COLUMBIA, Mo. – The No. 11-ranked University of Denver women's gymnastics team tallied the third-highest away score in program history (197.625) to finish in first at a quad host meet hosted by No. 13 Missouri on Sunday.
Mizzou was second overall (197.375) while New Hampshire (195.250) and SE Missouri State (193.150) rounded out the four-team field.
COACH'S NOTES:
From Joy S. Burns Head Women's Gymnastics Coach
Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart: "I'm incredibly proud of the team, especially considering our difficult travel getting here yesterday. We spent pretty much the entire day at the airport and the night on a plane and a bus, and we missed dinner last night. Then we had the equivalent of a three-hour time difference when you factor in Daylight Savings Time, the time-zone change and the earlier start time from what we're used to.
"It was a strong all-around performance, and it was good to put all four events together at a high level on the road. I thought they had a mature approach to the competition, and they showed a lot of composure. Our goal all along has been to peak at the right time, and we are on that trajectory. Today was a strong start to our three-meet away campaign."
SIGNIFICANT STATS
- Denver's 197.625 became a season-high road score and the third-highest road score in program history.
- The bars squad's 49.550 matched the second-highest road score and sixth-highest overall score in program history.
- Sunday was the fourth time in 2024 that DU finished with all four event scores above the 49.300 mark and the first time on the road.
- After two rotations, Denver held a 98.900, which was its second-highest score through the first half of a meet this year.
- Senior Jessica Hutchinson scored a near-perfect 9.975 on beam, becoming just the second gymnast to do so at an away meet in DU history and the first since classmate Rylie Mundell at West Virginia on January 21, 2022.
- For the third time this year and the second time on the road, Hutchinson scored a 39.725 in the all-around, tying for the 10th-highest score in program history.
- Fellow senior Rosie Casali joined her on the all-around podium with a new career high of 39.500.
BARS RECAP
DU began the day with six scores of 9.850 or higher on bars and counted five scores at or above the 9.875 mark, highlighted by back-to-back 9.950s from Hutchinson and Mundell to close the lineup. Junior
Mia Hebinck added a 9.900 in the No. 4 slot, her fourth 9.9+ bars score of the season so far. Senior
Rosie Casali and freshman
Madison Ulrich both had 9.85s, and sophomore
Kiley Rorich rounded out the scoring with a 9.850.
BEAM RECAP
Denver overcame a fall in its second beam routine to post a 49.350 in the second rotation. Hutchinson anchored the lineup with her best routine of the season and the highest score of the meet for any team on any event. For the second week in a row, senior
Bella Mabanta hit the 9.900 mark on beam. Casali got the rotation back on track with a 9.825 immediately following the fall, which matched junior
Momoko Iwai 's score in the leadoff and would be Ulrich's score in the following routine as well.
FLOOR RECAP
Denver's floor rotation finished with six scores of at least 9.850, starting with such a score from Ulrich, who competed her upgraded double layout for the second time and did so with a little too much power this time around. The remaining Denver gymnasts all tallied 9.875s with four in a row from Rorich, senior
Abbie Thompson, Iwai and Casali. Hutchinson closed out the lineup in the No. 6 spot and also scored a 9.875.
VAULT RECAP
For the third time in the meet, Denver had six scores of at least 9.800 in a lineup, doing so on vault for a 49.350. Sophomore
Mila Brusch and freshman
Amanda Hargraves started the rotation with hit Yurchenko fulls before DU rounded out the lineup with its four 10.0 start-value vaults. Ulrich posted a 9.850 for her front-handspring front-pike-half, and Mundell added a 9.800 two vaults later with her Yurchenko 1.5. Both Casali and Hutchinson stuck their Y1.5s and earned matching 9.925s.
EXHIBITION NOTES
DU entered the day with an exhibition slated for all four events but chose to scratch them on bars and floor. On beam, Hargraves took the exhibition slot for the first time since February 11 and earned a 9.825. Mabanta returned on vault for the first time since a January 26 injury, going 9.750 in her exhibition on Sunday.
PODIUM FINISHES
Vault
Casali: First Place (tie) – 9.925
Hutchinson: First Place (tie) – 9.925
Bars
Hutchinson: First Place (tie) – 9.950
Mundell: First Place (tie) – 9.950
Beam
Hutchinson: First Place – 9.975
B. Mabanta: Third Place (tie) – 9.900
All-Around
Hutchinson: First Place – 39.725
Casali: Third Place – 39.500
NEXT UP:
Denver wraps up the regular season with its second-straight road meet at a Power-5 opponent when it visits Michigan on Friday, March 15.
TICKETS:
Season ticket deposits for the 2025 University of Denver gymnastics season are now on available and can be
purchased online, by calling 303-871-4625 or by visiting the Ritchie Center Box Office.
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