LINCOLN, Nebraska – The No. 11-ranked University of Denver women's gymnastics team claimed its second-highest away score of the year to finish its regular season at a Nebraska tri meet on Saturday.
 
DU closed the meet with a 49.550 on bars, matching the program record at an away meet and sealing the team's 197.375 win over host Nebraska (197.275) and Air Force (193.975).

COACH'S NOTES:
From Joy S. Burns Head Women's Gymnastics Coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart: "They were able to block out distracting factors and just focus on one person and one event at a time. We're a confident, prepared team; and we finished strong tonight. We're looking forward to the start of the postseason."
 
SIGNIFICANT STATS

• The team's final score of 197.375 is now tied for the fifth-highest road score in Denver history.
• Denver's 49.550 on bars tied the team's second-highest score of the season and the fourth-highest score in program history.
• DU scored a 49.400 on vault that tied the ninth-highest score in school history – the third top-10 all-time score to be earned this year on vault.
• Three Denver gymnasts set or tied at least one season high including career-bests from juniors Jessica Hutchinson on bars (9.950) and Bella Mabanta on vault (9.900).
• Denver finishes the regular season with a program-record 197.335 season average score – an improvement more than a tenth and a half over the previous record (197.168 in 2019). It is only the second time DU has finished with a season average in the 197+ range.

BEAM RECAP
Denver used four scores at or above 9.850 to begin the night with a 49.225, which would be the strongest beam rotation of the meet. Graduate student Lynnzee Brown led off with a 9.850, and Mabanta added a season high-tying 9.875 in the No. 2 spot. Two routines later, junior Abbie Thompson scored a 9.900, just .025 from her season high. Hutchinson, too, would score a 9.900, doing so in the anchor slot immediately following a fall. Sophomore Momoko Iwai rounded out the counted scores for DU with a 9.700.
 
FLOOR RECAP
All six of DU's floor workers posted 9.800s or higher, starting with a 9.800 from each Iwai and junior Rylie Mundell. Fellow junior Rosie Casali added a 9.825. Graduate student Alexandria Ruiz led off with a 9.850 – earning a 9.900 from the head judge – and Hutchinson matched her score in the No. 5 slot. Brown anchored the lineup with a 9.875.
 
VAULT RECAP
Denver counted five scores at or above 9.850 on its way to a meet-best 49.400 on vault. Freshman Mila Brusch began the rotation with a 9.850 that was only a quarter tenth from her career high. Mabanta followed with a stuck Yurchenko full and a tied personal best of 9.900. Denver's first two Yurchenko 1.5s from Hutchinson and Mundell each earned a 9.850, and Casali finished the lineup with a stick on her 1.5 for a 9.950.
 
BARS RECAP
After carrying momentum from vault, DU finished the evening with the best rotation of the meet from any team, scoring a 49.550 on bars. Ruiz and Casali opened the lineup with matching 9.875s, and Brown posted a 9.900 after claiming a 9.950 from the head judge. Denver ended the night with two 9.950s, one each from Hutchinson and Mundell.
 
EXHIBITION NOTES
Denver welcomed freshman Cecilia Cooley back to the exhibition slots on bars (9.800) and beam (9.725) while fellow freshman Brusch went on floor (9.775).
 
PODIUM FINISHES
Vault
Casali: First Place – 9.950
Mabanta: Third Place (tie) – 9.900
 
Bars
Hutchinson: Second Place (tie) – 9.950
Mundell: Second Place (tie) – 9.950
 
Beam
Hutchinson: First Place (tie) – 9.900
Thompson: First Place (tie) – 9.900
Mabanta: Third Place – 9.875
 
All-Around
Hutchinson: Second Place – 39.550
Brown: Third Place – 38.925
 
NEXT UP:
DU begins its postseason with the 2023 Big 12 Gymnastics Championship, hosted by West Virginia, on Saturday, March 18, at 7 p.m. ET/5 p.m. MT. The meet will be televised live on ESPNU.
 
NCAA REGIONALS ARE COMING TO DENVER:
The University of Denver will host the 2023 NCAA Regional Gymnastics Championships on March 30 – April 2, 2023, in Magness Arena. All-session tickets are now on sale and can be purchased online or by calling 303-871-4625.

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