NORMAN, Okla. -- The No. 15-ranked University of Denver women's gymnastics team finished second with a 196.525 at Friday night's quad meet hosted by No. 1 Oklahoma. In a battle between four teams all ranked inside the top 15 in the nation, DU topped No. 10 Arkansas and No. 12 Arizona State.
Oklahoma finished with a 198.100 while Arkansas and Arizona State tied for third with 195.700s.
"I'm really pleased with tonight's performance," head coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart. "Our student-athletes were gritty and tough. It was a great bars performance to finish the meet, and it allowed us to improve our RQS.
"We had a short recovery coming off of Monday's meet, and I thought they responded physically and mentally tonight."
DU began the meet on beam with four scores of 9.800 or higher to total a 48.950 overall. Sophomore Maddie Karr (Stillwater, Minn.) led the team with a 9.850. Three Pioneers tied the team's second highest score--senior Nikole Addison (Fort Myers, Fla.), freshman Lynnzee Brown (Kansas City, Mo.) and junior Kaitlyn Schou (Orlando, Fla.)--each with a 9.800. Junior Diana Chesnok (Charlotte, N.C.) earned a 9.700 to complete DU's counted scores.
On floor for the second rotation, Denver earned a 49.200 overall, matching the team's highest road score this season. Karr again had the team's top score with a 9.900, tying for fourth overall. Schou was close behind with a 9.875. Freshman Emily Glynn (Longmont, Colo.) added a 9.850, which is a new career best. Freshman Mia Sundstrom (Boulder, Colo.) scored 9.800, and junior Claire Kern (Charlotte, N.C.) added a 9.775.
Karr's 9.900 led Denver on vault in the third rotation. Addison's 9.825 was the team's next highest score, followed by Schou's 9.775. Chesnok posted a 9.750 while Glynn had a 9.725. Sundstrom completed DU's line-up with a 9.700.
Denver finished the meet with its strongest rotation of the night, earning a 49.400 on bars, which ties the second-highest score in program history. Karr and Sundstrom shared the team's top marks with matching 9.900s, tying Sundstrom's career high. Kern, too, matched her career high on bars with a 9.875, which Glynn also earned. Brown and Chesnok scored 9.850 and 9.825, respectively, to finish DU's scoring.
In the all-around, Karr finished second, posting a 39.550.
"Tonight was competitive, and it had a postseason feel to it," Kutcher-Rinehart said. "To come in and beat two teams ranked above us on the road continues to prepare us for postseason."
DU wraps up the regular season on the road next Friday, March 16, competing against Arkansas for a second consecutive week, travelling Fayetteville along with fellow Big 12 Conference team No. 25 Iowa State.
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