DENVER – The No. 5-ranked University of Denver women's gymnastics team returns home on Sunday, February 2, at 2:00 p.m. The Pioneers will welcome Ball State and Air Force to Magness Arena for DU's first home meet in three weeks.
 
STRONG START
Denver continues to build momentum from its record-setting 2019 campaign with the January 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.
 
DU's 196.819 average is the highest through the first four weeks of the season in program history by more than five tenths. The previous record was 196.267 in 2019.
 
Four DU event scores have eclipsed the 49.4 mark as well: two on bars and two on beam. DU's season-best 49.450 on beam on January 17 tied the eighth-highest score in program history, as did the team's 49.425 on bars during the same meet.
 
In the January 25 Metroplex Challenge, Denver tallied the second-highest bars score in program history with a 49.500 – which is also the highest score at an away meet in DU history.
 
BIG 12 HONORS FOR KARR
For the first time this season, senior Maddie Karr (Stillwater, Minn.) was named the Big 12 co-Gymnast of the Week. Karr won a share of the all-around title plus three event titles during the Metroplex Challenge.
 
She tied her career high on bars with a near-perfect 9.975, helping Denver to its record-setting 49.500 team total on the event.
 
She joins sophomore Alexis Vasquez (Arcadia, Calif.) in earning weekly recognition from the Big 12 Conference in 2020.
 
BROWN, KARR CLOSING IN
After each won at least one title on January 25, Karr and junior Lynnzee Brown (Kansas City, Mo.) have their eyes on moving up the DU record book for most individual titles won.
 
Karr currently owns 89 career titles, which is second-most in DU history. She passed Jessica Lopez (83 titles) earlier in 2020 and is chasing record-holder Nina McGee (101 titles).
 
Lynnzee Brown increased her career haul to 32 titles with her win on beam at the Metroplex Challenge. She is six titles away from the top 10 in Denver history.
 
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
Vault: Through the first month of the season, Karr holds DU's top vault average with a 9.894. Lynnzee Brown is second with a 9.869. Two DU vaulters have set career highs this year – both doing so at road meets. Junior Mia Sundstrom (Boulder, Colo.) earned a 9.900 at Arkansas on January 17, and junior Emily Glynn (Longmont, Colo.) scored 9.875 last week at the Metroplex Challenge. Sophomore Alexandria Ruiz (Lake Mary, Fla.) was within .025 of her career high with her 9.800 on January 25, and freshman AK Subject (Wayzata, Minn.) has scored a 9.750 in each of the last three meets.
 
Bars: Denver's bars rotation at the Metroplex Challenge netted a 49.500, which was the highest event score of all teams in the meet. Karr tied her career high with a near-perfect 9.975 in the January 25 meet, improving her team-leading season average to 9.938. Five DU gymnasts own bars averages above 9.800 including Lynnzee Brown at 9.900. Both Lynnzee Brown and Sundstrom scored 9.900s last weekend, and Glynn's season's best score is also 9.900. Ruiz and Subject both have season highs of 9.875.
 
Beam: Vasquez leads Denver on beam this season with three scores above 9.900 and a season average of 9.919. Karr, too, owns an average score above 9.900 with a 9.906. Lynnzee Brown is closing in with a 9.887 average after tying her career high (9.900) in each of the last three meets. All seven DU gymnasts who have appeared in the beam lineup have scored above 9.800 including Sundstrom and Ruiz as well as freshmen Subject, Amoree Lockhart (Fort Worth, Texas) and Emma Brown (Adel, Iowa).
 
Floor: Reigning NCAA co-national champion on floor Lynnzee Brown is averaging 9.913 on the season to help lead Denver. Karr's 9.887 average is second-highest on the team. Ruiz and Lockhart both own averages of at least 9.775. Glynn scored a season-high 9.800 in the leadoff spot at the Metroplex Challenge and has competed on floor in every meet this season. Freshmen Emma Brown and Subject have each completed Denver's lineup on multiple occasions.
 
EYE ON THE RANKINGS
Denver is ranked in the top five in the country for the fourth-straight week to open the 2020 season. Overall, the Pioneers hold the No. 5 spot nationally. The team is also ranked in the top five on both bars and beam. DU's tie for No. 3 on bars matches the all-time program record, and Denver is once again ranked No. 4 on beam.
 
DU moved up to No. 9 on vault for its highest ranking of the season. Denver is also tied for No. 15 on floor.
 
For the second week in a row, Karr and Lynnzee Brown are ranked No. 3 and No. 4 in the all-around, respectively. Lynnzee Brown is ranked on all four events: No. 8 on floor, tied for No. 9 on bars, tied for No. 18 on vault and No. 20 on beam.
 
Karr is tied for No. 4 on bars, tied for No. 6 on vault and No. 14 on beam.
 
Vasquez continues her top-10 ranking on beam, sitting at No. 9 this week.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Denver tied for second at the Metroplex Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas, on January 25, which featured three teams ranked in the top five and four in the top 20. DU and then-No. 5 Alabama both scored 196.575 to share the second-place finish behind No. 1 Oklahoma's 197.525. Then No. 18 Georgia was fourth with a 196.300.
 
Karr won her third-straight all-around title with a tie atop the podium after a 39.650 performance. She also won at least a share of the bars, beam and floor titles while Lynnzee Brown tied for first on beam.
 
ABOUT BALL STATE
The Cardinals earned their highest score of the season (194.200) to win over Bowling Green, SE Missouri and UW-La Crosse in BSU's home opener on January 26. Two Cardinals won individual titles: Marissa Nychyk on vault and Claudia Goyco on floor. Goyco earned MAC Specialist of the Week honors for her floor performance.
 
In 2019, Nychyk and Stefanie Schweikert qualified for NCAA Regionals on vault.
 
Denver holds a 5-1 all-time record against Ball State. The last time the teams met was February 3, 2018, in Denver where DU won 196.750-195.450. The Pioneers have won each of the last five meetings between Denver and Ball State.
 
ABOUT AIR FORCE
The Falcons hosted Utah State in their home opener on January 25, finishing second with a 192.375. Anna Salamone won the vault and bars titles while teammate Tyler Davis won on floor.
 
Salamone represented Air Force at NCAA Regionals in 2019.
 
This will be the 101^st meeting between Colorado's two NCAA women's gymnastics programs. Denver is 96-4 against Air Force, including the teams' most recent meeting on January 14, 2018, also held in Denver's Magness Arena. DU topped AFA in that meeting 196.800-191.750.
 
NEXT UP
The University of Denver women's gymnastics team, presented by Your Hometown Toyota Stores, travels to the SEC for a top-five showdown with No. 2 Florida on Friday, February 7. Fellow Big 12 team No. 16 Iowa State will also compete.
 
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.

- OUR JOURNEY, OUR TIME –
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