By LARRY VAUGHT
Raena Worley readily admits she didn’t know a lot about college gymnastics growing up in Christiansburg, Va.
“I was from a small town. I didn’t know anything about how the recruiting process worked and had no idea exactly how big college gymnastics was,” said Worley.
Now the University of Kentucky senior knows plenty about the magnitude of college gymnastics because she has become one of the sport’s stars. She got her 16th all-around title, and fourth of the 2023 season, in a win at No. 14 Missouri. Her combined score of 39.700 was her season high and she also tied her season best of 9.950 on floor exercise.
There’s not a gymnastics history in her family. Her mother was a dancer who tried to get Worley into dance but “that failed.” Her father was a runner and played soccer. Her four brothers — one older, three younger — played soccer and basketball
“I had just turned 4 when I started gymnastics. It brought so much joy into my life. It was a difficult sport but it brought me an indescribable amount of happiness,” Worley, a two-time All-American who was 12 in the NCAA all-around final in 2022, said. “You have to be a bit of a daredevil to like gymnastics.”
She described herself as an “energetic” child who thrived in gymnastics. Her childhood goal was to go the Olympic training route before she decided to go the college gymnastics route.
“I did not anticipate myself ever at the level I am now,” she said. “I am very happy and proud of myself and what I have been able to do.”
She said it was just a “feeling” that helped convince her the collegiate route was best for her.
“It seemed so much more exciting than the Elite (Olympics) route that some go. I wanted to enjoy the process more, have more of a social life,” she said. “My dad is an accountant and we traveled a lot. We traveled to Kentucky all the time, so coming here I was pretty familiar with the area.
“I think we came to Kentucky before my freshman year and I committed at the end of my freshman year after my second visit. I love Kentucky. It was comfortable. I knew this is where I was supposed to be. The hotel we used to stay at in Lexington is actually next door to where I get my hair cut now.”
Worley says she has “fine tuned” little details in her routines since arriving at UK that has allowed her to become one of the SEC’s elite gymnasts.
“SEC competition is amazing and the smallest detail can be the difference in winning or not winning. That pushes me. I like having to rise to the highest standards,” she said.
Her favorite has always been the floor exercise and still is because of the interaction with the crowd. However, she’s become far fonder on bards than she ever imagined.
“I also like vault and I used to just hate it,” she said. “I never trusted my vault technique like I do now.”
Even though gymnastics is an individual sport, she loves the team bonding and support.
“Just the little things teammates say help you settle into a role and relax. It is an individual sport and that’s special but the team aspect is very important,” Worley said.
That’s why her biggest goal this year is to make nationals with her team while her personal goal is to win a national championship.
“I don’t view that as pressure. Having high expectations give you an opportunity to rise to it and show others how I can do at that level,” Worley said. “It excites me to try and do that for myself and my team.”
Worley’s faith has always been important to her and that has not changed at UK. Her parents are youth pastors and she’s always gone to church.
“I get my abilities from Christ and trust him with what he has planned,” she said.
She writes Bible verses on her gymnastic grips. She appreciates the UK gymnastics team saying the Lord’s Prayer before meets — something the team was doing before she arrived on campus.
“That’s important to me and I am really glad we do that,” she said.
Her favorite hobbies are taking naps and fishing. With the long training hours gymnasts have, napping is probably needed.
But why fishing?
Credit her boyfriend, UK junior Bryce Siegle of the Kentucky bass fishing team.
“I was never into fishing until I started dating him. It’s fun,” she said. “I do like it when the weather is warmer. It’s soothing and kind of cool. Catching a fish is a whole different type of excitement from gymnastics.”
She is getting degrees in Kinesiology and Communications and hopes to go to graduate school to become an athletics trainer.
“I would love to stay in sports working either collegiately or professionally if God has that plan for me,” she said.
If that doesn’t work, she loves writing and would be open to a sports journalism career.
“Writing papers is one of my favorite things,” she said. “I think that could be a pretty fun career, too.”
Oscar Tshiebwe’s historic 2021-22 season where led the nation in rebounding — his 515 rebounds were the third most in one season at UK behind Bill Spivey (567 in 1951) and Cliff Hagan (528 in 1952) — resulted in the UK senior being named the 2022 Lexington Herald-Leader Kentucky Sports Figure of the Year.
He became the first UK men’s basketball player to finish in the top five of the voting since Tyler Ulis was second in 2016 and was the first UK basketball player to win the award since Anthony Davis in 2012.
Second in the voting went to former UK sprinter Abby Steiner and third was UK women’s basketball standout Rhyne Howard.
“It was the first time the top three finishers were active UK athletes in the year the voting took place,” said Herald-Leader columnist Mark Story, who compiles the nomination list and counts the votes.
Steiner finished her UK career as the collegiate record-holder in three individual events — the indoor 200 meters (22.09 seconds), the outdoor 200 meters (21.8) and the indoor 300 meters (35.8). She also won two relay gold medals at the World Championship, the 200 title at the USA Championships and four NCAA events. She was also the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Her second-place finish was the highest for an active UK track and field athlete.
Kentucky women’s basketball player Rhyne Howard, a three-time All-American and the second highest scoring female player at UK, was third. She was also the first pick in the WNBA Draft and the 2022 WNBA Rookie of the Year.
She was ninth in the voting in 2019 and second in 2020, She became the first UK basketball player — women’s or men’s — to have three top-10 finishes.
“This was the first year there were more first-place votes for females than males,” Story said. “I actually thought any of the top three would have been very worthy winners. I actually voted Abby Steiner No. 1 and a lot of other people did, too.”
Steiner did not receive nearly as many votes in western Kentucky and Louisville as she did in the Lexington area and eastern Kentucky.
“I really enjoy counting the votes and reading the comments from voters. Sometimes votes do not alway make sense to me but then I remember things might look differently depending on where you are at,” Story said. “But we had 143 voters this year and hopefully we create some excitement and buzz across the state with this to where even being in the top 10 is considered an honor.”
Sporting News college basketball columnist Mike DeCourcy does not think there’s any chance John Calipari will leave Kentucky after this season.
Rumors circulated earlier that Texas had indirectly reached out to Calipari about its head coaching job and many UK fans have been unhappy with UK’s performance this season — and the previous two years.
“I would be very surprised if he is not at UK next year. He has too much energy to retire,” DeCourcy said. “Leaving Kentucky for Texas was a fantasy, I wrote that the idea of John Calipari going there was pure fantasy for Texas and also whoever held up a sign at Rupp (encouraging Calipari to leave for Texas).
“He is not leaving Kentucky for a lesser job. He’s got too much ego for that. He will not take a job where his sport is the secondary sport. He wants to be at a place that cares about basketball.
“Kentucky cares more about the college game than anywhere in America. He knows that. That’s why he wanted to be at Kentucky.”
DeCourcy is not predicting a great finish to the UK season and admits he misread some things about this team going into the season like most did. He believes the death of sophomore Daimion Collins’ father greatly impacted him as did Oscar Tshiebwe’s preseason knee surgery.
“Various setbacks did not let the team come together. Then there were some setbacks self imposed,” DeCourcy said. “I have watched the Cats fail at basic scouting report defense. If they had just done that, they would have banked a win over Michigan State and maybe another one that would have really looked good on their (NCAA Tournament) resume.
“I have never stopped believing in John. He’s a great coach. He’s turned things around before. I would not be writing his obituary but his team still has not been as good as it should have been but it might be getting there.”
Rachel Lawson has made Kentucky a consistent winner in Southeastern Conference play and an annual participant in the NCAA Tournament. Her team opens the season Friday at the NFCA Lead-Off Classic in Clearwater, Fla.
Lawson believes she has a talented team again this season but there is still plenty of help on the way for future seasons, too.
Lawson signed five in-state players in November — first baseman/outfielder Peyton Plotts of Tates Creek, infielder/outfielder Camryn Lookadoo of Great Crossing, outfielder Delani Sullivan of Great Crossing, and utility players Emory Donaldson of Ballard and Ally Hutchins of McCracken County. Kentucky also signed pitcher Sydney Langdon of Georgia and infielder Cassie Raesner of Alabama.
She believes it is her most versatile signing class ever at Kentucky.
“They are that good,” the UK coach said. “They still have to get better and prove it but the baseline they are coming in with is that they are the biggest, fastest, strongest group we have ever brought in.
“We have pitchers throwing 68 (miles per hour). Hitters are strong, fast and can play any position. Five of the seven we signed are from Kentucky, so I really like that. It’s the first time in years I have been able to find that many players from in the state.”
Lawson says the Kentucky high school coaching has “exploded” and the talent level is climbing across the state.
“A lot more kids in Kentucky are now playing travel ball and going to great schools. Kentucky high school has really stepped it up in softball and that’s really good for us,” Lawson said.
Former UK track star Sydney McLaughlin was featured in the “This is SportsCenter” message on ESPN that first aired during the Duke-North Carolina basketball game last week. She was paired with SportsCenter anchor Hannah Storm.
McLaughlin was a NCAA champion at Kentucky during her one season and now is a multiple Olympic medalist and world record holder in the 400-meter hurdles.
During the commercial filmed at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Conn., Storm asks McLaughlin to catch up but that her schedule is pretty packed.
“Yeah, I’ve got 51.46 right after lunch, or I’ve got 51.41 later this afternoon. Oh, wait, I have 50.68 right now!” McLaughlin replied.
The 51.46 (seconds) was when she broke her own 400 world record for Olympic gold in Tokyo. The 51.41 was her hurdles time at the 2022 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships and the 50.68 was her 2022 World Athletics Championships time – again shattering her world record mark.
Quote of the Week: “I cannot be prouder that he is right up there next to me. I love it,” former UK All-American Dan Issel on teammate Mike Pratt’s jersey being retired and hung next to his jersey at Rupp Arena.
Quote of the Week 2: “I don’t get it parents still letting kids go to a certain school when it’s very clear he wants back in the NFL. Glad we don’t have that problem. Go Big Blue,” Kentucky football recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow apparently noting Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh’s flirtations with the NFL.
Quote of the Week 3: “ One of the nicest people, kind heart. He’s been an unbelievable supporter of mine. It’s easy when things are going good for people to step up and want to be there and be around, and then when you struggle a little bit they kind of run. Mike wasn’t that guy. Mike was the one that would talk through all the stuff,” Kentucky coach John Calipari on Mike Pratt after Pratt’s jersey was retired.