Mitchell out as UK gymnastics coach

Longtime University of Kentucky gymnastics coach Mo Mitchell is no longer with the team, Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart said in a statement Tuesday.

The statement did not provide a reason for Mitchell's departure and said Mitchell's assistant coaches will run the team this season.

"We have two outstanding assistant coaches that have been a part of our gymnastics program for a combined eight years," Barnhart's statement said. "Chuck Dickerson and Heather Hite will jointly lead our program for the upcoming season. With practice now under way, they're already providing the necessary leadership and stability to the team as it prepares for the season."

Barnhart's statement went on to say the school would conduct a national search to fill the position for the 2011-12 season.

Mitchell was named Kentucky's head coach before the 2003-04 season when Leah Little retired. Previously, Mitchell was the top assistant under Little for six years.

Mitchell's UK team finished seventh in last season's Southeastern Conference championship meet.

His teams perennially were among the nation's leaders in attendance.

In 2006, Mitchell directed UK to its first winning season in 13 years and just the second in the program's history. In 2008, he led the Cats into the Top 25.

In a news release dated June 9, Mitchell was quoted as saying he was looking forward to UK's challenging 2010-11 season, which includes meets against nine opponents that qualified for regional competition at last season's NCAA championships.

"There are no easy roads on this schedule," Mitchell said. "It's going to be tough, but that's what we train for. In the SEC everyone's schedule is difficult."

This story was originally published October 27, 2010 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Mitchell out as UK gymnastics coach."