DENVER – The No. 13-ranked University of Denver gymnastics team has advanced to the 2023 NCAA National Collegiate Gymnastics Championships after winning the regional team title on Sunday in Magness Arena.
 
Denver scored a 197.875 to finish atop the team standings, upsetting No. 3 Michigan (197.750), No. 6 LSU (197.750) and No. 11 Oregon State (197.650) to clinch a spot at NCAA Nationals in Fort Worth, Texas, on April 13-15.
 
Joining DU will be LSU, which won the tiebreak over Michigan by adding all six scores on all four events.
 
COACH'S NOTES:
From Joy S. Burns Head Women's Gymnastics Coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart: "I am so incredibly proud of this team. We were shorthanded this weekend, but their grit and resiliency were on full display. They responded after a mistake in the first routine and got stronger as the meet went on. Everyone gave everything they had. Handling the pressure of ending of beam for a second-straight meet shows the character of this team. Through shear determination, they willed their way to a regional championship.
 
"We knew the regular-season rankings didn't matter. We're a strong team, and we capitalized on this opportunity. The hard work, commitment and dedication they've shown since September paid off in a big way."
 
SIGNIFICANT STATS

• This is Denver's second team regional title and its first since 2019. DU advanced to the NCAA Championship Final that year, finishing a record-shattering fourth overall.
  • Denver has now advanced to the NCAA National Championships as a team six times and extended its streak with at least one gymnast at NCAA Nationals to 23.
• DU's 197.875 breaks the program's postseason record set on Friday during the NCAA Regional Second Round. The team also set new postseason-best marks on bars (49.550) and beam (49.625).
  • The overall team score is now tied for the second-highest in school history while the beam mark becomes the third-best score in DU history.
• Graduate student Lynnzee Brown used four scores of 9.950 to post the second-highest all-around score in program history (39.800) – only .025 from her own overall record of 39.825.
• Junior Bella Mabanta 's near-perfect 9.975 on beam was a new DU postseason record on the event and tied for the fifth-highest overall score in program history.

FLOOR RECAP
Denver overcame a fall in the first routine to post a 49.425 on floor with five counted scores of at least 9.850, starting with sophomore Momoko Iwai and Mabanta. Junior Abbie Thompson contributed a 9.875 in the No. 3 spot while fellow junior Jessica Hutchinson notched a 9.900. Brown anchored the lineup and scored a meet high-tying 9.950.
 
VAULT RECAP
DU improved on its vault rotation from Friday's NCAA Regional Second Round by nearly two tenths, highlighted by Brown's stuck Yurchenko 1.5 for a 9.950. Mabanta and Hutchins started the lineup with matching 9.800s, and graduate student Alexandria Ruiz nearly hit her career high with a 9.850. Junior Rosie Casali opted for a Yurchenko full instead of her normal 1.5 and posted DU's second-highest score, a 9.875.
 
BARS RECAP
With all five counted scores in the 9.900 range, DU's bars squad continued to build momentum in the third rotation. Ruiz and Casali got the lineup started with two 9.900s, a score that Hutchinson was equal later in the rotation. For the third time in as many routines, Brown scored a 9.950 to match her season high. After only competing in exhibition three times this season, freshman Cecilia Cooley made her collegiate debut in the anchor position and scored another 9.900 for DU.
 
BEAM RECAP
For the second meet in a row, Denver finished the competition on beam and delivered a stellar 49.625 with all six scores at or above 9.850. Senior Callie Schlottman and Thompson both tallied 9.850s, and Iwai added a 9.900 after being substituted into the lineup at the last minute. Brown and Hutchinson bookended the rotation with matching 9.950s, and Mabanta set a personal best with a near-perfect 9.975 in the No. 2 spot.
 
NEXT UP:
The University of Denver gymnastics team will compete at the 2023 NCAA National Championships, which will be held at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, on April 13-15. More details about the championships will be announced in the coming days.

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