WHO: No. 5 Denver vs. tie-No. 18 Iowa State
WHAT: Denver's third meet of 2021
WHERE: Magness Arena (Denver, Colo.)
WHEN: Sunday, January 31, at 12:00 p.m. MT
 
LAST TIME OUT:
DU hosted Air Force for its home opener on January 24, winning the meet 197.000-192.225. Denver swept all five individual podiums, led by two near-perfect 9.975 routines from freshman Rylie Mundell (Parker, Colo.) on bars and junior Alexis Vasquez (Arcadia, Calif.) on beam.
 
EYE ON THE RANKINGS:
Denver moved up in the rankings, now in the No. 5 spot nationally. The Pioneers are ranked in the top 25 on all four events, highlighted by a No. 2 ranking on beam and program record-tying No. 3 ranking on bars. DU is also No. 12 on floor and tied for No. 21 on vault.
 
Five DU gymnasts own individual national rankings, led by Vasquez who is tied for No. 1 in the country on beam. Mundell is ranked in the top 10 on bars and beam, which includes her tie for No. 3 overall on bars. Senior Lynnzee Brown (Kansas City, Mo.) adds two top-10 rankings as well: tied for No. 6 on bars and No. 8 in the all-around. Freshmen Jessica Hutchinson (Gilbertsville, Pa.) and Abbie Thompson (Sanford, Fla.) also hold national rankings this week.
 
QUICK HITS:

• For the second week in a row, Mundell and Vasquez earned weekly recognition from the Big 12 Conference, defending their Newcomer and Event Specialist of the Week honors. Mundell also added co-Gymnast of the Week accolades.
• Mundell and fellow freshman Hutchinson won the first event titles of their careers against Air Force: Mundell on vault and bars, and Hutchinson on floor.
• Denver's 49.450 on beam in the home opener tied the ninth-highest score in program history on that event.
• Junior Alexandria Ruiz (Lake Mary, Fla.) led off DU's bars rotation with a career high-tying 9.900 in the last meet, setting the stage for DU's 49.425 team tally.
• Four student-athletes competed in exhibition for DU against Air Force – all four of them freshmen. Rosie Casali (Weddington, N.C.) posted a 9.725 on vault; Thompson a 9.850 on bars; Isabel Mabanta (Frisco, Texas) a 9.825 on beam; and Mundell a 9.875 on floor.

SCOUTING THE CYCLONES:
Iowa State has not competed since its season opener against Denver on January 15. DU won that meeting 196.600-195.500. Junior Addy De Jesus won the vault title and placed third in the all-around during the meet.
 
ISU is currently tied for No. 18 in the country overall, No. 7 on vault and tied for No. 20 on bars.
 
WHAT'S NEXT:
The University of Denver gymnastics team, presented by Your Front Range Toyota Stores, finishes its three-meet home stand by hosting Oklahoma and Temple on Sunday, February 7, at 2:00 p.m.
 
VIRTUAL SEASON TICKET: Activate exclusive virtual benefits for the 2021 season! Denver Athletics & Recreation is committed to making the best out of an unprecedented situation and, if we are not able to be together in person at the Ritchie Center, then we will do our very best to bring Denver Gymnastics to you! When you opt-in to be a Virtual Season Ticket Holder you gain access to exclusive season-long benefits including:

• 5280 TOGETHER limited-edition commemorative poster
• Access to individual home meet tickets (based upon availability and guidelines set forth by the NCAA, DU, and local and state health officials)
• Exclusive invitation to the coaches "chalk talk" (virtual)
• Virtual meet notes/program for home and away meets
• Post-meet recap and downloadable stats package

For the latest University of Denver updates on the coronavirus, click here.
 
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.
 
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