Jan. 23, 2004
Complete Results
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. - Despite the top two finishers on floor exercise and the first all-around title of the season for senior Ashley Shible (Palm Harbor, Fla.), the 16th-ranked University of Denver gymnastics team posted a 192.675 team score and finished behind No. 12 West Virginia and Pittsburgh in a tri-meet Friday night at WVU Coliseum. The Pioneers posted their lowest team score in a meet since 2001, as WVU and Pitt tied for the win with a 195.300. Denver drops to 1-7 on the season.
Denver opened the meet on uneven bars for the first time this season and had to count three falls en route to a season-low 46.775. Freshman Heather Huffaker (DeSoto, Texas) had one of Denver's top two scores with a 9.675 and Shible led the Pioneers with a 9.75.
Balance beam was the second event of the night for the Pioneers, and Denver rebounded to post a 47.575. Senior Emily Bankhead (Houston, Texas) posted Denver's best score with a 9.85 to finish tied for third in the meet, the third time this season she's led the Pioneers on beam. Shible had Denver's second-best score with a 9.8 and sophomore Meredith Fricke (Midlothian, Texas) finished third with a 9.775.
Floor exercise was the third event for the Pioneers, and Denver came through with a 49.375 that tied for the ninth best score in school history on that event. The Pioneers posted six scores of 9.8 or better and two above 9.9 to set a season high. Bankhead won her first floor exercise title of the season with a 9.95 and was followed by Fricke's second-consecutive 9.9 that was good enough for fourth. Huffaker finished third for Denver with a career-high 9.875 and was followed by another career-best, a 9.85 from junior Stephanie Lorber (San Carlos, Calif.). Shible and freshman Casey Dobyns (Woodinville, Wash.) finished tied for fifth at 9.8.
The fourth and final event of the meet for Denver was vault, where Denver's 48.900 was tops in the meet. Huffaker finished second with a 9.875, just behind WVU's Jessica Bartgis' career-high 9.9 and Shible finished tied for third with a 9.825. Dobyns finished tied for sixth in the meet with a 9.775 and freshman Katie Andrews (Crawfordsville, Ind.) finished fourth for the Pioneers with a 9.725.
Shible tied with Pittsburgh's Diandra O'Connor for the all-around title with a 39.225, her first AA title this season.
Denver is next in action next Saturday, Jan. 31 when it hosts Air Force at 6 p.m. in Hamilton Gymnasium.
