DENVER – The No. 9-ranked University of Denver women's gymnastics team tied the fifth-highest score in program history (197.775) on Sunday, finishing ahead of No. 22 Iowa State (195.800) and SE Missouri State (194.675).
Senior
Jessica Hutchinson matched the school all-around record with a 39.825, highlighted by a perfect 10.0 on floor in DU's final competitive routine of the meet.
COACH'S NOTES:
From Joy S. Burns Head Women's Gymnastics Coach
Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart: "From start to finish, they built momentum. It felt like there was a sense of competitiveness. They showed a lot of energy and enthusiasm, and I'm proud of the consistency from last week to this week – especially because we again had different lineups. It's a confidence builder that anyone can step into a lineup at any time and perform and handle the pressure."
SIGNIFICANT STATS
- Hutchinson became the sixth DU gymnast to earn at least three perfect 10.0s in her career. The only Denver gymnast with more 10.0s in her career is Lynnzee Brown (five).
- Her routine on Sunday became the 13th perfect score by a DU gymnast on floor and the 29th overall.
- Hutchinson also equaled former teammate Brown's program record in the all-around with a 39.825. Brown originally set the record on March 7, 2021.
- DU swept the event titles for the second meet in a row with Hutchinson winning the all-around, vault, beam and floor titles, and junior Mia Hebinck winning on bars for the second-straight meet.
- Hutchinson's four titles brings her career haul to 46, tied for the eighth-most in program history.
- Joining Hutchinson in setting or tying a career high in the meet were fellow senior Rosie Casali in the all-around and on beam; freshman Madison Ulrich in the all-around and on bars, beam and floor; and freshman Maddison Reidenbach on vault and floor.
- Denver finished with a season-best 49.550 on floor, which is tied for the ninth-highest in program history.
VAULT RECAP
Denver opened the meet by matching its second-highest vault score of the season (49.350), anchored by Hutchinson's near-perfect 9.975 for her stuck Yurchenko 1.5. DU's remaining four counted scores were all above 9.800, beginning with a 9.825 from Reidenbach in just her third lineup appearance. Sophomore
Mila Brusch equaled her season high with a 9.850 in the leadoff, and Ulrich and senior
Rylie Mundell would match her later in the rotation.
BARS RECAP
DU continued to build momentum with a 49.475 on bars, the team's second-best score of the season. Four of the six routines scored in the 9.9+ range, and all six were at or above 9.850. For the second week in a row, Hebinck had the meet's top score with a 9.925. Mundell had her fifth 9.9+ score of the season on the event, and both Hutchinson and Ulrich also scored a 9.900. Casali and sophomore
Kiley Rorich had matching 9.850s in the first two routines.
BEAM RECAP
Denver shuffled its beam lineup again, unexpectedly welcoming senior
Bella Mabanta back after missing two meets with an injury. Hutchinson equaled her best beam score of the season with a 9.950 to top the final event standings yet again. Tying for second overall were junior
Momoko Iwai and Casali with matching 9.900s – Iwai's a season's best and Casali a new career high. Ulrich, too, matched her personal best with her fourth 9.875 of the season. Senior
Abbie Thompson led off the lineup for the third meet in a row.
FLOOR RECAP
The floor squad put together its best showing of the season so far with a 49.550 – the second-highest score for any DU rotation this year. Rorich began the lineup as she has all year with a 9.850, which Reidenbach would equal two routines later – a new high score for the freshman. In between the two 9.850s was a season high-tying 9.875 from Iwai. DU's final three routines all made it into the 9.9+ range, starting with a 9.900 from Casali. Ulrich added a 9.925, tying her career high so far, before Hutchinson capped the rotation and the meet with her 10.0.
EXHIBITION NOTES
As Denver did in its last meet, the team competed with at least one exhibition on every event and two on beam. Freshman
Amanda Hargraves took the vault exhibition slot again with a 9.800 and later added a beam exhibition. Iwai yet again went on bars, scoring a 9.825. Brusch took DU's final two exhibitions, doing so on floor as she did last meet while also going on beam for just the second time in her career.
MORE COACH'S NOTES:
Kutcher-Rinehart about Hutchinson's performance: "Jessica had a fantastic night. She took it one event at a time and was very present in the moment. There's a toughness and competitiveness with her. I'm proud of her worth ethic, and her focus on and attention to detail that started in the preseason is paying off now."
PODIUM FINISHES
Vault
Hutchinson: First Place – 9.975
Brusch: Third Place (tie) – 9.850
Mundell: Third Place (tie) – 9.850
Ulrich: Third Place (tie) – 9.850
Bars
Hebinck: First Place – 9.925
Hutchinson: Second Place (tie) – 9.900
Mundell: Second Place (tie) – 9.900
Ulrich: Second Place (tie) – 9.900
Beam
Hutchinson: First Place – 9.950
Casali: Second Place (tie) – 9.900
Iwai: Second Place (tie) – 9.900
Floor
Hutchinson: First Place – 10.000
Ulrich: Second Place – 9.925
Casali: Third Place (tie) – 9.900
All-Around
Hutchinson: First Place – 39.825
Ulrich: Second Place – 39.550
Casali: Third Place – 39.375
NEXT UP:
Denver returns to road competition with a Big 12 Conference meet at West Virginia with Iowa State on Sunday, February 18.
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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