NORMAN, Okla. - The No. 23 ranked University of Denver Gymnastics team (3-4) finished in third at the Oklahoma Quad Meet on Friday evening in the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Oklahoma. Led by a first and second-place finishes in the All-Around competition from juniors Brianna Springer (Arvada, Colo.) and Louise Mercer (Nottingham, England), the Pioneers posted a team score of 194.300.
No. 3 Oklahoma finished first with a score of 195.300 and No. 6 Oregon State finished in second with a 194.650.
"I'm really happy with the way our young team came together to adjust to the ups and downs of the meet," said head coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart. "We made some last minute rotation changes to start the meet and our team adjusted beautifully. I am also really proud of our freshmen who turned in some great performances, along with our All-Arounders who finished with some outstanding scores. To take first and second in the All-Around competition against No. 3 Oklahoma and No. 6 Oregon State is a big accomplishment for our team."
Springer led the Pioneers with a new personal season high in the All-Around competition with a 39.100, after posting scores of 9.825 on vault, 9.750 on bars, 9.825 on beam and 9.700 on floor. Springer's score on beam was the second highest score for the Pioneers for the meet, putting her in a tie for fourth place.
Mercer's All-Around score of 38.975 was highlighted by her first-place finish on bars with a 9.875. Mercer finished with a 9.800 on vault, 9.500 on beam and 9.800 on floor.
Freshman Moriah Martin (Lake Mary, Fla.) finished fifth in the All-Around competition with a score of 38.150. Martin's night was highlighted by her fourth-place finish on vault with a score of 9.850, setting a new season-high on vault for the Pioneers.
Senior Taylor Sanford (Omaha, Neb.) tied her career high with a 9.875 on beam to finish tied for first with Oregon State's Leslie Mak. Sanford's score also posted a new season-high for the Pioneers in the event. The senior also turned in a score of 9.750 on vault to finish 13th.
As a team, the Pioneers posted new season-high scores on the vault with a 48.875 and floor with a 48.655. The Sooners swept the floor event, taking the first five spots, while Mercer and senior Kristina Coccia (Bethlehem, Pa.) both finished tied for sixth after posting scores of 9.800.
Up next, the Pioneers travel to Cape Girardeau, Missouri to face Southeast Missouri State on Friday, Jan. 28 in a dual meet that is slated to begin at 6 p.m. MT.
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