WHO: No. 13 Denver at 2023 NCAA National Semifinal I
WHAT: DU seeks one of two NCAA Championship Final berths against No. 2 Florida, No. 6 LSU and No. 7 California
WHERE: Dickies Arena (Fort Worth, Texas)
WHEN: Thursday, April 13, at 2 p.m. CT/1 p.m. MT
WATCH: ESPN2 / ESPN+ / Spanish | Quad Box | Vault | Bars | Beam | Floor
 
LAST TIME OUT:
DU won the NCAA Denver Regional, upsetting No. 3 Michigan, No. 6 LSU and No. 11 Oregon State with a 197.875. Denver's beam squad clinched the victory and the team's spot at NCAA Nationals with a 49.625 in the final rotation. DU, too, finished on beam in the final rotation of the NCAA Regional Second Round, scoring a 49.500. Both beam rotations now rank in DU's top five all-time in NCAA Regional competition.
 
EYE ON THE RANKINGS:
Denver entered NCAA competition ranked No. 13 in the country with a final NQS of 197.445, which is the second-highest in program history. DU finished with top-10 rankings on vault, bars and beam, marking the fourth time in the last five years that Denver has been ranked in the top 10 on at least three events at the end of the season.
 
The back-to-back Big 12 Gymnast of the Year, junior Jessica Hutchinson garnered regular-season All-America honors by way of her No. 16 final ranking in the all-around. She also finished in the top 25 on beam and floor while fellow junior Rylie Mundell finished ranked in the top 25 on vault and bars.
 
QUICK HITS:

• Denver has now advanced to the NCAA National Championships as a team six times, most recently in 2019 when DU also won the NCAA Regional title.
  • In 2019, Denver competed in the first-ever four-team NCAA Championship Final and placed a DU record-shattering fourth overall. It was Denver's first-ever appearance in the championship meet.
• At least one DU gymnast has now qualified for NCAA Nationals in 23 straight seasons (excluding 2020 when the championships were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
  • In 2022, junior Abbie Thompson qualified on beam but was unable to compete.
• Two Denver gymnasts have won individual NCAA National titles: graduate student Lynnzee Brown (2019, floor) and Nina McGee (2016, floor).
• Denver enters NCAA Nationals after setting numerous program records during the regular season including the all-time team record score (198.150) and event records on vault (49.600), beam (49.650) and floor (49.825).
• Hutchinson and Brown combined for three perfect 10.0s this season, each once on floor and Hutchinson on beam as well.

 
NCAA NATIONALS FORMAT:
The NCAA National Championships consists of three meets over the course of three days with eight teams and multiple individual qualifiers seeking national titles.
 
Competition begins with the national semifinal rounds on Thursday, April 13. No. 13 Denver will compete in the first semifinal with No. 2 Florida, No. 6 LSU and No. 7 California. The second semifinal will feature No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 4 UCLA, No. 5 Utah and No. 9 Kentucky.
 
The top two finishers at each of the two NCAA National Semifinals on Thursday will advance to Saturday's NCAA Championship Final where the national team title will be awarded.
 
Individual national titles and postseason All-American awards are based on Thursday's semifinals.
 
SCOUTING THE GATORS:
Florida enters NCAA Nationals with a final regular season ranking of No. 2 after winning the SEC Championship. Three UF gymnasts earned WCGA Regular-Season All-American honors: Trinity Thomas, Leanne Wong and Kayla DiCello.
 
The Gators finished second at the Pittsburgh Regional with a 197.800 in the NCAA Regional Final to advance to the NCAA National Championships. DiCello won NCAA Regional titles in the all-around and on three events while Wong won the NCAA Regional floor title. Riley McCusker tied atop the beam podium as well.
 
SCOUTING THE TIGERS:
LSU held the No. 6 spot in the Road to Nationals rankings before the start of NCAA Regionals, placing third at the SEC Championship with a 197.800. Haleigh Bryant finished the regular season ranked No. 4 in the all-around to earn WCGA Regular-Season All-American status alongside teammate Aleah Finnegan. Together, they combined for six All-American nods.
 
The Tigers advanced to the NCAA National Championships out of the Denver Regional, tying for second with Michigan after scoring matching 197.750s but winning the tiebreak procedure. Bryant won the NCAA Regional all-around title with a 39.700.
 
SCOUTING THE BEARS:
California was ranked No. 7 to start NCAA Regional competition and placed third at the Pac-12 Championship. Four Cal gymnasts were named WCGA Regular-Season All-Americans: eMjae Frazier, Mya Lauzon, Andi Li and Maddie Williams.
 
The Golden Bears won the Pittsburgh Regional, upsetting No. 2 Florida with a 198.075 to advance to NCAA Nationals. It was the first NCAA Regional title in Cal program history.

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