DENVER – The University of Denver women's gymnastics team is excited to welcome three student-athletes to the program, head coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart announced on Wednesday.
 
Natalie Morton (Waycross, Ga.), Emma Brown (Adel, Iowa) and Akoray "AK" Subject (Plymouth, Minn.) have signed their National Letters of Intent with Morton joining Denver for this upcoming season, and Brown and Subject beginning with the 2019-20 academic year.

"We're excited to finally welcome Natalie, Emma and AK to our family," Kutcher-Rinehart said. "They're steady and consistent performers who can contribute to our depth and difficulty, and they will balance each other out perfectly. Although they express it differently, they're all very competitive. All three are committed to the balance of the high-level academics and athletics here at DU, and they all embrace our team philosophy of character, teamwork and excellence.
 
"They want to be here at DU and are excited to join their current and future teammates."

2019 CLASS

Natalie Morton is a Level 10 gymnast from Texas Dreams Gymnastics. She twice competed at JO Nationals, finishing fourth on floor and sixth in the all-around in 2016. She was the 2016 Region 3 all-around and bars champion while finishing third on both beam and floor. In 2017, she added second-place finishes in the all-around and on bars at Regionals. After graduating from high school early, Morton will beginning competing for Denver this season.
"We're excited that Natalie is joining us in January," Kutcher-Rinehart said. "She's quiet but serious and focused, and she's passionate about gymnastics. She's clean and consistent with great technique and fundamentals that should add to our depth on bars, beam and floor."
 
WATCH: Natalie Morton video: Bars | Beam | Floor

2020 CLASS

Emma Brown is a Level 10 gymnast from Chow's Gymnastics in Iowa and a four-time JO Nationals qualifier. She finished sixth in the all-around at 2018 JO Nationals and tied for fourth on bars in 2017. At the 2018 Region 3 Championships, she finished top-five in all five individual events, including wins on vault and floor, and second place in the all-around. She also captured a tie for first on beam at 2017 Regionals with three more second-place finishes in the all-around and on bars and floor. In 2014, she qualified for the prestigious Nastia Liukin Cup.

"Emma is a solid, steady and well-rounded gymnast," Kutcher-Rinehart said. "She's added difficultly in recent years and has gained confidence in her gymnastics. I've watched her come out of her shell over the last couple years, and she's grown into herself both athletically and academically."
 
WATCH: Emma Brown video: Vault | Bars | Beam | Floor
 
AK Subject is a Level 10 gymnast from Twin City Twisters in Minnesota. In 2016, she competed at the Nastia Liukin Cup and finished eighth on floor and ninth in the all-around. She has qualified for JO Nationals four times, placing fifth in the all-around and seventh on floor in 2018. She also has top-10 finishes at JO Nationals on floor, placing fifth in 2017 and eighth in 2016. In each of the last two seasons, she captured the all-around title at the Region 4 Championships while also winning on bars and beam in 2018, and bars and floor in 2017.

"AK is a powerful gymnast and will be our third gymnast from Twin City Twisters--joining Maddie Karr and Maddie Quarles," said Kutcher-Rinehart. "She has a uniqueness to her gymnastics, and is energetic and competitive. She's extremely passionate and committed to Denver Gymnastics."
 
WATCH: AK Subject video: 2018 JO Nationals Routines

Speaking about the 2020 class of Brown and Subject, Kutcher-Rinehart added: "Emma and AK have become very close friends, even though they have competed against each other for years. They've used their competitiveness to make each other better while maintaining a strong friendship. It'll be exciting to watch them together at DU beginning in 2020."
 
In 2018, Denver advanced to NCAA Regionals for the 20^th consecutive season, and Lynnzee Brown represented DU at the NCAA National Championships, finishing No. 15 overall in the all-around. The Pioneers set a new program record on bars (49.475) at the Big 12 Championship and finished the season ranked No. 15 in the nation.
 
Returning in 2019 are regular-season All-Americans junior Maddie Karr (Stillwater, Minn.) and senior Kaitlyn Schou (Orlando, Fla.), as well as NCAA Nationals qualifier Brown.
 
Season tickets for the 2019 University of Denver gymnastics season, presented by Your Hometown Toyota Stores, are now available online or by calling 303-871-4625. New for 2019, season ticket holders have the opportunity to reserve their seats in both Magness Arena and Hamilton Gymnasium for $45. General admission season tickets are $35.
 
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