DENVER – Nine University of Denver gymnasts earned a place on the 2023 Academic All-Big 12 Conference Team, the conference announced on Wednesday.
 
This is the second-consecutive year that a program-record nine DU gymnasts earned Academic All-Big 12 Team honors – eight of whom earned first-team nods, also for the second-straight year.
 
2023 ACADEMIC ALL-BIG 12 TEAM
First Team
Graduate student Lynnzee Brown – Communication management graduate program
Senior Victoria Fitts – Biochemistry major
Junior Jessica Hutchinson – Physiology in health & disease major
Sophomore Momoko Iwai – International business major
Junior Rylie Mundell – Physics major
Graduate student Alexandria Ruiz – Healthcare management graduate program
Senior Callie Schlottman – Biological sciences major
Junior Abbie Thompson – Business analytics major
 
Second Team
Junior Bella Mabanta – Finance major
 
Graduate students Ruiz and Brown lead Denver with their fourth and fifth career Academic All-Big 12 honors, respectively. Schlottman has now collected three Academic All-Big 12 awards while Hutchinson, Mabanta, Mundell and Thompson have all landed on the team in each of the last two seasons. These are the first Academic All-Big 12 selections for Fitts and Iwai.
 
The Academic All-Big 12 Team recognizes student-athletes who have maintained a GPA of at least 3.00, either cumulative or over the previous two semesters, while participating in at least 20 percent of the team's competitions. First-team honors consist of student-athletes with GPAs of at least 3.20 while second-team members hold GPAs between 3.00-3.19.
 
Seniors who have participated for at least two years and meet all criteria except the participation rate are also eligible. Freshmen and transfer students are not eligible.
 
In total, 60 percent of DU's roster was named to the Academic All-Big 12 Team, just one percentage point from being tied with Oklahoma for the conference lead. Four of DU's 15 student-athletes are freshmen and therefore not eligible. Overall, nine of DU's 11 eligible student-athletes earned recognition.
 
Denver finished its record-setting 2023 campaign with its sixth team appearance at the NCAA National Championships, finishing eighth overall, the second-highest NCAA Nationals placement in program history.

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