DENVER – The No. 18 University of Denver gymnastics team rallied at the end of the season, posting two of its best meets in the final weeks of the season. The Pioneers finished with a Regional Qualifying score of 196.205, the program’s sixth highest RQS in history. Denver won the inaugural Mountain Rim Gymnastics Championships (MRGC) before finishing third at the 2014 NCAA Washington Regional. Senior Moriah Martin (Lake Mary, Fla.) advanced to the National Semifinals for the third consecutive year, finishing seventh in the all-around in Session I of the Championships. Martin went on to repeat as an All-American, earning second team honors in the all-around.
“There were four great things that happened in the last quarter of our season to build on for the future: a fantastic senior night in Magness Arena, winning the Mountain Rim Gymnastics Championships, finishing higher than we were seeded at Regionals, having another All-American in the all-around and counting only one fall, one time throughout the course of the season,” head coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart said. “This senior class has showed tremendous leadership this season, demonstrating consistency and confidence during every meet and practice.”
In route to winning the MRGC Championships, Denver’s vault corps broke the school record, posting a 49.475 at the meet. Martin and classmates Kaitlin Moorhead (Palo Alto, Calif.) and Melodie Pulgarin Linero (Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain) joined junior Nina McGee (Cincinnati, Ohio), sophomore Emily Barrett (Norman, Okla.) and freshman Rachel Fielitz (Walden, N.Y.) in posting six scores over 9.800 to top the previous record of 49.425. Denver went on to win the MRGC title with a season-high 196.925, the seventh highest team score in school history.
On Jan. 31, Denver would post its highest scores of the season on bars (49.300) and on beam (49.200), while bringing in a 196.550 on the road at BYU. This bars score would mark the seventh highest score in school history.
In front of a sold out crowd in Hamilton Gymnasium, Denver continued its winning streak, beating Southern Utah and North Carolina State. This would be Denver’s only home meet in the month of February, as they would be on the road for the four straight weeks to follow. The Pioneers ended with a home record of 6-0, extending their undefeated win-streak at home to 18-0.
Pulgarin Linero and McGee hit career-highs on beam, posting matching 9.900’s in a victory over Michigan State Feb. 28. As the road stretch ended, Denver honored its five seniors, while posting a 49.525 on the floor, a season-high and the school’s sixth highest floor score in history. The Crimson and Gold earned a 196.725, a season-high at the time to improve to 10-3 closing out the regular season. This meet was held in Magness Arena in front of 2,647 fans, the highest attendance the Pioneers have seen since it hosted Georgia, BYU and Air Force back in January of 2011.
Six Pioneers were named as All-MRGC, bringing home 11 total honors. McGee led the Pioneers, earning three First Team honors in the all-around, beam and on floor. Martin brought home a First Team All-MRGC award in the all-around and on vault, while Fielitz joined Martin as a First Team vaulter and Moorhead on Second Team. Senior Jorie Hall (Denver, Colo.) was named First Team on beam after winning the individual event title on beam. Hall, Moorhead and junior Ellese Sakai-Hart (Aptos, Calif.) rounded out the Pioneers all-conference awards as they were named Second Team on floor.
As the Pioneers were on the right track heading into Regionals, they were placed in the Washington Regional, where they would face No. 4 Alabama and No. 9 Nebraska, as well as Boise State and BYU, both for the third time in the 2014 campaign. Washington would also be competing at the regional. Denver went on to finish third, a spot higher than they were seeded. Martin would advance to her third NCAA Nationals Semifinal competition as an individual, increasing Denver’s streak of sending at least one individual to nationals to 15-straight seasons.
Denver’s seniors showed tremendous leadership throughout the season, as they accounted for 42 percent of all routines. Martin competed in all 12 meets, 10 of which were in the all-around. The senior won eighteen individual event titles, while turning in her last 24 (since Jan. 25, 2013) vaults of 9.800 or higher. In her career, Martin vaulted 55 times, showing 49 scores of 9.800 or higher.
Moorhead, vault and floor specialist, brought in averages of 9.819 and 9.809 to be the only Pioneer this season to count 100% of her routines. Hall was a reliable beam and floor specialist, as she tied her career-high on beam of 9.925 on two different occasions to help the Pioneer’s win in the final rotation. Pulgarin Linero helped anchor the bar line-up, competing in every meet on the event and posting nine routines over 9.800. Senior Paige Tollefson (Longmont, Colo.) made two appearances as an exhibition on bars.
“It’s going to be difficult for me to say goodbye to this particular group of seniors,” Kutcher-Rinehart said. “They are very special to me and to this program as a whole. They are incredible competitors; we are going to have big shoes to fill. They have grown and matured as individuals and have collectively gone above and beyond. I have so much respect for these student-athletes because they have pushed through adversity and overcome obstacles to become leaders on this team.”
After only competing on three events as a sophomore, McGee was added into the vault line-up this season to become an all-around competitor. The junior posted team-high averages on beam (9.811) and on floor (9.880) earning a career-high of 9.925 on beam at the MRGC. McGee also posted a season-high 39.475 at the conference championships. Fellow classmate Ellese Sakai-Hart (Aptos, Calif.) competed in eleven meets, tallying two 9.875’s on floor to top off her junior season.
Denver’s sophomore class was anchored by Emily Barrett (Norman, Okla.), Rachel Feeken (Tampa, Fla.), Maggie Laughlin (Scottsdale, Ariz.) and Katie Menhinick (Paramus, N.J.). Barrett turned in eight vaults, recording a season-high of 9.800 at the MRGC Championships. Feeken posted eight routines on bars, earning a season-high of 9.825 at BYU. Laughlin competed in eight meets on floor, posting a career-high of 9.900 on floor in the Pioneers final home meet on March 15. Rounding out the class, Menhinick was a reliable competitor on floor, seeing a career-high of 9.825 at BYU.
The Pioneer freshman showed promising improvement for years to come, as all three student-athletes were consistently in the line-up. Leah Lomonte (Katy, Texas) made 28 starts, seeing action in all 12 meets on beam and seven on bars. Lomonte earned season-highs of 9.850 on vault and beam and 9.800 on bars and floor. Fellow classmate Julia Ross (Henderson, Nev.) showed consistent appearances bars and beam, earning season-highs of 9.850 and 9.800. Despite recovering from an injury for the first five meets of the season, Fielitz made an instant impact on the Pio’s vault line-up, posting her first collegiate vault of a 9.875 on Feb. 14. Just five weeks later, the Walden, N.Y., native posted a new career-high of 9.925, while helping Denver break the school vault record.
Throughout the season, two Pioneers were named Gymnasts of the Week and three were honored as Specialists of the Week in the Mountain Rim Gymnastics Championships. Martin was named Gymnast of the Week on three separate occasions (1/27/14, 2/10/14, 2/17/14), while McGee earned the honors once (3/18/14). McGee (1/13/14), Hall (2/3/14) and Moorhead (3/18/14) all were named Specialist of the Week as well.
The Pioneers will lose five seniors, Hall, Martin, Moorhead, Pulgarin Linero and Tollefson, but will add three NLI signees, Nikole Addison (Fort Myers, Fla.), Brittney Franklin (Carrollton, Texas) and Claire Hammen (Loveland, Colo.) to the 2014-15 roster. Kutcher-Rinehart and the rest of her staff are also excited to add Hall as the undergraduate volunteer assistant coach for the 2014-15 season.
