National Rankings

DENVER - Following a record-breaking performance at the NCAA National Championship, the University of Denver women's gymnastics team finished the 2017 season ranked No. 9 in the country--the highest-ever finish in program history.

Denver posted a 196.475 at NCAA Nationals last Friday--a new program record for highest score at nationals--while finishing fifth in its semifinal. When results from both semifinals were combined, Denver placed ninth overall. DU's previous highest ranking to finish the season was No. 10 in 2007.

The Pioneers' final ranking comes after the team spent a record nine weeks inside the top 10 throughout the regular season--shattering the previous record of three weeks in 2003.

Final event and individual rankings were determined by Regional Qualifying Score (RQS) following the conclusion of the regular season on March 20. Denver finished with rankings inside the top 16 on all four events: No. 7 on vault, No. 8 on bars, No. 10 on beam and No. 16 on floor. The final rankings on vault and bars are also new program records.

DU has now finished ranked inside the top 25 on all four events in each of the last five seasons.

Individually, four Denver student-athletes held top 25 rankings at the end of the regular season. Freshman Maddie Karr (Stillwater, Minn.) was No. 6 on vault and No. 10 in the all-around. Senior Julia Ross (Henderson, Nev.) held the No. 13 spot in the all-around and was also tied for No. 13 on beam. Junior Nikole Addison (Fort Myers, Fla.) finished tied for No. 18 on floor while freshman Sam Ogden (Allen, Texas) was tied for No. 23 on bars.

This is the first season since 2009 that at least one Denver gymnast finished the season ranked on each of the four events and in the all-around.

Denver's record-setting season comes despite only competing with five student-athletes on vault and floor for the majority of the season, not filling line-ups until the final three meets of the regular season and at NCAA Regionals. DU again only competed with five competitors on vault at the NCAA National Championship.

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