DENVER The University of Denver Pioneers used a season-high 196.650 to defeat visiting BYU on Senior/Fan Appreciation Meet before 1,429 fans in Hamilton Gymnasium on Monday night. The Pioneers honored their four seniors, Nikki Brown (Louisville, Ky.), Lauren Garan (Cos Cob, Conn.), Jessica Lpez (Caracas, Venezuela) and Liz Meals (Pittsburgh, Pa.), at the conclusion of the meet.
“We’re thrilled to have our four seniors go out on such a high note having earned our highest team score of the season on Senior Night,” head coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart said. “Nikki, Lauren, Jessica and Liz have been priceless to our team over the past four years and we’re so grateful for their contributions to Denver gymnastics.”
Denver (12-8) posted season-high team scores on each event: vault (49.325), bars (49.050), beam (49.250) and floor (49.025) en route to its best team total of the season at 196.650.
The Pioneers tallied seven career-high scores and won all five events, led by Lpez’s sixth all-around title of 2009 with a career-best 39.625.
A trio of Pioneers posted career-high scores on vault. Junior Kelley Hennigan (The Woodlands, Texas) tied for first place with Lpez with a career-high 9.900, while freshman Brianna Springer (Arvada, Colo.) was third with a career-best 9.875. Freshman Louise Mercer (Nottingham, England) scored a career-high 9.825 to tie for fourth place with Meals.
Lpez led Denver on bars with a first-place 9.975, tying her career-high score. The score also marks the second best in program history, a record score Lpez has earned three times in her career. Mercer and Brown tied with BYU’s Madeleine Johnson for second with scores of 9.800.
Brown earned her second consecutive beam title with a season-high 9.925. BYU’s Kaylee Gallup was second with a 9.875, while Lpez and sophomore Taylor Sanford (Omaha, Neb.) tied for third at 9.850, a career-best for Sanford.
Lpez picked up her third event title of the night on floor, tying her season-best score with a 9.900. Sophomores Amanda Johanson (Park City, Utah) and Kristina Coccia (Bethlehem, Pa.) took second and third, respectively, with a pair of career-highs at 9.875 and 9.825.
Three Pioneers earned career-high scores for their exhibition performances as well. Freshman Alex Winslow (Broomfield, Colo.) posted a 9.725 on beam, while Johanson scored a 9.875 on bars and Sanford turned in a 9.725 on floor.
DU concludes the regular season with two road meets. The team travels to Washington for a 3 p.m. meet on Sunday, March 15 before ending the 2009 regular season at Air Force on Tuesday, March 17 at 6 p.m.
- PIONEERS -
