MORGANTOWN, West Virginia – The No. 13-ranked University of Denver women's gymnastics team finished second at the 2023 Big 12 Gymnastics Championship on Saturday.
 
DU's final team score of 197.175 is its fourth-highest at a Big 12 Championship and its seventh-highest all-time postseason score.
 
No. 1 Oklahoma took the title with a 198.400 while host West Virginia (196.225) and Iowa State (193.750) placed third and fourth, respectively.
 
COACH'S NOTES:
From Joy S. Burns Head Women's Gymnastics Coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart: "I think they did a great job, and I'm proud of how they performed all the way to the end. I thought it was a really gritty performance that will prepare us well heading into Regionals. We went above 197.1 even with opportunities to improve. We're ready to capitalize on our strengths.
 
"I'm especially proud of the resiliency coming off of finals week. I feel good going to into Regionals and with the rest and recovery that our student-athletes will get.".
 
SIGNIFICANT STATS

• Denver's top event score of the night came on beam with a 49.525 that is the program's second-highest postseason score on the event, behind only 2022's 49.550 at the Big 12 Championship.
  • DU also hit its second-highest Big 12 score on vault and tied its fourth-highest postseason score (49.275).
• For the second year in a row, juniors Rylie Mundell and Jessica Hutchinson captured a Big 12 individual title: Mundell on vault and Hutchinson on floor.
• Two DU gymnasts set or tied a career high on an event, both with scores of 9.950: Mundell on vault and senior Callie Schlottman on beam.
• Hutchinson matched her personal best in the all-around with a 39.625 – a score she also hit at the 2022 Big 12 Championship when she won the title.
• Following the end of the competition, Hutchinson was announced at the 2023 Big 12 Gymnast of the Year – her second win in as many years.

VAULT RECAP
Denver opened the night with a 49.275 on vault, highlighted by a personal best-tying 9.950 from Mundell that ties DU's highest individual mark in a postseason meet. All five of the team's counted scores were at or above the 9.800 mark including 9.850s from freshman Mila Brusch and graduate student Lynnzee Brown.
 
BARS RECAP
Hutchinson's 9.900 on bars led Denver's 49.300 bars rotation. Freshman Kiley Rorich nearly tied her career high, scoring a 9.875; and Brown and Mundell added 9.850s. Graduate student Alexandria Ruiz had DU's final counted score with a 9.825 in the leadoff spot.
 
BEAM RECAP
Denver tied its second-highest beam rotation of the season with a 49.525 that featured two 9.950s including Hutchinson in the anchor spot. Schlottman was substituted into the lineup at the last minute and came through with the best routine of her career, also scoring a 9.950 to break her personal best by .075. Brown led off the lineup with a third 9.900+ for Denver while juniors Abbie Thompson and Bella Mabanta added the team's final counted scores of 9.875 and 9.850, respectively.
 
FLOOR RECAP
For the second rotation in a row, Hutchinson scored a 9.950 to lead Denver's floor rotation and tie atop the podium. Ruiz again began the rotation with a 9.850, a score that Mabanta would match later in the lineup. Brown ended the rotation with a 9.800, and Thompson contributed a 9.625 following an out of bounds on her triple full.
 
PODIUM FINISHES
Vault
Mundell: First Place (tie) – 9.950
 
Beam
Hutchinson: Third Place (tie) – 9.950
Schlottman: Third Place (tie) – 9.950
 
Floor
Hutchinson: First Place (tie) – 9.950
 
All-Around
Hutchinson: Second Place – 39.625
 
NEXT UP:
The University of Denver will host the 2023 NCAA Regional Gymnastics Championships on March 30 – April 2, 2023, in Magness Arena. DU will learn which teams and individuals will join them in Denver during the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Selection Show on Monday, March 20, at 10 a.m. MT, which will be streamed on the NCAA website.
 
All-session tickets are now on sale and can be purchased online or by calling 303-871-4625.

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