CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – For the second week in a row, the No. 6-ranked University of Denver women's gymnastics team tallied the second-highest score in program history and broke the school record on beam.
 
Denver finished with a 197.775 to top host Illinois (195.025) on Friday. The final team mark becomes the new program record for highest road score, and the beam score of 49.600 bests the previous school record of 49.550, which was set just last week.
 
DU also tied its highest-ever bars road score—and the second-highest score overall—with its 49.475 performance.
 
"The team did what we expected tonight," head coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart said. "They demonstrated their consistency, home or away. They were relaxed but focused, and everyone did their jobs.
 
"We rested some people and gave others opportunities on every event, and everyone was adaptable to the lineup changes. They continue to stay in the moment and focused on one meet at a time, but we still have room to improve."
 
The Pioneers began the meet on bars with four scores at or above the 9.900 mark. Sophomores Emily Glynn (Longmont, Colo.) and Lynnzee Brown (Kansas City, Mo.) tied for the event win with their 9.925s. Junior Maddie Karr (Stillwater, Minn.) scored a 9.900, which senior Diana Chesnok (Charlotte, N.C.) matched in her first appearance on the event this season. Senior Claire Kern (Charlotte, N.C.) and freshman Alexandria Ruiz (Lake Mary, Fla.) both had 9.825s to finish up DU's scores.
 
In the second rotation, the Pioneers moved to vault and earned a 49.250. Karr won the title with a 9.900, and Brown was second overall with her 9.875. Chesnok's 9.850 was just .025 off of her career best, as was senior Kaitlyn Schou's (Orlando, Fla.) 9.825. Ruiz had DU's final counted score with a 9.800 while Glynn competed on vault for the first time in 2019.
 
Denver's 49.450 on floor became a new season best, highlighted by Brown's event-winning 9.950. Karr placed second in the final standings with after tying her season high with a 9.925. Schou and Ruiz both tallied 9.875s, and Kern matched her career high with a 9.825. For the first time since her freshman season, junior Courtney Loper (West Des Moines, Iowa) competed in the floor lineup as well.
 
DU finished the meet with its strongest-ever showing on beam, tallying a 49.600 with five scores at or above the 9.900 mark. It was DU's first event score of 49.600 since 2004 on floor. Karr and freshman Alexis Vasquez (Arcadia, Calif.) both tied their career highs to share the event title with 9.950s. Three Pioneers scored 9.900: Brown, Ruiz and Schou. Brown's 9.900 ties her career best, and Ruiz's becomes her new personal best. Chesnok made her first appearance in the beam lineup and tallied a 9.850, which was just .025 off of her career high.
 
Karr captured the all-around title with a 39.675, which ties the ninth-highest score in school history. Brown finished just off that pace, finishing second with a 39.650. Ruiz placed fourth in the all-around with a 39.400, which is just .025 from her career best.
 
"I thought our seniors did a fantastic job," Kutcher-Rinehart added. "Their leadership was phenomenal."
 
The University of Denver women's gymnastics team, presented by Your Hometown Toyota Stores, returns to Denver next weekend for its final home meet of the season on Sunday, March 10, at 2 p.m. in Magness Arena. The Pioneers will host No. 18 Nebraska, No. 21 Arizona State and Pittsburgh as they celebrate their four seniors.
 
Tickets are on sale for the March 10 meet starting at $9. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling the Ritchie Center Box Office at 303-871-4625.
 
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