Feb. 8, 2002

Results

DENVER - Led by junior Michelle Kasuga's (Defiance, Ohio) school record-tying 10.0 on the floor exercise in the final rotation, the 16th-ranked University of Denver gymnastics team defeated Illinois Friday night, 195.200 - 191.975 in front of 822 fans at Hamilton Gymnasium. With the win, Denver improves to 3-2 on the season. Illinois drops to 3-5.

The Pioneers were on the mark nearly all evening, but the meet was highlighted by Denver's final event of the evening, the floor exercise, in which the Pioneers tied the team school record with a score of 49.425. All five Denver scores improved with each gymnast, and Kasuga finished the night as the final competitor with the first perfect 10 of her career and just the third perfect routine in school history. Sophomore Ashley Shible (Palm Harbor, Fla.) came one competitor before Kasuga and tied her personal best with a 9.95 and sophomore Emily Bankhead (Houston, Texas) came before Shible with a 9.9. Freshman Karyssa Ancellotti (Sugarland, Texas) had her career-best routine with a 9.825 and freshman Jessica Kennedy (West Chester, Pa.) rounded out Denver's scoring on the floor with a 9.75.

The Pioneers were also spectacular on the balance beam, as junior Jamie Martini (Houston, Texas) easily tallied a career-best 9.925 and won her first career apparatus title as she tied with Shible for the top score in the meet. Shible's 9.925 was also a personal best and Kasuga also scored her career-best with a 9.875.

Two other Pioneers set or tied a personal best on the uneven bars, as junior Jacquelin Young (Colorado Springs, Colo.) set a career-high with a 9.875, breaking her old mark of 9.75 in winning her first career apparatus title. Bankhead also tied a personal-best with a 9.825 in finishing third in the event.

"This was a very good meet for us and I am really pleased," head coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart said. "This was our second-highest score of the season and I am especially pleased with the score after our rough go of things on the bars. We finished with some of the biggest floor routines I've seen in my time here. But this shows to me that we can overcome some early mistakes and I think this really show's the potential this team has. It was a good night tonight."

The Pioneers are next in action next Saturday, Feb. 16 when they host No. 10 LSU in the Burnsley Invitational in Hamilton Gymnasium at 7:30 p.m.

Team and Individual Marks Set Tonight:
Jacquelin Young - Uneven Bars-9.875
Emily Bankhead - Uneven Bars-9.825 (tied)
Ashley Shible - Balance Beam-9.925 / Floor Exercise-9.95 (tied)
Jamie Martini - Balance Beam-9.925
Michelle Kasuga - Balance Beam-9.875 / Floor Exercise-10.000
Karyssa Ancellotti - Floor Exercise-9.825
Team - Floor Exercise-49.425