WHO: No. 10 Denver vs. No. 21 Washington, Illinois, San Jose State
WHAT: Mean Girls Super 16 Gymnastics Championships
WHERE: Orleans Arena (Las Vegas)
WHEN: Friday, January 5, at 1 p.m. PT/2 p.m. MT
 
ABOUT MEAN GIRLS SUPER 16 GYMNASTICS CHAMPIONSHIPS:
The Mean Girls Super 16 Gymnastics Championships is set for its second season in Las Vegas and features 16 of the top women's collegiate gymnastics teams in the country to start the 2024 NCAA season.
 
Seven of the top 10 teams in the country – including Denver – highlight the field. In total, 13 of the 16 teams are ranked inside the top 25 in this year's WCGA Preseason Coaches' Poll. A slightly different set of 13 teams finished the 2023 season ranked inside the top 25.
 
The teams are split into four quad meets with two sessions scheduled for Friday and the final two sessions set for Saturday. Team and individual champions will be awarded at the end of each session.
 
LAST TIME OUT:
Denver is coming off a record-setting 2023 season that saw DU advance to the NCAA National Championships for the sixth time after winning the program's second NCAA Regional title. To secure its spot at NCAA Nationals, then-No. 13 Denver upset No. 3 Michigan, No. 6 LSU and No. 11 Oregon State to win the NCAA Regional Final to secure one of two team berths to Fort Worth.
 
In the NCAA National Semifinals, DU placed eighth overall – the second-highest finish in program history – and matched the Denver record for most WCGA All-Americans in a single season with four. Then-graduate student Lynnzee Brown and then-junior Jessica Hutchinson both made it onto the all-around and floor podiums while Brown tied for second overall on vault. Then-junior Rosie Casali and then-freshman Kiley Rorich joined them with All-America nods, both doing so on bars.
 
EYE ON THE RANKINGS:
DU begins the 2024 season ranked No. 10 in the WCGA Preseason Coaches' Poll, placing Denver inside the top 10 in four of the last five seasons and in five of the last seven. It equals DU's fourth-highest preseason ranking in program history.
 
In the final 2023 rankings, Denver was No. 8 in the nation – its second-highest final ranking for a completed season and its third-highest overall. DU also added top-10 rankings on vault, bars and beam, giving Denver top-10 final rankings on three events in four of the last five years.
 
QUICK HITS:

• Eleven DU gymnasts from the 2023 squad return to the roster in 2024 including two-time Big 12 Gymnast of the Year and WCGA All-American, Hutchinson; and her fellow All-Americans in Casali and Rorich.
• For the second year in a row, Denver welcomes a freshman class of four in Ashley Gallen, Amanda Hargraves, Maddison Reidenbach and Madison Ulrich.
• This is only the 14^th time that DU has competed during the opening week of a new year and the first since 2020 when Denver also began the season on podium at the Collegiate Challenge in Anaheim, Calif., on January 4.
• Friday's meet features two of Denver's 11 opponents in 2024 that are from Power-5 conferences in Washington and Illinois.
• Denver is celebrating its 50^th season of women's gymnastics in 2024 and is kicking off a year-long recognition of the milestone across the athletic department.

SCOUTING THE HUSKIES:
Washington holds the No. 21 spot in the WCGA preseason poll after finishing 2023 ranked No. 16 by advancing to the NCAA Regional Final for the first time under the current tournament format. The Huskies are led by Skylar Killough-Wilhelm, who owns career highs of at least 9.900 on all four events.
 
DU holds a 13-8 all-time record against Washington, though UW took the most recent meeting at the 2022 Metroplex Challenge (196.825-195.050). Denver's most recent win came in what was the final meet of the 2020 season on March 8 at home (196.925-196.125).
 
The teams have met three times in DU's season opener: 2001 at home; 1997 at UW; and 1980 at the California Invitational. View DU's complete history against Washington.
 
SCOUTING THE ILLINI:
Illinois came in at No. 26 in the preseason poll and was No. 29 in the final 2023 rankings, receiving a bye into the NCAA Regional Second Round where the team finished fourth. The Illini were picked fifth in the Big Ten preseason rankings with second-team All-American Mia Takekawa and three-event competitor Amelia Knight selected as Gymnasts to Watch.
 
This will be the 12^th meeting between Denver and Illinois with DU holding a 9-2 record. The teams last met on March 1, 2019, at Illinois in a 197.775-195.025 win for Denver. They last met at a neutral site on February 12, 2010, in the IGI Chicago Style Classic, also a DU win (195.250-164.225).
 
This will be the first time the teams have met in a season opener. View DU's complete history against Illinois.
 
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS:
San Jose State does not appear in the preseason poll but missed it by one spot, and the team was just .080 in NQS from qualifying for the 2023 NCAA Regionals field. In the first season that the Mountain West Conference will sponsor gymnastics, the Spartans were picked to finish second overall and return 2023 MPSF Gymnast of the Year Lauren Macpherson.
 
Denver is undefeated in seven meetings against San Jose State, most recently winning on January 9, 2022, in Denver for what was also the season opener (197.000-195.950). The teams will meet for a second time in 2024 when SJSU visits Denver on March 3.
 
View DU's complete history against San Jose State.
 
WHAT'S NEXT:
Denver hosts its 2024 home opener when it welcomes future Big 12 Conference opponent Arizona State on Sunday, January 14, at 1:45 p.m. MT in Magness Arena.
 
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.
 
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