MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – The No. 9-ranked University of Denver gymnastics team won the 2021 Big 12 Gymnastics Championship on Saturday, scoring a 197.350 to beat No. 1 Oklahoma (197.125), No. 22 Iowa State (197.050) and West Virginia (195.725).
 
It is the first Big 12 title in Denver history, coming in the team's sixth season since joining the conference as an affiliate member in 2016. It is also the program's third conference title and first since winning the Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference title in 2014.
 
Senior Lynnzee Brown (Kansas City, Mo.) sealed the victory for Denver with a perfect 10.0 on bars, coming in the team's final routine. It is her first perfect score on bars and the second of her career, giving her the all-around title with a 39.725. She is the second Big 12 all-around champion in program history, joining Maddie Karr (2019).
 
COACH'S NOTES
From head coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart: "I am so proud of our student-athletes, coaches and support staff for winning our first-ever Big 12 Conference Championship, in addition to beating the No. 1 team in the country. They were in the moment, event by event, and it was a collective team performance."
 
"We haven't had consistent lineups at all this season, and we still weren't at full strength today. However, our student-athletes have been getting experience throughout the regular season, and today's performance shows the strength, resiliency and mental toughness of this team."
 
She added: "A performance like this doesn't happen without the foundation from a tremendous group of alumni, too."
 
SIGNIFICANT STATS

• Denver rallied from a fourth-place standing after the first rotation, moving up to second after floor and tying with Oklahoma heading into the final rotation.
• The team's bars (49.525) and floor (49.450) scores became new program postseason records. Additionally, DU's final team score of 197.350 is the second-highest postseason score in program history.
• Brown's 10.0 on bars is the program's first perfect score in a postseason meet and just the third overall on the event in school history.
• Associate head coach Linas Gaveika and assistant coach Jimmy Pratt led DU Kutcher-Rinehart was unable to travel with the team.
• DU's victory is even more impressive when considering it was without junior Alexis Vasquez (Arcadia, Calif.) and Rylie Mundell (Parker, Colo.).

BEAM RECAP
Denver opened the meet with a 49.175 on beam where freshman Isabel Mabanta (Frisco, Texas) anchored the lineup with a career high-tying 9.900. Brown led off the rotation with a 9.875, which junior Alexandria Ruiz (Lake Mary, Fla.) matched later in the lineup. Sophomore Callie Schlottman (Savage, Minn.) posted a 9.800 to get the rotation back on track following a fall in the second spot. Freshman Jessica Hutchinson (Gilbertsville, Pa.) added a 9.725, keeping DU from counting the fall.
 
FLOOR RECAP
Brown's 9.950 on floor anchored the team's 49.450 performance on floor, a new program record for the postseason. All six DU scores were at or above 9.875, beginning with Ruiz's 9.875. Freshman Rosie Casali (Weddington, N.C.) set a new career high with her 9.875, which Thompson also did with a career high-tying 9.875. Senior Emily Glynn (Longmont, Colo.) and Hutchison kept the momentum moving with their own 9.875s to set up Brown for a meet high-tying 9.950.
 
VAULT RECAP
DU kept the momentum with its 49.200 on vault, which matches the team's second-highest score of the season. Brown and Glynn each scored a team-high 9.900, and Hutchinson added a 9.850. Casali returned to the lineup, starting the rotation with a 9.800, and Ruiz followed it with a 9.750. Freshman Abbie Thompson (Sanford, Fla.) competed on vault for just the second time in her career, scoring a 9.700.
 
BARS RECAP
Denver entered the final rotation tied with Oklahoma and less than a tenth ahead of Iowa State, scoring a 49.525 to win the title with six scores of 9.850 or higher, including Brown's perfect 10.0. Ruiz began the rotation with a 9.850. Casali scored a personal-best 9.900, which Hutchinson matched in the next routine. Senior Mia Sundstrom (Boulder, Colo.) returned to the bars lineup for the first time since a season-ending injury in 2020, scoring a 9.850. Glynn completed the lineup with a 9.875.
 
MORE COACH'S NOTES
From head coach Kutcher-Rinehart: "Congrats to Lynnzee Brown, our second Big 12 all-around champion after Maddie Karr. She exemplifies hard work, discipline and commitment to excellence, and we're so proud of her."
 
PODIUM FINISHES
All-Around
Brown: First Place – 39.725
 
Vault
Brown: Second Place (tie) – 9.900
Glynn: Second Place (tie) – 9.900
 
Bars
Brown: First Place – 10.000
Casali: Third Place (tie) – 9.900
Hutchinson: Third Place (tie) – 9.900
 
Beam
Mabanta: Third Place (tie) – 9.900
 
Floor
Brown: First Place (tie) – 9.950
 
NEXT UP:
The University of Denver gymnastics team, presented by Your Front Range Toyota Stores, will learn its seeding and placement for NCAA Regionals during the NCAA Gymnastics Selection Show on Monday, March 22, at 3 p.m. MT. The show will be streamed on the NCAA website.
 
CORONAVIRUS UPDATES:
For the latest University of Denver updates on the coronavirus, click here.
 
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