that and each meet and each weekend is a build on top of that,” the All-American gymnast said.
Now she gets to test herself against the defending national champions but that won’t alter her approach to Friday’s meet.
“I’m really just trying to focus on myself and what I need to do. I know that I can do it, but it’s not about that. For me, it’s really about glorifying God,” she said. “I know that I have a talent, and we all have talents here and it is all God-given.
“You have to be talented at this point. You’re at the top one percent (of competitors) and that comes from no one else other than God. I’m really just trying to hone in on that and try to glorify Him with everything that I do.”
