DENVER – The No. 8-ranked University of Denver women's gymnastics team earned the ninth-highest score in program history (197.500) on Sunday, buoyed by junior Jessica Hutchinson's perfect 10.0 on floor.
 
Denver defeated visiting Pittsburgh (195.775), George Washington (195.175) and Air Force (192.475).
 
COACH'S NOTES:
From Joy S. Burns Head Women's Gymnastics Coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart: "I'm really impressed with the overall team performance today. We made some substitutions, and the people we moved into lineups or into exhibitions stepped up. They took advantage of their opportunities and offered depth in conjunction with high scoring potential.
 
"This team is growing in confidence and consistency, but we still have room to improve and strive for an even higher level of excellence, which is what makes it so exciting."
 
SIGNIFICANT STATS

• Hutchinson's perfect 10.0 is the first of her career on any event and Denver's first since graduate student Lynnzee Brown scored perfect 10.0s on both bars and floor at the 2021 NCAA Regional Final in Athens, Georgia.
  • Hutchinson is the 13^th DU gymnast to score a perfect 10.0 in program history.
  • It is the 26^th perfect 10.0 in DU history and the 11^th on floor.
  • It is Denver's first perfect 10.0 at home since Alexis Vasquez (beam) on February 16, 2020, and the first perfect 10.0 on floor at home since Brown's on February 10, 2019.
• In addition to its overall team score of 197.500, Denver set or tied season highs on bars (49.450) and floor (49.400).
• Freshman Ava Mabanta made her collegiate debut on beam after she was substituted into the lineup at the last minute. She scored a 9.850 that ties for the fourth-highest beam score by a DU freshman in her collegiate debut.
• Junior Rylie Mundell won her first career all-around title, doing so with a personal-best 39.625.
  • She joined three of her teammates in setting or tying a career high on floor (9.900).

VAULT RECAP
Denver opened the day on vault, again competing with four 10.0 start values and tallying match meet-best 9.900s from juniors Mundell and Rosie Casali. Hutchinson was just off their pace with a 9.875, and Brown added a fourth Yurchenko 1.5 for DU. Junior Bella Mabanta added a 9.850 from her Yurchenko full, and graduate student Alexandria Ruiz rounded out the lineup.
 
BARS RECAP
Mundell captured her first title of the day with a season high-tying 9.925, sharing the win with teammate Brown, who also set a season best. The rotation started with two 9.875s from Ruiz and Casali – both season highs as well – while Hutchinson had the team's final counted score with a 9.850.
 
BEAM RECAP
Denver shuffled its beam lineup at the last minute – both in the student-athletes competing and their competition order – and saw all six scores above the 9.800 mark. Brown had the highest score of the meet with her leadoff 9.925 – just a quarter tenth from her career high. Mundell and Bella Mabanta set new season highs with their 9.900 and 9.875, respectively. Ava Mabanta, who was originally slated to compete in exhibition for the first time, was instead moved into the full lineup and delivered a 9.850. Hutchinson and fellow junior Abbie Thompson both scored 9.825s as well.
 
FLOOR RECAP
Hutchinson's perfect 10.0 highlighted DU's floor lineup, building a personal best-tying 9.900 from Mundell in the No. 5 spot. Casali, too, tied her career high with a 9.875. Freshman Mila Brusch was substituted into the lineup midway through the rotation and improved on her previous career high by more than a tenth with her 9.850 performance. Bella Mabanta and Ruiz completed the lineup.

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EXHIBITION NOTES
For the second time this season, Denver competed with an exhibition routine on all four events. Brusch posted a big 9.900 on vault. Fellow freshman Cecilia Cooley competed on the other three events, scoring a 9.800 on bars, a 9.700 on beam and a 9.625 on floor with an out-of-bounds deduction.
 
MORE FROM COACH:
Kutcher-Rinehart about Hutchinson's floor routine: "Jessica's perfect 10 is so well deserved. She's elegant and effortless in her tumbling. Her routine is a tribute to her mom, but it fits her movement and style. She's been worthy of big scores, and it's nice to see her rewarded for this routine."
 
PODIUM FINISHES
Vault
Casali: First Place (tie) – 9.900
Mundell: First Place (tie) – 9.900
 
Bars
Brown: First Place (tie) – 9.925
Mundell: First Place (tie) – 9.925
Casali: Third Place (tie) – 9.875
Ruiz: Third Place (tie) – 9.875
 
Beam
Brown: First Place – 9.925
Mundell: Second Place – 9.900
Bella Mabanta: Third Place – 9.875
 
Floor
Hutchinson: First Place – 10.000
Mundell: Second Place – 9.900
Casali: Third Place (tie) – 9.875
 
All-Around
Mundell: First Place – 39.625
Hutchinson: Second Place – 39.550
 
NEXT UP:
Denver hosts its final competition of a three-meet homestretch when it welcomes Big 12 Conference opponent West Virginia on Sunday, February 12, at 1:45 p.m. MT.
 
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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