‘Her artistry is second to none.’ All-America transfer leads UK gymnastics on Excite Night
“Skylar!”
Several young girls, hands outstretched with posters and pens, called to Skylar Killough-Wilhelm after No. 7 Kentucky’s 197.050-196.600 victory over No. 11 Auburn at Excite Night on Friday, a strong response after falling last week to then-No. 11 Missouri on the road.
The fifth-year All-American celebrated the team’s bounce-back win by taking the time to hug and speak with any excited fan who waited patiently while she spoke to media — behavior not only typical of a Kentucky gymnast, but also of the Washington transfer, whom head coach Tim Garrison called a “very kind soul,” one who didn’t take long to find her rhythm with the Wildcats.
Take Excite Night, for example, where a sold-out crowd of 6,051 in Historic Memorial Coliseum witnessed Killough-Wilhelm secure her second consecutive all-around title. Against Kentucky’s
sixth ranked opponent this season, Killough-Wilhelm delivered an all-around score of 39.400 to take the title, despite opening the night with a slower start (a team-low 9.750 on the vault). Killough-Wilhelm said she strives to focus on herself and what she needs to do.
“For me, it’s a whole picture,” Killough-Wilhelm said. “I might have an oopsie or a mistake, but I know that it’s not over for me. And each routine I do is just building on top of that, and each meet and each weekend is another build on top of that.”
In each of the three remaining rotations, Killough-Wilhelm stepped into her confidence and leaned on her training; her individual scores did not dip below 9.825 for the rest of the meet. Quickly moving forward from the “oopsie” on vault, she cranked up the heat; and, after struggling the past few weeks with her dismount, Killough-Wilhelm recorded a season-best 9.950 on the uneven bars — edging Auburn’s second-place Katelyn Jong by .050 — a score she said is a testament to her hard work.
“I’ve been working really hard on what to do about that with Tim,” Killough-Wilhelm said. “And just trying to figure out what works for me. And warm-ups went well, and I just kind of relied on my training, relied on what Tim’s been telling me, and I just, you know, sunk it in. And today was the day, I guess.”
When asked what he felt Killough-Wilhelm’s ceiling was, Garrison highlighted the fact that she came to the program as an all-around All-American, but that she still has plenty to show.
“I think she’s still hitting her stride,” Garrison said. “Or getting close to hitting her stride. I don’t think she’s hit it yet. I think her potential is unlimited. She’s a wonderful cross between something like a Cirque du Soleil, and, you know, something else spectacular. I mean, her artistry is second to none. We’ll put it that way. And then you look over on the power events, and she has power on bars, and she has great swing on bars. So I think she doesn’t have a ceiling, and I’m excited to watch her continue to improve throughout the season.”
In addition to the all-around victory, Killough-Wilhelm’s winning score on the uneven bars meant her second title of the season in the event, and fifth event title of the year. She also posted a 9.875 on the balance beam and a 9.825 on the floor.
Though Kentucky (4-2, 2-1 SEC) entered Friday’s meet ranked fifth nationally on the vault, the Wildcats struggled to meet their standards at the start of the night. Senior Makenzie Wilson led the way with a 9.925, taking home her 10th career vault title, and the Wildcats outscored the Tigers by 0.175 — but Garrison said he’d like them to be a bit sharper.
“I’ve said this before, and I hope I don’t have to continue saying it,” Garrison said. “But I think there’s a lot more in the tank. I don’t think we were as sharp on vault as we could have been. I loved the response when we were on the bars. And obviously, we had even a stronger performance on beam, and finished off strong on floor. So coming back from what I would say is a less-than-ideal start, to finish the way we did the next three events? We’re pretty happy walking out tonight.”
Kentucky bested Auburn on every apparatus but the balance beam, on which the Tigers edged the Wildcats by .075; Jong recorded a rotation-best 9.950 to deliver the event victory. Kentucky’s Bella Magnelli tied for second on the apparatus with Auburn’s Marissa Neal, scoring a 9.925. While UK’s 49.375 wasn’t enough to top the Tigers, it did mark its third straight beam score of 49.250 or better, and landed just a quarter of a tenth shy of its season high.
Fifth-year Hailey Davis claimed the floor title with a 9.925 as the Wildcats recorded a 49.300 overall, a score consistent with each of its four team scores this season; Kentucky ranks No. 6 in the nation on the floor exercise, and was bolstered by the return of sophomore Creslyn Brose. Brose, who had not participated in the event since the opening week of the season, delivered a season-high 9.900 in her return, second only to Davis.
“She picked up right where she left off,” Garrison said. “She’s a performer, she’s a ham. I think she enjoys it as much as the crowd does. So yeah, we’re glad to have her back.”
Kentucky will travel next to No. 1 Oklahoma for its toughest test of the season on Friday at 8 p.m. EST (SEC Network), the first time the conference newcomers will face the Wildcats as league foes.
“They’re going to be tough,” Garrison said. “There’s no question about it. You’re talking about, obviously, the number one team in the country, but we’re excited about that challenge. And I don’t think they’re used to, not that they’re going to be rattled, necessarily, but I don’t think they’re used to going week-in and week-out, coming out of the Big 12, against top competition. Against competition that, when they look up, ‘That’s close. That’s closer than we like. It’s closer than we’re used to seeing it.’ So I think, at some point, and hopefully that’ll be this Friday, that’ll take a toll.”
