🔵 The Official Daily Newsletter For Kentucky Athletics

Good morning! And Happy Last Day Of July to all who celebrate! It’s the final day before a month that features men’s and women’s soccer returning, volleyball getting back in action, and UK Football Fan Day is this weekend.

While you scroll down to learn all about it, we’ll be making sure our tailgate recipes and parking passes are up to date.

What else can you find in today’s Brew?

🎾 Three cheers
⏰ Winning time with Coach Matthew Mitchell
🔵 And much, much more!

📈 STOCK UP

🔼  Double Feature. Whether you want to go behind the scenes with Kentucky football during offseason training or hear directly from Kentucky baseball student-athletes, BBN Tonight has you covered on all things Kentucky athletics.

🏈 See how Coach Mark Hill’s weight room routine is getting the Wildcats ready for this season.

⚾ Go behind the scenes with Devin Burkes and Mason Moore as they explain why they’re coming back for another season.

🔼 Serve’s Up. Kentucky tennis doesn’t rebuild—they reload. Both the men’s and women’s teams are adding some firepower to their coaching staffs for the upcoming season.

🎾 Kentucky men’s tennis announced the promotion of Matthew Gordon to the position of Associate Head Coach after he’s served as an assistant coach with the Wildcats since 2018. This comes a week after former Wildcat student-athlete Carey Rubin was named as an assistant coach.

Matthew Gordon has helped take the program to new heights since joining the program in 2018, including a program best NCAA runner-up finish in 2022 and an SEC Tournament title this past season. And if that wasn’t enough, he was named the ITA National Assistant Coach of the Year, becoming the first ever men’s tennis coach (head or assistant) to win an ITA national award at Kentucky.

Carey Rubin previously served as a volunteer coach at UK in 2011 when the Wildcats reached the NCAA quarterfinals. He returned as a volunteer coach once again last fall. Following his collegiate playing career he spent two years playing professionally, and then began working as a hitting partner and traveling coach with some of the top players on the WTA Tour including Grand Slam winners, Venus Williams and Bethanie Mattek-Sands, and Olympic Gold Medalist Monica Puig.

🎾 Kentucky women’s tennis has added Diego Garavito and Stephen Ward as assistant coaches.

Diego Garavito joins the Kentucky staff after serving as assistant coach of the Charlotte’s women’s tennis program, helping lead the program to its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2023 seeing the highest team ranking of No. 30, a program best.

Stephen Ward comes to Lexington from Duke where he has served as the volunteer assistant coach since November 2021, helping lead the women’s tennis program to an ACC Championship in 2022 and a 23-5 overall record in 2023.

🤔 BIG BLUE TRIVIA

When the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns play in this week’s Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, several former Kentucky players will take the field in the first game of the 2023-2024 NFL season.

Our question today—which team has more players who came from Kentucky?

Think you got it? Scroll on down to the bottom of this email for the answer!

🔵 ONE BIG THING

“Today’s a real special room for me to be in, and it’s because of where you play and what you mean not just to this university and this athletic department but what you mean to anyone who loves Kentucky.”

Winning time. Coach Matthew Mitchell stopped by the Kentucky football program and talked to the team about the importance of decision-making, work ethic, and discipline.

📬 STICK WITH US

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📅 COMING SOON

Saturday, August 5

🏈 Football Fan Day | More details to come

Thursday, August 17

⚽️ Women’s Soccer vs. Eastern Kentucky @ 7:30pm ET (Season Opener)

Thursday, August 24

⚽️ Men’s Soccer vs. Florida Gulf Coast @ 7:30pm ET (Home Opener)

Friday, September 1

🏐 Volleyball vs. Pittsburgh @ 7:00pm ET (Home Opener)

Saturday, September 2

🏈 Football vs. Ball State @ 12:00pm ET on SEC Network | Watch Live | Reserve Your Tailgate

🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: It’s a tie!

Sorry for the trick question so early in the week. Each team is rostering two former Kentucky players a piece—Za'Darius Smith and Chris Westry will suit up for Cleveland, and Brandin Echols and Randall Cobb are currently rostered with New York.

🔵 Have a great Monday, everyone!