FORT WORTH, Texas – The No. 12-ranked University of Denver women's gymnastics team stood tall in the face of adversity during Saturday's Metroplex Challenge, adjusting throughout the meet and never giving up despite multiple challenges.
DU finished the competition with a 195.050. No. 3 Oklahoma won the meet with a 198.175. Washington was second with a 196.825, and No. 18 Stanford was third with a 195.450.
SIGNIFICANT STATS
- Sophomore Jessica Hutchinson won her third all-around title in a row – doing so in each meet that she has competed in all four events this year.
- Hutchinson also tied her personal best on floor with a 9.950.
- DU scored a 49.375 on bars, matching last week's score and tying the team's second highest score of the season.
- Sophomore Rosie Casali was unexpectedly added to the vault lineup, marking her season debut on the event.
- Freshman Mia Hebinck and graduate student Mia Sundstrom returned to the bars and beam lineups, respectively. Sundstrom also made her first appearance on floor since the 2019 NCAA Championship Final.
BARS RECAP
Denver began the meet with one of its strongest bars performances of the season with all six scores at or above 9.800. Senior
Alexandria Ruiz overcame a hiccup in the warmup to hit her routine in the leadoff position, scoring a 9.825. Senior
Emily Glynn and Hebinck each added 9.875s, which DU followed with matching 9.900s from Hutchinson and sophomore
Rylie Mundell to close the rotation and give Denver a 49.375 overall.
BEAM RECAP
DU's beam team stood up under pressure, overcoming a fall in the first routine and hitting the five remaining routines. Junior
Callie Schlottman got the rotation back on track with a 9.750, and Sundstrom followed with a 9.725 in just her second lineup appearance since February 2020. Ruiz added a 9.825, Hutchinson a 9.900 and Mundell a 9.875 to keep DU from counting the fall.
FLOOR RECAP
Hutchinson's career high-tying 9.950 and Glynn's season-high tying 9.875 capped off Denver's floor lineup in the third rotation. Freshman
Momoko Iwai returned to the lineup, scoring a 9.850 for DU's first routine. Mundell, too, made it back to the floor rotation after becoming a last-minute substitution for Denver. Sophomore
Bella Mabanta and Sundstrom rounded out the lineup, though Sundstrom was unable to complete her routine due to injury.
VAULT RECAP
DU finished the meet with a five-up, five-count vault rotation. Iwai led off the lineup with a 9.775 that matched her personal best. Casali was added into the lineup just before the start of the rotation, making her season debut with a 9.700. Glynn added a 9.725 while Hutchinson and Mundell closed the high-pressure rotation with a 9.850 and a 9.825, respectively.
PODIUM FINISHES
All-Around
Hutchinson: First Place – 39.600
Floor
Hutchinson: Second Place (tie) – 9.950
NEXT UP:
Denver returns home to close out the month by hosting Air Force on Sunday, February 27, at 2 p.m. in Magness Arena.
Tickets are 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 regular season and the 2022 Big 12 Gymnastics Championship are now on sale. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling 303-871-4625.
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