DENVER – The University of Denver gymnastics team continued its preparation for the 2023 season with its annual Crimson & Gold Intrasquad on Sunday, welcoming fans to Magness Arena for the event.
Denver scored a 196.950 overall with all four events sitting above a 49.025 – including a 49.400 on beam. DU completed its six-athlete lineup on all four events while adding at least one exhibition on each.
"I'm really pleased with how today went," Joy S. Burns Head Women's Gymnastics Coach
Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart said. "I felt like today was a reflection of the hard work we've done in the preseason. These will be super competitive lineups, and positive competition in the gym is what us going to make us better. It's an ideal place to be.
"One thing I'm the most pleased about is that we still have routines that we didn't go with today. We have more routines, and it'll be exciting when they're ready to go in January."
VAULT RECAP
Denver began the event with seven competitors on vault, beginning with Yurchenko fulls from graduate student
Alexandria Ruiz, freshman
Mila Brusch and junior
Bella Mabanta. Juniors
Jessica Hutchinson and
Rosie Casali debuted their upgraded Yurchenko 1.5s with Hutchinson sticking hers. Fellow junior
Rylie Mundell also competed her Yurchenko 1.5, and
senior Victoria Fitts went in exhibition with a powerful Yurchenko full.
BARS RECAP
DU also competed with seven in the bars lineup, beginning with Ruiz in her usual spot as the leadoff. Junior
Abbie Thompson returned the lineup for the first time in Magness Arena with Casali following with a big 9.900. Graduate student
Lynnzee Brown added a 9.875 in her first lineup appearance since a season-ending injury in January 2022. Hutchinson posted another 9.900 for Denver, and Mundell anchored the lineup. Freshman
Cecilia Cooley competed in exhibition.
BEAM RECAP
A total of 11 Denver beam workers competed a routine on Sunday: six in the full lineup with five more performing an exhibition. Sophomore
Momoko Iwai led off the full rotation with a 9.875, which Ruiz followed with a 9.850 and Thompson with a 9.875 of her own.
Bella Mabanta scored a 9.900 with a beautiful routine finished with a stick, a score that Hutchinson would later match in the anchor spot. Mundell completed the six-person lineup. In exhibition, DU saw routines from Brown, Casali, freshmen Cooley and
Ava Mabanta, and senior
Callie Schlottman.
FLOOR RECAP
Once again, DU competed with seven student-athletes on floor, beginning with Ruiz in the leadoff.
Ava Mabanta made her first full lineup appearance of the day, scoring a 9.875, which her sister
Bella Mabanta would score in the fifth spot. Mundell went in the third spot, and Casali made her first appearance in the floor lineup since February 2022. Hutchinson anchored with yet another 9.900. Cooley performed in exhibition for Denver.
ALL-AROUND RECAP
Three DU gymnasts appeared in the all-around by way of full lineup appearances on all four events, led by a 39.575 performance from Hutchinson. Ruiz added a 39.125, and Mundell scored 39.025. Casali also competed all four events, though her beam routine was in exhibition.
MORE COACH'S NOTES
From Kutcher-Rinehart: "This was amazing preparation, especially for our newcomers. I thought there was an energy in the arena, and they competed with a calm, confident aggressiveness."
Denver will resume training after the holiday break in anticipation of the 2023 season opener on Sunday, January 8, at 1:45 p.m. against Penn State and Texas Woman's.
Season tickets, single-meet tickets and group tickets for the 2023 season are all on sale and can be
purchased online or by calling 303-871-4625.
TICKETS:
Tickets for the 2023 University of Denver gymnastics season are now on sale and can be
purchased online, by calling 303-871-4625 or by visiting the Ritchie Center Box Office. Season ticket renewals can be purchased by calling 303-871-4625.
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