DENVER The No. 25 University of Denver Pioneers conclude the 2009 regular season on the road at Air Force in Cadet West Gymnasium on Tuesday, March 17 at 6 p.m.

 

The Pioneers bring a two-match winning streak into Tuesday’s meet. Denver posted its best score of the season (196.650) in its win over BYU on Senior Night and earned its highest road score of the season with a 195.600-195.025 victory over Washington last weekend.

 

Tickets for the Air Force meet are available by calling the Air Force Ticket Office at 719-472-1895 or by visiting the AFA Athletics Ticket Office, which is located just west of the Cadet Field House in the Falcon Athletic Center.

 

DU Meet Notes

Last time out: Denver won its second consecutive meet with a 195.600-195.025 win over then-No. 28 Washington on Sunday. The Pioneers tied their season-high team score on floor with a 49.025, and the 195.600 marked DU’s highest road score of the season.

 

Washington recap: Junior Kelley Hennigan (The Woodlands, Texas) and senior Jessica Lpez (Caracas, Venezuela) each competed in the all-around competition for the Pioneers. Hennigan won the all-around crown with a score of 39.200. In the first rotation on beam, Hennigan and senior Nikki Brown (Louisville, Ky.) each tied their season highs. Brown led the team with a second-place 9.850, while Hennigan took third with a 9.825. Sophomore Amanda Johanson (Park City, Utah) was close behind with a 9.775. Washington’s Samantha Wailor won the uneven bars competition with a 9.875. On vault in the second rotation, Lpez led the team in a tie for first with Washington’s Amanda Cline at 9.875. The Pioneers headed to floor for the third rotation where they tied their season-high team score with a 49.025 floor effort. Lpez scored a season-high 9.925 for first place, while Johanson tied for third with a 9.800. Junior Ellen McCarthy (Aurora, Ontario) led the Pioneers in the final rotation on beam. McCarthy scored a 9.850 in a three-way tie for first place with Washington’s Bogart and Wailor. Hennigan was fourth with a 9.800, and all six Pioneers earned scores of 9.750 or higher.

 

DU vs. Air Force all-time: Denver is 78-4 all-time against Air Force. The last time the Falcons defeated the Pioneers was March 11, 1994 when AFA posted a 182.725-175.550 win at home over Denver.

 

Scouting the Falcons: Air Force ranks No. 61 in the latest Gym Info national poll with a 189.160 RQS. The Falcons come off a 195.750-189.425 loss on the road at Southeast Missouri State on Saturday.  Tuesday’s meet marks the Falcons’ first home meet since hosting Texas Woman’s University on Feb. 19. The Falcons are led by freshman Jenna Dudley, who leads the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation in the all-around (38.270). She is fourth in bars (9.650) and floor (9.730). Senior Abbey Rogers is second in the MPSF in the all-around (38.230), third in beam (9.600) and fourth in vault (9.690). Air Force will honor Rogers, its lone senior, at the conclusion of the meet. 

 

DU against Top 25 opponents: The Pioneers have faced 10 top-25 opponents this season, including six in the top 10. Denver is 4-6 against ranked opponents in 2009.

 

Pioneer team leaders: Senior All-American Jessica Lpez (Caracas, Venezuela) leads the team in vault average (9.869), bars average (9.796), beam average (9.808) and all-around average (39.361). Freshman Brianna Springer (Arvada, Colo.) is the team leader with a 9.794 floor average, and junior Kelley Hennigan (The Woodlands, Texas) is close behind averaging 9.734.

 

2009 Pioneer All-Arounders: A trio of Pioneers has competed in the all-around competition in 2009. Senior Jessica Lpez (Caracas, Venezuela) scored a career-best 39.625 on Senior Night to earn her sixth all-around title of the season. Freshman Brianna Springer (Arvada, Colo.) posted a career-best 38.675 in the Winterfest Invitational, and junior Kelley Hennigan (The Woodlands, Texas) scored a personal-best 39.250 against TWU.

 

2009 American Cup: Senior All-American Jessica Lpez (Caracas, Venezuela) competed in the 2009 Tyson American Cup at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill. on Feb. 21. Lpez placed 10th in the all-around with a score of 51.600. She took fifth on vault (14.250), sixth on bars (13.300), tied for eighth on beam (11.950) and 10th on floor (12.100).

 

Program-record performance: Senior All-American Jessica Lpez (Caracas, Venezuela) has scored two program-record scores this season. On Senior Night, she earned a 9.975 for a near-perfect bar routine, marking the second best in program history, a record score Lpez has earned three times in her career. She also posted a first-place 9.975 on beam in the Winterfest Invitational. The score tied the second-best beam mark in Pioneer gymnastics history. Lpez tied fellow senior Nikki Brown (Louisville, Ky.) and Emily Bankhead with her 9.975. On March 14, 1997, Robyn King scored a perfect 10.0 on the beam to set the DU program record.

 

On the horizon: Following the meet at Air Force, Denver will await its fate in the 2009 NCAA Regional draw. The NCAA Regionals will be held on April 3 at the following seven sites: Columbus, Ohio; Iowa City, Iowa; Tuscaloosa, Ala.; Fayetteville, Ark.; Raleigh, N.C.; Seattle, Wash.; Lincoln, Neb.

 

Olympic Connections: The Pioneers hosted 2008 Olympic gold medalist Nastia Liukin as their special guest at the Alumni Classic meet earlier this season, and 2008 Olympic bronze medalist Sasha Artemev was Denver’s guest of honor on Colorado Club Night. The Pioneers also boast their own Olympic gymnast in senior All-American Jessica Lpez (Caracas, Venezuela). Lpez competed for her native Venezuela at the 2008 Olympic Games, placing 43rd in the all-around with a score of 56.175. She became the first DU gymnast to ever compete in the Olympic Games.

 

International Flavor: The 2009 Denver gymnastics squad represents five different countries. Senior Jessica Lpez hails from Caracas, Venezuela, while sophomore Annamari Maaranen comes to DU from Tampere, Finland. Junior Ellen McCarthy represents Canada, hailing from Aurora, Ontario, and freshman Louise Mercer is from Nottingham, England. The remaining 10 gymnasts come from eight different states in the U.S.

 

DU at NCAA Nationals All-Time: Denver has made three NCAA National meet appearances in school history, all under head coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart. Denver’s first appearance was in 2001, when the Pioneers became the first small private school to ever qualify and finished 12th. DU made its second appearance at Nationals in 2007, where the team finished a program-best No. 10 in the country. Last season, the team made its second straight appearance and placed 12th overall.

 

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