DENVER – University of Denver seniors Lynnzee Brown (Kansas City, Mo.), Emily Glynn (Longmont, Colo.) and Mia Sundstrom (Boulder, Colo.) will return for a fifth year of competition with DU Gymnastics, head coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart announced on Thursday.
 
The NCAA granted current Division I student-athletes in fall and winter sports – including gymnastics – an additional year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and all three of Denver's seniors and captains from the 2021 season will take advantage of the opportunity.
 
"I'm incredibly excited to have these three young women returning to the University of Denver gymnastics program," Kutcher-Rinehart said. "They're tremendous student-athletes who have demonstrated work ethic, commitment and passion, and they continue to strive for a legacy of excellence. I'm proud of how they have embraced our philosophy of character, teamwork and excellence, and I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to work with them for another year."
 
Brown is one of the most decorated gymnasts in DU history, capturing a share of the NCAA individual national title on floor in 2019 and a combined 17 All-American honors. In her return from a season-ending Achilles injury in 2020, she was named the 2021 Big 12 co-Gymnast of the Year and won the Big 12 Conference titles in the all-around and on bars and floor. She was also named a finalist for two of the most prestigious awards in college gymnastics: the AAI Award and Honda Sport Award for Gymnastics.
 
In 2021, she set the DU record for highest all-around score (39.825) and became the first in program history to score a perfect 10.0 in the postseason – and did so three times: on bars at the Big 12 Championship and on both bars and floor at the NCAA Regional Final. She represented DU at the NCAA National Championships and became the first Denver gymnast to score at least a 9.900 on three events in a single NCAA Nationals meet.
 
"A professor once told me to always choose the door that opens more doors," Brown said. "Thank you to the NCAA and the University of Denver for opening the door for more education and one more go around with my team. I'm thrilled for this unexpected opportunity to do what I love, with the people I love."
 
Glynn has been a consistent, three-event competitor for Denver during her career so far. Twice, she landed on the All-Big 12 Championship Team for her top-three finishes at the conference championships in 2021 (vault) and 2018 (bars). In 2018, she was the co-runner-up on bars at the Minneapolis Regional, nearly earning an individual berth to the NCAA National Championships as a freshman.
 
Prior to an injury during the NCAA Regional Second Round, she competed on vault, bars and floor for DU in all but one meet in 2021, setting or tying her career highs on each event along the way – all three at or above 9.925.
 
"These past four years at Denver have been a dream come true," Glynn said. "To all my teammates, coaches, friends, family and fans, I want to say thank you for being a part of this dream. The support and passion everyone has shown for Denver Gymnastics is truly unmatched. With all that being said, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to continue to live out my dream for one more year."
 
Sundstrom has fought back from multiple injuries during her career to contribute on all four events for DU. As a freshman, she competed in the all-around in every meet of the year and again in 10 meets during the 2019 season. She appeared in the vault, bars and beam lineups in all but one meet in 2020 before a season-ending injury in February. Through her first three seasons, she scored career highs of at least 9.900 on all four events.
 
Despite battling injuries before and during the 2021 season, she stepped up when the team needed her including a last-minute substitution into the bars lineup at the Big 12 Championship – her first appearance on the event since her 2020 injury and mathematically clinching the team's conference title. She also stepped into the vault and bars lineups in both NCAA Regionals meets and tied for the team high vault score in the NCAA Regional Final.
 
"Being part of the Denver Gymnastics family is a dream come true, and the past four years have flown by," Sundstrom said. "Through the adversity this year, my passion for the team and our goals has only grown stronger. I'm grateful and excited for one last chance to do the sport I love, with the people I love, for the university I love – and to take care of some unfinished business."
 
All three returning seniors were instrumental in Denver's historic 2019 campaign in which the team advanced to the NCAA Championship Final for the first time ever and placed a record-shattering fourth overall. They continued building momentum in 2020 with multiple school records and top-five national rankings before the season was cut short due to COVID-19.
 
In 2021, the trio led DU through the challenges that came along with competing during a pandemic. They contributed a combined eight routines to help secure Denver's first-ever Big 12 Championship and helped DU finish in the top 10 nationally for the third year in a row.
 
During their first four years at Denver, each amassed career highs of at least 9.900 on three or four events and combined for 37 scores of 9.950 or higher. They also succeeded in the classroom, adding five Scholastic All-American honors and nine spots on the Academic All-Big 12 Team.
 
Brown, Glynn and Sundstrom will graduate with their bachelor's degrees in June before enrolling in graduate school for the 2021-22 academic year.
 
CORONAVIRUS UPDATES:
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.
 
- OUR JOURNEY, OUR TIME –
Like Denver Pioneers and Denver Gymnastics on Facebook.
Follow @DU_Pioneers and @DU_Gymnastics on Twitter.
Follow @DenverPioneers and @Denver_Gymnastics on Instagram.