AUBURN, Ala. – University of Denver gymnast and sophomore Abbie Thompson has qualified for the 2022 NCAA National Championships as an individual event qualifier on balance beam.
 
Thompson secured her spot on the national stage with her team-leading 9.900 on beam in Thursday's NCAA Regional Second Round.
 
"Congratulations to Abbie for representing DU on balance beam," Joy S. Burns Head Women's Gymnastics Coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart said. "She is a solid, consistent beam worker, but she missed some time with a foot injury this year. For her to come back from that and perform at the level that she did on Thursday shows her incredible ability on that event."
 
The top individuals on each event and the all-around from non-advancing teams qualify for NCAA Nationals, as determined by their scores in the NCAA Regional Second Round. Thompson was tied for seventh overall on beam on Thursday. Following a tiebreaker of averaging all four judges' scores, Thompson remained as the highest scoring gymnast on beam not from Florida or Auburn, which advanced as teams from Saturday's NCAA Regional Final.
 
The DU sophomore returned to the beam lineup for Denver at the Big 12 Championship and helped lead the team to a 49.300 on the event in the NCAA Regional Second Round. Denver advanced out of the second round and into the NCAA Regional Final where DU posted its third highest score of the season (197.225) and the third highest NCAA Regionals score in program history.
 
Denver has now had at least one student-athletes qualify for NCAA Nationals in 22 straight seasons in which the competition has been held. The NCAA postseason was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
Thompson is the 17^th DU gymnast to qualify as an individual for the NCAA National Championships and only the second to do so on beam, joining Jorie Hall (2011).
 
The NCAA National Championships will be held in Fort Worth, Texas, on April 14-16 with Thompson competing in the semifinals on Thursday, April 14. Individual national championships are determined by the results from the semifinals.
 
More information about the NCAA National Championships will be announced in the coming days.
 
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