Sophomore Delaynee Rodriguez will be expected to be one of the team leaders for UK gymnastics next season. (Vicky Graff Photo)
Kentucky gymnastics just missed qualifying for the national championships as a team this season but it was not from a lack of effort.
“Competing in the SEC, it’s super hard. When we got to regional in Pennsylvania, we definitely put our whole heart out there knowing we were competing against the best of the best,” sophomore Delaynee Rodriguez said. “There’s really like a small margin of error that you can make, but we had an amazing season. Definitely didn’t end the way we wanted to but we put our whole heart out there and that’s all you can do.”
Kentucky gymnastics has raised its expectation level in recent years to where making the national championships is a legitimate goal.
“You want to be the best of the best for sure. Just making it to the regional and super regional, it’s been awesome and it has been an amazing journey. I mean our ultimate goal is to make it to the national championships and will be again next year,” Rodriguez said.
Sophomore Creslyn Brose did make the national championship on floor exercise and earned All-American honors. Brose, Rodriguez and sophomore Sharon Lee will be the foundation for next year’s team because coach Tim Garrison loses five seniors, including two All-Americans, off this year’s team, and has only one returning senior.
“As a class, we’ve all kind of talked and really are trying to all step up as leaders and just guide the newbies in what we want in the legacy that other people left on this team,” Brose said. “We’re excited and we’re ready and hungry to go out and kill the next season.
“We’re actually hosting regionals next year which will be really really cool. It will also just be a familiar place to compete and continue to compete. We’re ready and excited to kind of step into a new role next season.”
Kentucky gymnastics competed in Rupp Arena the previous season while Memorial Coliseum was being renovated. Lee said the atmosphere at Memorial was “electric” all season and inspired the team.
“BBN, you guys really showed up and showed out. Our freshman year were always in Rupp which was amazing and such a cool opportunity but just getting to be a Memorial this year felt so much like home,” Lee said. “The grand opening of Memorial this year and learning the story of Memorial Coliseum really put a lot more meaning into what it really means to represent UK gymnastics.”
