DENVER The No. 13-ranked University of Denver gymnastics team posted season-high scores on vault and floor exercise and nearly pulled off an upset of No. 6 Oklahoma in front of the second consecutive sellout crowd in Hamilton Gymnasium Saturday night. DU’s upset bid fell just short as the Pioneers posted a 195.700, finishing behind the sixth-ranked Sooners (195.925) but in front of Utah State (192.275) and Air Force (186.275). DU improved its record to 9-2 on the season.
Senior Courtney Butler (Naperville, Ill.) and junior All-American Jessica Lpez (Caracas, Venezuela) shared top honors on vault with scores of 9.9 for DU’s lone individual victories, but DU had a host of other outstanding individual performances in tying its second-best score of the season.
DU had one of its best performances of the season on any event in scoring a 49.125 team score on vault that included Butler’s and Lpez’s 9.9 and two other scores of 9.8. Sophomore Kelley Hennigan (The Woodlands, Texas) and freshman Taylor Sanford (Omaha, Neb.) finished tied for fifth with scores of 9.8 and junior Liz Meals (Gibsonia, Pa.) posted DU’s other counting score with a 9.725.
On beam, the Pioneers’ fivesome of Sasha Sullivan (Glen Allen, Va.), Nikki Brown (Louisville, Ky.), Hennigan, Ellen McCarthy (Aurora, Ontario) and Lpez grabbed spots 2-6 as DU posted a team score of 48.925. Sullivan led the way for DU in finishing second with a 9.825, followed by Brown’s 9.8. Hennigan and McCarthy tied for fourth a 9.775 and Lpez finished tied for sixth with a 9.75. Junior Lauren Garan (Cos Cob, Conn.) also turned in a 9.75 for the Pioneers.
On floor exercise, the Pioneers turned in their second consecutive team score above a 49.000 with four scores of 9.8 or better. Sullivan and Lpez led the way with scores of 9.875 to finish in a tie for fourth and McCarthy and freshman Amanda Johanson (Park City, Utah) posted scores of 9.8 to finish tied for eighth. For Johanson, the 9.8 was a career-high.
“It was a great night and what an amazing crowd,” head coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart said. “We had some really outstanding performances and I’m really happy with the way we performed tonight in almost beating a top-six team. We keep improving with each meet and that bodes well for us in the future.”
The meet featured an announced attendance of 2,195 and is the second consecutive sellout for the Pioneers.
DU is next in action next Saturday, Feb. 16 when the Pioneers host the Burnsley Invitational and the first annual “Link to Pink”, a meet to raise awareness of breast cancer. DU will host Ball State and the meet begins at 6 p.m. in Hamilton Gymnasium.
