Jan. 20, 2006
Complete Results
DENVER - Four different University of Denver gymnasts won events and junior Heather Huffaker (DeSoto, Texas) won her second consecutive all-around title as the 18th-ranked Pioneers won their eighth consecutive home opener Friday night over Brown and Towson in Hamilton Gymnasium. Denver scored a season-high 195.400, easily outdistancing Towson (191.525) and Brown (182.650) to improve to 3-3 on the season.
Three Pioneers set career-high scores in the meet, highlighted by freshman Nikki Brown's (Louisville, Ky.) pair on uneven bars and balance beam.
DU opened the meet on vault and junior Casey Dobyns (Woodinville, Wash.) won her second consecutive title this season with a 9.90, her best score of the season. Huffaker was next for the Pioneers with a 9.850 and freshman Paige Schuster (Loveland, Colo.) posted a career-high 9.775 to finish tied for fifth as the Pioneers notched a season-best 49.125 on the event.
On uneven bars, DU was sparked by the performance of senior Alisha Stephenson (Boulder, Colo.), who won her first career title and posted a career-best 9.825 in tying with Towson's Cristina Lindo for top honors. Right behind her in a tie for third place was Brown and Dobyns, who both posted scores of 9.8 as the Pioneers posted another season-high with a 48.850.
On balance beam, Brown grabbed her second consecutive title with a career-high 9.850, better all four teammates as the Pioneers scored a 48.650 and swept all five of the top spots. Behind Brown in second place was Huffaker with a 9.8, and freshman Lauren Garan (Cos Cob, Conn.) finished third with a 9.7. Freshman Jessica Lopez (Caracas, Venezuela) and senior Cassidy Willingham (Mountain View, Calif.) finished tied for fourth with scores of 9.65.
DU also grabbed all four top spots on floor exercise as sophomore Sasha Sullivan (Glen Allen, Va.) won her first event title of the season with a 9.875.
Huffaker's all-around score of 39.250 was a season-high.
DU is next in action Saturday, Jan. 28 when it hosts the annual Burnsley Invitational by hosting Michigan State and Illinois-Chicago at 6 p.m.
