DENVER – Three University of Denver gymnasts combined to sweep the Big 12 Conference weekly awards for Week 9, the Conference announced on Tuesday.
 
Graduate student Lynnzee Brown was named the Big 12 Gymnast of the Week; fellow graduate student Alexandria Ruiz earned Big 12 Event Specialist of the Week honors; and freshman Mila Brusch collected the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week award.
 
Brown posted a perfect 10.0 on floor to help cap off a record-setting performance for Denver on March 5. It marked the first perfect score for the 2019 NCAA floor co-champion since the second Achilles injury of her career in January 2022 and was achieved in just her fourth floor routine since the injury. Additionally, she matched a career high of 9.950 in the leadoff position on beam and set a new season high in the all-around (39.725), which tied for the eighth-highest score in DU history.
 
Ruiz scored at least a 9.900 in both of her events against Towson, starting with a personal-best 9.950 in the leadoff spot on bars – the first time the fifth-year student-athlete achieved such a score on any event in her career. She backed it up with a 9.900 on floor, also in the leadoff position, that was a new season's best and just a quarter tenth from her career high.
 
Brusch led off the meet for Denver, competing in the first spot in the vault lineup and scoring a 9.850 that was just .025 from her personal best and finished tied for the second-highest score of the meet on the event.
 
All of the Denver trio's scores were part of the team's historic competition on March 5 in which numerous program records fell – including the overall team scoring record that had stood for 19 years. Denver posted a 198.150, the first 198+ score in program history, toppling the previous record of 197.875 that had remained atop the record books since February 14, 2004.
 
With help from Brown and Ruiz, Denver shattered its floor record with a 49.825 – the highest score in the country this year by a full tenth and an improvement of four tenths over DU's best mark of the season prior to Sunday. DU's previous team floor record had stood for more than 20 years (49.650 on February 22, 2003).
 
Brown's 9.950 set the tone for DU's beam squad in matching the school record with a 49.650 while Ruiz's 9.950 and Brown's 9.900 on bars helped Denver tally the second-highest score in program history (49.600).
 
Brown has now captured 12 weekly honors from the Big 12 Conference including 10 Gymnast of the Week nods. This is Ruiz's second Big 12 weekly award of her career, joining her Newcomer of the Week win for Week 5 of the 2019 season. Brusch is now a two-time Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honoree following her win in Week 2 this season. In total, seven Denver gymnasts have now combined for eight Big 12 awards in 2023.
 
This is the second time DU Gymnastics has swept the weekly conference awards since Denver joined the Big 12 Conference as an affiliate member beginning with the 2016 season. DU also earned the sweep for Week 8 of the 2019 season.
 
No. 11 Denver finishes the regular season with a trip to Nebraska with Air Force on Saturday, March 11, at 6 p.m. CT/5 p.m. MT.
 
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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