Delaynee Rodriguez scored 39 points or higher on 18 of 19 all-around competitions, had 9.8+ scores on 84 of 100 career routines and had four event wins (two all-around, two bars) during her first two seasons at Kentucky.

However, she was never the team’s most experienced gymnast or the team leader but that changes this season for the junior from Las Vegas. Kentucky coach Tim Garrison has only one senior — Isabella Rivelli — and Rodriguez knows she is now one of the “older” team leaders.

“It’s so weird,” Rodriguez said. “I catch myself thinking about it often because I feel like I just came here. I feel like time has literally flown by. It’s crazy. I am still trying to enjoy every second of it because my career is already halfway done.”

Rodriguez admits she welcomes the additional leadership responsibilities, but it also is “scary” at times.

“Honestly, I feel like as a freshman and even as a sophomore, I kind of led by example more than vocally,” Rodriguez said. “I wasn’t as vocal as I am this year. This year I have definitely stepped into a leadership role. It’s scary, exciting and an honor all at the same time,” she said. “It’s definitely different. It’s hard being a leader and also trying to help yourself. It’s such an honor to be able to do that with an amazing group of girls.”

Kentucky had significant graduation losses off last year’s team, but enters the season No. 9 in the Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) rankings. It is UK’s third straight year to be in the preseason top 10 and since 2018 UK has not been ranked lower than 13th going into the season. Kentucky finished last season ranked 10th, but all nine SEC teams rank in the top 12 going into this season.

“We definitely lost a lot of great personalities and a lot of great gymnasts off last year’s team, but I also think we gained a lot of great freshmen and a transfer (Callie Gardner of Towson) who is amazing. I’m very optimistic even though we have a young team,” Rodriguez said. “I’m super excited to see what we can do and am so honored to be able to be a role model and help these girls. I’ve been on two very successful teams and so I know what success feels like.”

Kentucky opens the season Saturday at the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad against No. 6 Michigan State, No. 14 Michigan and No. 20 California on ESPN2 before hosting Excite Night in Memorial Coliseum against Arizona State on Jan. 16.

Rodriguez figures to be competing on vault, bar, beam and floor exercise to add to her all-around resume built during her first two seasons competing for Garrison.

“You want to be doing well on all events. I’m just such a competitor. Preseason is hard, but it’s all worth it once you get to season and it sets you up to do well. Even in club gymnastics, I loved competing and performing. There’s just no better feeling than hitting a good routine and being like, ‘Wow, I worked so hard for that and it just paid off,’ ” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez hopes to make a big jump in vault this season and spent a lot of time in the offseason working on that event. She’s often UK’s leadoff performer in various events, too.

“The coaches always pick our lineups. Freshman year, I led off on every single event, and then last year I was later in bars and later in floor, and then sometimes later in vault. But I would always lead off on beam,” Rodriguez said. “Leading off and anchoring are like the two most important spots because you want your most consistent gymnasts to lead off so you get a good score posted.

“But usually whenever you lead, they (judges) score you hard because you’re first. I feel like that’s where you kind of just have to take one for the team. Honestly, it’s such an honor to lead off even though sometimes my score doesn’t really reflect my performances all the time. Coaches want the person who is most trustworthy to go up there and start your lineup off.”

Competing in each event does put Rodriguez in position to be a natural team leader, but she notes it also complicates being a leader because she’s always competing during matches.

“I have to be very locked in and that just comes from having experience so that I can help lead other girls,” the UK junior said.

Rodriguez had never lifted weights before getting to Kentucky even though she was a five-star recruit, high school national runner-up and six-time Nevada state champion. That changed after getting to UK and she now spends most of the summer in a weight program with teammates.

“I’ve gained so much muscle and strength. That really helps you in your routines,” she said. “For me, weightlifting makes a huge difference. Our summer programs really sets us up to do our best in our routines. We definitely don’t focus on weights as much in the preseason, but it’s still super important.”

Rodriguez likes lifting weights and feels it helps team bonding. The gymnasts lift with UK athletes from other sports.

“We blast music, even in the mornings because it helps wake us up,” Rodriguez said. “You are competing for spots, but you are also cheering each other on in the weight room. We are competitors in the weight room just like during matches.”

Gymnasts practice three hours or more four days a week during the season, which is not as hard as the preseason training.

“You save your body for that Friday competition to show everyone what you can do. I think I am a little more unmotivated in the preseason because you are pushing and you are tired, but you are not competing (in meets). So I definitely have my up and down days, but I know the work is worth it,” she said.

She loves competing in Memorial Coliseum in front of enthusiastic UK fans.

“I love looking up in the stands and just seeing everyone cheering for you. It’s just more comfortable in your arena. I love cheering my teammates on whether we’re home or away, but I do think it is more fun at home because of our fans,” she said.

Rodriguez and her teammates always take time after home meets to mingle with fans and sign autographs or take pictures, especially with young fans.

“Even when I don’t have a great meet, I turn to all these little girls who are wanting my autograph and they don’t really even care if I did good or bad. Usually they don’t know. They just are happy they get to meet you and get your autograph,” Rodriguez said. “I think that’s something that is just super special. It really took me until last year to fully understand these young girls really look up to us. It took me a while to put that through my brain that they want my autograph.”

•••

Oregon beat Texas Tech 23-0 in the Orange Bowl to advance to the national college playoffs semifinals against unbeaten Indiana on Friday night in Atlanta.

That means new UK head coach Will Stein will be splitting duties as Oregon’s offensive coordinator and Kentucky’s new coach until at least then, but Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire thinks it will be worth the wait for UK.

“Will Stein does a great job. I know Will very well,” McGuire said. “Excited for him getting the Kentucky job.

“One of the O-line coaches is Mack’s (Leftwich) little brother. He’s going with him to Kentucky and I think he has a lot to do with what they do run game-wise. They’re one of the teams that we actually study throughout the year and the offseason because they are so creative in the run game.”

Cutter Leftwich has been hired as Kentucky’s new offensive line coach. He is currently Oregon’s assistant offensive line coach and run game coordinator. His brother is Mack Leftwich, Texas Tech’s offensive coordinator.

Stein said before the playoffs started it was “all Oregon nonstop” when he was coaching the Ducks as they pursued a national title.

“That’s what I signed up for, and I’d say it’s first-world problems. That’s what I signed up for, and to do it again with these guys on this stage, with these players, I’m glad I have the opportunity to do that before going to Kentucky,” Stein said.

•••

Sporting News columnist Mike DeCourcy had no doubts Kentucky would be a NCAA Tournament team when the season started. After UK dropped its first four major non-conference games, including a 35-point loss to Gonzaga, he did have doubts before Kentucky bounced back to beat Indiana and St. John’s.

He knows Kentucky’s issue will be at point guard if something happens to Jaland Lowe like it has several times already when his right shoulder popped out of place.

“Denzel Aberdeen didn’t play a lot of point guard at Florida last year and didn’t come to Kentucky expecting to be a point guard,” the national college basketball analyst said. “For Denzel, playing point guard when needed is a real challenge and he has to embrace it. He had to adopt the mentality of running the offense when the team needs him.”

Lowe had 21 points but had to take 16 shots and had only two assists in UK’s 89-74 loss at Alabama to open SEC play. ESPN analyst Seth Greenberg said UK had no offensive identity.

“Losing Lowe is kind of like the Cincinnati Bengals losing (quarterback) Joe Burrow,” DeCourcy said. “It’s just a different deal without Burrow. When you lose your point guard who has the experience making plays for others and getting shots for himself, it’s a different deal. He understands the game.”

DeCourcy believes UK has to make sure it gets freshman Jasper Johnson in the “right role” when he’s on the floor. He played only six minutes at Alabama and did not take a shot.

“He is capable of making a difference for this team. He played in the U19 World Championships and Jasper hit the biggest shot of the entire tournament for Team USA against Canada,” DeCourcy said. “If they had lost that game, there would have been no gold medal or any medal. It was a huge shot with a lot of pressure and he delivered and played very well in that tournament.

“There is no doubt he can make this team better. You have got to look at him as somebody who you open on his better nights will be a double-figure scorer. He will have tough nights. Everybody does, but he has a chance to make a big difference for this team if Mark can figure out the best way to use him. He can be productive at point guard.”

DeCourcy knows the SEC is not as good overall this year and that means fewer “high end opportunities” for high-profile wins this season.

“The SEC got 14 teams in the NCAA Tournament last year. I think it will be much less than 14 this year,” DeCourcy said. “Kentucky just has to play well and win a lot of games and to me it will still come down to point guard play.”

•••

Craig Skinner had turned down other head coaching opportunities when he finally decided to leave Nebraska, where he was an assistant coach, to become the head coach at Kentucky. Now he’s led UK to 21 straight NCAA Tournament appearances, won a national title, led UK to at least a share of nine straight Southeastern Conference regular-season championships and compiled a 497-157 career record.

Kentucky reached the national title game for a second time this season before losing to Texas A&M in the title game. It was UK’s 11th Sweet Sixteen trip or better since 2009.

“I’m someone that probably operates a little bit more on feel than others. When I got here, Mr. (Mitch) Barnhart picked me up at the airport, I had a two-hour conversation with him, felt like this is where I belonged,” Skinner said about why he took the UK job. “It was the people of Kentucky, who I am as a person, I thought that was pretty easy to sell. Material things don’t motivate me, but people and feelings do. Kentucky was all about that.

“I can buy into hard work and effort and earning things. But on the other side of that, Kentucky is a flagship institution of the state. There’s no pro sports. When you do something special, they will get all in, all the time.”

The great thing about Skinner is that he’s always open to new ideas and is all about giving his players credit for UK’s success. This year’s team almost seems like it has rejuvenated Skinner even more.

“They play with such joy, I want to coach more players like that. I want players that you don’t really have to coach body language and enthusiasm,” the Kentucky coach said. “If you do, you’re spending all your effort on the wrong things. We can spend our energy on how we put the pieces together and form a system to go around that.

“In the recruiting world, just trying to find those people that are driven internally, and have an enthusiasm, infectious enthusiasm, for life. Those guys, being around them every day, I look forward to that, our staff looks forward to it. Let’s get more of those players.”

•••

Quote of the Week: “It starts in practice knowing the game plan and sticking to it. If things go wrong one or two times, you have got to fix them and not let it go on for too long,” Kentucky point guard Jaland Lowe, on what UK has to do after the loss at Alabama.

Quote of the Week 2: “As a player you can feed off your coach and take on his personality. This is a kid who walked in and owned the show like (former UFC champion) Conner McGregor. That is the kind of person you want to play for. He is brash, he is up front, he wants to take chances. That is a fun person to play for,” UK Radio Network analyst Jeff Piecoro, on new UK football coach Will Stein.

Quote of the Week 3: “I feel like if I don’t set a goal, I am just going to stay static. I set different goals for different events each year depending on what I am striving for. I didn’t quite achieve all I wanted last year,” All-American gymnast Creslyn Brose, on her expectations for the 2026 season.