DENVER – The No. 4-ranked University of Denver women's gymnastics team is set for a showdown of top-ranked teams at the Metroplex Challenge on Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas. Three of the four teams are ranked in the top five nationally, and all four teams are in the top 20.
 
Joining No. 4 Denver will be No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 5 (tie) Alabama and No. 18 Georgia for a Big 12 versus SEC matchup.
 
FAMILIAR FORT WORTH
Denver returns to the site of its historic 2019 NCAA team final appearance: the Fort Worth Convention Center. DU finished a program-record fourth overall after advancing to the final night of competition for the first time ever.
 
Both of DU's individual national titles were won at the convention center: junior Lynnzee Brown (Kansas City, Mo.) on floor in 2019 and Nina McGee on floor in 2016.
 
KARR MOVING UP
Senior Maddie Karr (Stillwater, Minn.) won four titles against Arkansas, including her second straight win in the all-around, bringing her career total to 85 and moving her into second all-time in DU history for most individual titles won. She is now chasing Denver record holder Nina McGee, who captured 101 titles from 2013-16.
 
STRONG START
Denver continues to build momentum from its record-setting 2019 campaign with the strongest start in school history. DU's 197.250 at Arkansas on January 17 marked the first time the Pioneers notched a 197+ score in the month of January. It also matched the fourth-best road score in DU history.
 
Three DU event scores have eclipsed the 49.4 mark as well: two on beam and one on bars. DU's season-best 49.450 on beam on January 17 tied the eighth-highest score in program history, as did the team's season-high 49.425 on bars during the same meet.
 
PODIUM PREP
For the second time this season, DU will have the opportunity to compete on podium. Denver opened the season at the Collegiate Challenge on January 4, which was also held on podium. Both meets serve as preparation for the postseason, beginning with the 2020 Big 12 Championship, which will be on podium.
 
POWER 5 SHOWDOWNS
Saturday's meet will continue DU's streak of opponents from Power 5 conferences. Including the three Metroplex Challenge opponents, all eight of DU's opponents so far in 2020 have been from Power 5 conferences.
 
To begin the season, DU has competed against two teams from the Big Ten (Minnesota, Penn State), two from the SEC (Arkansas, Auburn) and one from the Pac-12 (Arizona State).
 
Five of Denver's eight remaining meets will feature at least one Power 5 opponent.
 
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
Vault: For the first time since February 27, 2015, three DU gymnasts scored at or above 9.900 on vault, led by stuck Yurchenko one-and-a-halves from Karr and Lynnzee Brown for matching 9.925s on January 17. Junior Mia Sundstrom (Boulder, Colo.) set a career high with a 9.900 with her Yurchenko full. Junior Emily Glynn (Longmont, Colo.), sophomore Alexandria Ruiz (Lake Mary, Fla.) and freshman AK Subject (Wayzata, Minn.) have rounded out Denver's vault lineup in the last two meets.
 
Bars: Karr has led DU's bars lineup with at least a 9.900 in all three of the team's meets in 2020 and captured her second consecutive title on January 17. Lynnzee Brown and Glynn each have at least one bars score in the 9.9 range. Subject set a new personal best with a 9.875 against Arkansas while Sundstrom and Ruiz each improved on their previous season highs. Sophomore Natalie Morton (Waycross, Ga.) has competed in exhibition in the last two meets for her first collegiate appearances.
 
Beam: Sophomore Alexis Vasquez (Arcadia, Calif.) continued her success on beam to open the 2020 season with her third-straight beam title and score above 9.9 last week. Karr's 9.925 tied with the DU sophomore for the event win against Arkansas, and Lynnzee Brown tied her career high for the second-consecutive week with a 9.900. Freshman Emma Brown (Adel, Iowa) made her collegiate debut on beam on January 17, tallying a 9.850. Ruiz and freshman Amoree Lockhart (Fort Worth, Texas) each scored above 9.8 to give DU six such scores. Freshman Callie Schlottman (Savage, Minn.) made her first appearance as a DU gymnast with her exhibition performance last week.
 
Floor: Lynnzee Brown, reigning co-NCAA champion on floor, has posted scores above 9.9 in every meet this season to help lead DU's floor rotation. Karr scored 9.900 for the first time this year as well. Lockhart and Glynn have both competed in all three meets in 2020 while Ruiz, Emma Brown and Subject have each made the lineup twice.
 
EYE ON THE RANKINGS
Denver is once again ranked in the top five in the country, holding the No. 4 spot nationally. After the first week of the season, DU was ranked a program-record No. 2 in the nation. Prior to this year, Denver had never been ranked above No. 5 during the regular season.
 
DU is nationally ranked on all four events, including in the top five on both bars (No. 3, 49.333 average) and beam (No. 4, 49.375). DU is No. 11 on vault (49.050) and tied for No. 11 on floor (49.142).
 
Two Denver gymnasts are ranked in the all-around and on all four events in Karr and Lynnzee Brown. The duo is Nos. 3-4 in the all-around, respectively.
 
Karr also tied for No. 4 on vault (9.900), tied for No. 8 on bars (9.925), tied for No. 11 on beam (9.908) and tied for No. 25 on floor (9.883).
 
Lynnzee Brown is tied for No. 6 on floor (9.933), tied for No. 11 on bars (9.900), tied for No. 12 on vault (9.875) and is No. 24 on beam (9.883).
 
Vasquez continues to be one of the top beam workers in the country and is ranked No. 2 in the nation (9.967).
 
LAST TIME OUT
Denver traveled to Arkansas on January 17, scoring the program's first 197+ in January to top the Razorbacks 197.250-196.825. DU's 49.250 on vault was a new season's best by two tenths, and the Pioneers also earned season highs on beam (49.450) and bars (49.425). The bars and beam scores were both top-10 all-time marks in Denver history.
 
A DU gymnast won at least a share of four individual titles, led by Karr's win in the all-around and on vault, bars and beam. Lynnzee Brown also shared the vault win, and Vasquez tied atop of the beam podium.
 
ABOUT OKLAHOMA
The Sooners are coming off a two-meet weekend, scoring a 198.250 at Alabama on January 17 before earning a 198.175 at home against Arkansas on January 20. Senior Maggie Nichols and freshman Ragan Smith help lead OU in 2020 and have each captured Big 12 honors in all three weeks this season.
 
This will be the first of three meetings between DU and OU in 2020. The teams will also meet at Oklahoma on February 29 before both travel to West Virginia for the 2020 Big 12 Championship.
 
Denver and Oklahoma have met 47 times previously, including five times in 2019. They most recently met in the 2019 NCAA Championship round in Fort Worth where OU won the national title while DU placed a record-shattering fourth.
 
ABOUT ALABAMA
For the second week in a row, the Crimson Tide will face off against Oklahoma after hosting the Sooners on January 17. Alabama scored a 197.400 in its second meet of the season and finishing second behind Oklahoma's 198.250. Freshman Makarri Doggette won a share of the bars title and placed in the top three on beam and floor, earning her SEC Specialist of the Week honors.
 
DU captured its first-ever victory over Alabama in 2019, winning a quad meet in Tuscaloosa, Ala., in Denver's season opener last year. This will be the teams' first neutral site meeting since a quad meet at Penn State on February 20, 2016.
 
ABOUT GEORGIA
The GymDogs scored a season-best 197.325 at home against Iowa State on January 20 for their first meet of the week. UGA gymnasts won at least a share of four event titles: sophomore Rachel Lukacs in the all-around; Marissa Oakley and Megan Roberts on bars; Rachel Baumann on beam; and Sabrina Vega on floor.
 
Denver has won its last two meetings with Georgia, most recently in the semifinal round of the 2019 NCAA National Championships. In that meet, Oklahoma finished first with a 197.850; Denver was second with a 197.0375; and Georgia was fourth with a 196.4625.
 
NEXT UP
The University of Denver women's gymnastics team, presented by Your Hometown Toyota Stores, returns to Denver on February 2 to host Air Force and Ball State in Magness Arena at 2 p.m.
 
DENVER TICKET OFFICE
Tickets for the 2020 DU Gymnastics season are on sale, starting at $9. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling 303-871-4625.
 
SHOP PIONEERS
Get dressed for game day! Get your Pioneers gear at ShopPioneers.com, the official online store of University of Denver Athletics.
 
DONATE 
Fans interested in making a donation to the gymnastics program can do so online. Your contribution will make a direct impact on the success of YOUR Pioneers. Thank you in advance for your unwavering support of our student-athletes and their quest for excellence.

2020 DENVER ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME RECEPTION
Denver announced its 2020 Athletic Hall of Fame class in January. The inductees will be honored on the DU campus May 16. For more information, registration for the reception and donation information, click here.

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