UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The ninth-seeded Kentucky gymnastics team saw its season come to a close on Saturday evening, placing third in the 2025 NCAA Pennsylvania Regional Final with a score of 197.625. No. 1 LSU and No. 8 Michigan State took the top two spots and advanced to the national championships, scoring a 198.050 and 198.000, respectively. The Cats did defeat No. 16 Arkansas, who finished with a 197.375.
The Wildcats were able to recover from a slow start and score 49.400 or higher on each of the final three rotations. Seven career high scores were either set or matched by the Wildcats, led by Delaynee Rodriguez who matched her vault career high with a 9.850, and set new personal best scores on beam and in the all-around with a 9.925 and 39.525, respectively.
Sharon Lee was the lone Wildcat to earn an event win, as she smashed her beam routine to earn a career high score of 9.950 and win her first career event title.
Annie Riegert delivered a career high score of 9.900 on the uneven bars in the final routine of her career, while Cecily Rizo matched her career bests on both vault and floor with a 9.900 and 9.850, respectively. Creslyn Brose also delivered her eighth career score of 9.950 on the floor exercise.
The Cats started the night on vault, scoring a 49.250. Rodriguez and Rizo each stuck their vaults within the opening three routines to build some early momentum, but some landing struggles held back the back part of the lineup. Jill Procasky scored a 9.800, Makenzie Wilson posted a 9.825, Isabella Magnelli added a 9.850, and Skylar Killough-Wilhelm closed the rotation with a 9.825.
Momentum started to build for Kentucky on the uneven bars, where the Cats scored a 49.450 for their second season best team score on the event in as many days. Rizo led off with a 9.800, before Riegert delivered the best routine of her career to light a fire in the Cats. Procasky followed with another 9.900, a total that would be matched by Rodriguez and Killough-Wilhelm. Isabella Rivelli also posted a 9.850 to help the cause.
An electric beam rotation gave the Cats their highest scoring rotation of the night, scoring a 49.525. Rodriguez led off the rotation with her career best 9.925 routine, setting up Brose to match her score. Lee’s meet-high score of 9.950 highlighted the rotation before Chesney Bennett added a 9.775 after a slight wobble. Killough-Wilhelm and Magnelli each delivered flawless routines on the beam, but steps on the dismount limited their scores to 9.875 and 9.850, respectively.
The Cats would end on floor, closing with a 49.400—the team’s eighth straight meet of achieving that barrier. Procasky matched her season high with a 9.850 in the leadoff to close her collegiate career. Isabella Magnelli followed with a 9.900 in her last collegiate floor routine, setting up Rizo to match her career high with a 9.850. Rodriguez added the same score and Killough-Wilhelm posted a 9.800 before Brose anchored the meet with another 9.950, even earning a perfect 10.0 from one judge.
While the team season is over, Magnelli and Brose and in line to continue their 2025 campaigns as individuals at the national championships in two weeks’ time. While unofficial until Monday, Magnelli and Brose each won regional championships on Thursday thanks to 9.950 scores, with the former taking the top spot on beam and the latter claiming a outright regional title on floor. As the top individuals on non-advancing teams, the duo of Wildcats are slated to be confirmed to their spots on Monday. They will compete on Thursday, April 17 during one of the two national semifinals and vie for an individual national championship on their respective events.
