DENVER – The No. 6-ranked University of Denver women's gymnastics team scored a 196.900-196.375 win over Arizona State in its home opener in Magness Arena on Sunday afternoon.
 
DU improved on its overall score in the season opener (196.850) while also making gains on beam and floor by at least one tenth each.
 
COACH'S NOTES:
From Joy S. Burns Head Women's Gymnastics Coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart: "It wasn't a perfect meet, but this was the meet we needed to have right now. They were able to compete with freedom and knew they didn't need to be perfect. There were some uncharacteristic mistakes and not as many stuck dismounts as in training, but they showed grit from start to finish. We have a ton of potential, and today was a great opportunity to chase that potential.
 
"It was a high-energy crowd, and I'm grateful for everyone who was able to make it out today, considering the weather. It was a great way to build into our meet next Sunday, and we're excited to get back out there and show everyone what we are capable of."
 
SIGNIFICANT STATS

• Denver improved on its season-opening scores by nearly two tenths on beam and by a tenth on floor while also equaling its bars mark from the Super 16 meet.
• DU shuffled its lineups slightly from its season opener, shifting the competition order on vault while swapping out one competitor each on beam and floor.
  • Senior Rylie Mundell made her first appearance of the season on beam as a last-minute substitution, and junior Momoko Iwai made her season debut on floor.
  • Denver also again competed with an exhibition routine on all four events.
• Both of DU's all-around competitors were at or above the 39.400 mark in senior Jessica Hutchinson and freshman Madison Ulrich, who went 1-2 in the final standings for the second week in a row.

VAULT RECAP
DU began the meet with a 49.025 on vault, starting with hit Yurchenko fulls from sophomore Mila Brusch and senior Bella Mabanta. Denver competed with its same four 10.0s start values as from the Super 16 but shifted the order, moving Ulrich into the No. 3 spot. Senior Rosie Casali followed with the team's top score of the day with a 9.850 on her Y1.5. Mundell and Hutchinson, too, competed their Y1.5s to close the lineup with Hutchinson moving to the anchor spot after competing in the No. 4 slot in the season opener.
 
BARS RECAP
Denver faced a test in its bars lineup after a fall in the second routine, but the final four competitors hit their sets to keep DU from counting the fall. Casali led off with a 9.850, a score that Hutchinson would equal later in the lineup. Junior Mia Hebinck and Ulrich added a 9.825 and a 9.875, respectively, and Mundell sealed the deal with a big 9.950 in the anchor slot – missing her career best by just .025.
 
BEAM RECAP
The team responded with a strong beam rotation, again counting five scores above the 9.800 mark to earn a 49.375 – the top event score for either team in the meet. Iwai led off with a 9.850, which senior Abbie Thompson would match in the No. 5 spot. Ulrich improved by a full tenth off her collegiate debut, posting a 9.875 in her first meet in Magness Arena. For the second time in as many weeks, Mabanta delivered a beautiful routine in the second spot to score a 9.900 this time. Hutchinson, too, scored a 9.900 in the anchor position.
 
FLOOR RECAP
DU finished the meet with a 49.150 on floor including a meet-best 9.925 from Hutchinson and a 9.900 from Ulrich – another improvement of a full tenth for the freshman over her first collegiate meet. Casali also saw a notable improvement over the season opener, controlling her final pass to stay in bounds and scoring a 9.875. Sophomore Kiley Rorich led off the lineup in just her second time competing on floor in her career while Iwai made her season debut on the event in the No. 2 slot.
 
EXHIBITION NOTES
Denver competed with an exhibition on all four events for the second meet in a row with only one repeat performer (Iwai on bars with a 9.775). Freshmen made up the other three exhibition routines for DU, starting with Amanda Hargraves scoring a 9.700 for her Yurchenko full. Ashley Gallen made her first appearance in a DU leotard, competing on beam but falling late in her routine. Maddison Reidenbach took the spot on floor with a 9.650.
 
PODIUM FINISHES
Vault
Casali: Second Place – 9.850
Mabanta: Third Place (tie) – 9.825
 
Bars
Mundell: First Place – 9.950
Ulrich: Third Place – 9.875
 
Beam
Hutchinson: Second Place (tie) – 9.900
Mabanta: Second Place (tie) – 9.900
 
Floor
Hutchinson: First Place – 9.925
Ulrich: Second Place (tie) – 9.900
 
All-Around
Hutchinson: First Place – 39.475
Ulrich: Second Place – 39.400
 
NEXT UP:
Denver welcomes some of the biggest names in collegiate women's gymnastics to Magness Arena when Oklahoma, UCLA and Stanford visit on Sunday, January 21, at 1:45 p.m. MT.
 
TICKETS:
Tickets for the 2024 University of Denver gymnastics season are now on sale and can be purchased online, by calling 303-871-4625 or by visiting the Ritchie Center Box Office. Season ticket renewals can be purchased by calling 303-871-4625.

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