LOGAN, Utah Three different Pioneer gymnasts won event titles and the 13th-ranked University of Denver gymnastics team, missing its top gymnast, defeated Utah State 195.250 192.300 Friday night in front of 788 fans at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. DU improves to 11-3 on the season.
The Pioneers were without the services of junior All-American Jessica Lpez (Caracas, Venezuela), who is in New York preparing for the Tyson America Cup, which takes place Saturday in Madison Square Garden. Lpez is ranked No. 6 in the nation in the all-around and is ranked in the top-20 on three events. She is expected to be back for DU’s Sunday meet with Auburn.
The Pioneers got event wins from senior Courtney Butler (Naperville, Ill.) on vault, Nikki Brown (Louisville, Ky.) on balance beam, and Sasha Sullivan (Glen Allen, Va.) on floor exercise Friday in winning its third road meet of the season.
DU had a fine performance on uneven bars in its first event of the night, posting a team score of 49.800, its third-highest team score of the season. Butler finished second overall with a 9.825, finishing just in front of Sullivan, who finished tied for third with a 9.8. Sophomores Ellen McCarthy (Aurora, Ontario) and Kelley Hennigan (The Woodlands, Texas) were next for DU as both finished tied for fifth with scores of 9.775. Utah State’s Nicole Simoneau won the event with a 9.85.
On vault, Butler won her second title of the season and third overall with a 9.875, tying her second-best score of the season and leading the Pioneers to a team tally of 48.950. Right behind her in second place overall was Hennigan with a 9.825 and senior Paige Schuster (Loveland, Colo.), competing in the vault lineup for the first time this season, posted a career-high score of 9.8 that placed her alone in third place.
DU posted one of its best performances of the season on floor exercise despite missing Lpez, who is ranked No. 4 in the nation on the event. Two Pioneers set or tied personal career-high scores as the Pioneers posted a team score of 49.150, its second-best score of the season and easily its top floor score on the road. Sullivan won her second floor title of the season with a career-high tying 9.95, matching the best score on the event for the Pioneers this season. Next for the Pioneers was freshman Amanda Johanson (Park City, Utah), who posted a career-high 9.875 to finish alone in second place. Junior Liz Meals (Gibsonia, Pa.) and McCarthy finished tied for fifth with scores of 9.8.
The Pioneers struggled a bit on balance beam without Lpez but held it together enough to post a 48.250. Brown led the way with a 9.8 for her second title of the season and McCarthy was second with a 9.775. Sullivan was fourth with a 9.725.
“I am proud of the effort we put on the floor tonight,” head coach
Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart said. “We knew coming in that missing Jessica would have an affect on us but I was happy with the way the team stepped up and competed well without her. We need to regroup quickly before a big meet on Sunday.”
DU is next in action next on Sunday, March 2 when the Pioneers host No. 12 Auburn at 2 p.m. MST.
