March 23, 2002

Complete Results

LOGAN, Utah - The 13th-ranked University of Denver gymnastics team captured first place honors at the inaugural Western Gymnastics Conference Championship Friday night, winning the meet with a team score of 195.825 in front of 2,097 fans at Utah State's Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. Southern Utah was second with a 195.575 and host Utah State was third at 195.550. Denver improves its overall record on the season to 16-3 and heads to the NCAA Regional meet in two weeks having won its last three meets.

Denver began on the balance beam, where the Pioneers suffered two falls and were forced to count one of them in scoring a 48.175 for the event. Junior Michelle Kasuga (Defiance, Ohio) led the team with a 9.825 that placed her in a tie for fifth overall, followed by sophomore Ashley Shibles' (Palm Harbor, Fla.) 9.75 and senior Melanie Schiff's (Highland Park, N.J.) 9.725. The Pioneers were fourth in the five team meet following the first rotation.

In the second rotation the Pioneers needed a good score to overcome their slow start and got just that by scoring a 49.350 on the floor exercise, the second-highest score of the season on the event. The score also tied the sixth-best score in school history on floor exercise. Leading the way for Denver was sophomore Emily Bankhead (Houston, Texas), who set a season-best and tied her career-high score with a 9.925 that tied her for first in the meet. Shible was next with a 9.9 and freshman Jessica Kennedy (West Chester, Pa.) tied her career-best with a score of 9.875. Schiff also tied a season-best with a 9.85 to finish fourth on the team and freshman Karyssa Ancellotti (Sugar Land, Texas) was Denver's final counting score with a 9.8. Following two events, Denver had a score of 97.525 and moved up to third place.

The third event for Denver was the vault, where for the second straight event the Pioneers counted a score no lower than a 9.8 in scoring a 49.15, tying the second-best team mark of the season. The Pioneers were led by Ancellotti's 9.875, which tied her career-best she set on two other occasions this season and was the third time she has led Denver on vault this season. That mark also placed her second in the meet behind Utah State's Nicole Kirkpatrick, who won the event with a 9.925. Shible came in with a 9.85 for Denver's second-best score to finish tied for third in the meet and Kennedy's 9.825 tied her season-best to finish tied for fifth. Senior Jill Gunter (Lincoln, Calif.) and Bankhead were Denver's final two counting scores, both scored a 9.8. After three rotations, Denver was tied with host Utah State for first at 146.675.

The final rotation had Denver on the uneven bars, where junior Jacquelin Young (Colorado Springs, Colo.) had the finest routine of her career with a 9.9 to finish tied for third in the meet. Schiff was second for Denver with a 9.875 and finished tied for sixth and Shible finished with Denver's third-best score with a 9.85.

Cal State Fullerton's Jamie Johns won the all-around with a 39.425 and Denver's Shible was second with a 39.325

"We really dug ourselves out of a big hole after the first rotation," head coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart said. "I was extremely proud of the way the student-athletes bounced back. We were excellent tonight on our three other events in in a big meet. We're doing good things and I think we're peaking at the right time."

The Pioneers will next be in action when they host the NCAA North Central Region Gymnastics Championships in Magness Arena on April 6 at 6 p.m. Denver will be one of six teams competing in the meet, with the other five teams being announced on Monday, March 25. At least three teams ranked among the top 18 teams in the country will be in Denver on April 6, with three other teams to come from the North Central Region.