LINCOLN, Neb. - The 21st-ranked University of Denver gymnastics team finished second in the three-team Masters Classic on Saturday afternoon, as host and No. 6-ranked Nebraska rolled to a four-point win over the Pioneers and No. 23 North Carolina State.

The Pioneers began the afternoon with the tough assignment of starting the meet on the balance beam. Sophomore Jamie Martini (Houston, Texas / Jersey Village HS) set a new career high by scoring a team-high 9.75. The rotation proved to be difficult for Denver, though, as the Pioneers were forced to count two falls on their way to a team score of 47.45.

Denver rebounded quite nicely on the floor exercise, especially considering the Pioneers were forced to compete just five gymnasts for the second week in a row because of injuries. Without the luxury of dropping their worst score of the rotation, the Pioneers hit on all five routines to post a sparkling 49.200 - the second-best team score of the season, and Denver's best on the road in 2001. A pair of freshmen - Emily Bankhead (Houston, Texas / Stratford HS) and Ashley Shible (Palm Harbor, Fla. / East Lake HS) - led Denver with 9.875s.

A series of extra steps on vault landings prevented the Pioneers from improving upon their season highs of the past two weekends, yet a highlight of the rotation was the return of junior co-captain Jill Gunter (Lincoln, Calif. / Lincoln HS), who competed for the first time this season after dislocating her kneecap in October. Gunter posted a 9.575, and senior Christina Parratt (Reno, Nev. / Reno HS) scored a 9.675 after returning from an ankle injury suffered last weekend. A team total of 48.325 still put Denver comfortably in second place entering the final rotation as Shible led the Pioneers individually for the seventh straight meet (9.825).

Despite counting a fall on the uneven bars to close the meet, the Pioneers still had several top performers. Freshman Emily Bankhead (Houston, Texas / Stratford HS) led off the rotation with a career-high 9.75, and junior Melanie Schiff (Highland Park, N.J. / Highland Park HS) capped off the Pioneer sextet by scoring a season-high 9.925.

"I was impressed with the team's ability to fight back on floor after we had the falls on beam, and I was so happy to see Jill Gunter compete on vault," said head coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart. "Michelle Kasuga had a great night for someone who didn't train much in the gym this week, and Christina Parratt did a great job after severely spraining her ankle last week. You obviously don't want to see the falls, but this was a good meet for us."

The Pioneers continue their three-meet road trip next weekend, when Denver travels to Cedar City, Utah, to face Southern Utah next Friday, March 2. Denver then concludes the road swing the following Monday, March 5, with a three-team meet at Boise State.

No. 21 DENVER GYMNASTICS – at Masters Classic, Lincoln, Neb. (Pershing Auditorium)

FINAL TEAM SCORES: 1. Nebraska, 197.375; 2. DENVER, 193.700; 3. North Carolina State, 192.825.

TOP INDIVIDUALS:
ALL-AROUND: 1. Kelli Brown (NCSU), 39.35; 2. Tami Harris (NU), 38.95; 3. Ashley Shible (DEN), 38.9; 4. Melanie Schiff (DEN), 37.975; 5. Emily Bankhead (DEN), 37.95. VAULT: 1. Alecia Ingram (NU), 9.9; 2. Gina Bruce (NU) and Adina Stock (NCSU), 9.875; 4. Harris (NU), 9.85; 5. Shible (DEN), 9.825. UNEVEN BARS: 1. Harris (NU), 9.975; Melanie Schiff (DEN), 9.925; 3. (tie), Julie Houk and Jess Wertz (NU), 9.9; 5. (tie), Kellie Brown (NCSU) and Michelle Kasuga (DEN), 9.875. BALANCE BEAM: 1. Ingram (NU), 9.9; 2. A.J. Lamb (NU), 9.875; 3. Harris (NU), 9.85; 4. (tie), Bree Dority O'Callaghan, Jennifer French and Amy Ringo (NU), 9.825. FLOOR EXERCISE: 1. Dority O'Callaghan, Lamb and Wertz (NU), 9.925; 4. Brown (NCSU), 9.9; 5. Kara Charles (NCSU), Emily Bankhead and Shible (DEN), 9.875.