MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – The No. 6-ranked University of Denver women's gymnastics team opened Big 12 Conference competition with the second highest away score in program history, posting a 197.600 to top host West Virginia (195.725).
COACH'S NOTES:
From head coach
Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart: "It was a complete team performance, and I can't be any more proud of how they performed. We had a quick turnaround from last week and even after a long travel day yesterday, they rallied.
"We're still working back to full strength and made lineup adjustments, and many individuals stepped up on different events. When there was a check or a little mistake, it was aggressive, and there is still room to improve."
SIGNIFICANT STATS
- Two DU gymnasts tallied near-perfect 9.975, starting with sophomore Rylie Mundell on beam, which tied her personal best.
- Graduate student Lynnzee Brown notched another 9.975 on floor, her second through the first three meets of the year.
- Freshman Mia Hebinck made her collegiate debut after being substituted into the bars lineup after the four-minute touch and scored a 9.825 for her routine.
- After making her collegiate debut on vault on January 15, freshman Momoko Iwai competed in the beam and floor lineups on Saturday, scoring a 9.875 for both routines.
- Denver's 49.550 on beam was the third highest road score in program history and ties the fourth highest score overall. The team's 49.400 on floor also tied the program's 10th highest away score on the event.
BARS RECAP
Denver opened the competition on bars with six scores above the 9.800 mark to add up to a 49.400 team score. Graduate student
Emily Glynn and Mundell had the meet's top scores with matching 9.925s, and senior
Alexandria Ruiz completed the podium sweep for DU with a 9.875 – just .025 off her personal best. Brown had a 9.850 while fellow graduate student
Mia Sundstrom added a 9.825. After a last-minute lineup adjustment, Hebinck scored another 9.825 in her first collegiate routine.
VAULT RECAP
Denver added a 49.250 on vault in the second rotation off five scores of 9.800 or higher, led by Brown's meet-high 9.925. Sundstrom and Mundell both tallied a 9.850 while sophomore
Jessica Hutchinson added a 9.825 in her return to competition after missing one meet. Ruiz led off the lineup with a 9.800.
FLOOR RECAP
The team continued to build momentum during its floor rotation, highlighted by Brown's near-perfect 9.975. For the second time this year, sophomore
Bella Mabanta matched her personal best with a 9.875, which fellow sophomore
Abbie Thompson also earned. Iwai competed on floor for the first time in her career, also scoring a 9.875. Glynn had a 9.800 to once again give Denver five counted scores at or above 9.800.
BEAM RECAP
DU closed out its evening with its strongest rotation of the evening, finishing with a 49.550 on beam. Mundell tied her career high with a near-perfect 9.975 in the anchor position while Brown also mated her personal best with a 9.950 in the leadoff. Thompson added a 9.900 while Iwai again made her first collegiate lineup appearance with a 9.875. Ruiz and Mabanta went 9.850 and 9.825, respectively.
MORE COACH'S NOTES
Kutcher-Rinehart added after the meet: "They are competing how they train. The consistency and focus on detail, and the quality and deliberateness of training, it translates into competition."
"Certainly, this is a special group and as long as we stay focused on one meet at a time, I believe the rest will continue to fall into place."
PODIUM FINISHES
All-Around
Brown: First Place – 39.700
Ruiz: Second Place – 39.300
Vault
Brown: First Place – 9.925
Mundell: Second Place (tie) – 9.850
Sundstrom: Second Place (tie) – 9.850
Bars
Glynn: First Place (tie) – 9.925
Mundell: First Place (tie) – 9.925
Ruiz: Third Place – 9.875
Beam
Mundell: First Place – 9.975
Brown: Second Place – 9.950
Thompson: Third Place – 9.900
Floor
Brown: First Place – 9.975
Iwai: Third Place (tie) – 9.875
Mabanta: Third Place (tie) – 9.875
Thompson: Third Place (tie) – 9.875
NEXT UP:
Denver concludes its three-meet road trip with another Big 12 Conference showdown, traveling to No. 4 Oklahoma on Sunday, January 30. The meet will be televised live on ESPN.
DU will return home on Sunday, February 6, against New Hampshire. Season tickets, single meet tickets and group tickets are all on sale and can be
purchased online or by calling 303-871-4625.
CORONAVIRUS UPDATES
Masks are required at all indoor athletic events. For the latest University of Denver updates on the coronavirus, click here.
TICKETS
Tickets for the 2022 DU Gymnastics season are now on sale. Season tickets are available starting at $40, and single meet tickets begin at $12. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling 303-871-4625.
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Get dressed for game day! Get your Pioneers gear at ShopPioneers.com, the official online store of University of Denver Athletics.
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