WHO: No. 12 Denver vs. No. 13 Michigan
WHAT: Denver's 2025 season opener
WHERE: Magness Arena (Denver, Colorado)
WHEN: Sunday, January 5, at 2:45 p.m. MT
 
LAST TIME OUT:
Denver continued to set records during the 2024 season before advancing to NCAA Regionals for the 25^th time in a row. DU rallied from a fourth-place standing after the first rotation in the NCAA Regional Second Round in Berkeley, Calif., to win the session and advance to the NCAA Regional Final.
 
DU again tested its resolve during the NCAA Regional Final, overcoming falls early in the lineup on its first three events to not count any of them. The competition came down to the final routines with Denver posting one of the best postseason vault rotations in program history but coming up just a tenth and a half shy of a spot at NCAA Nationals.
 
EYE ON THE RANKINGS:
Denver begins the 2025 campaign ranked No. 12 in the WCGA Preseason Coaches' Poll, marking the eighth-straight season that DU has been in the top 13 to start the year.
 
In the final 2024 rankings, Denver came in at No. 10 to extend its streak of top-10 final national rankings to five of the last six years and six of the last eight. DU also finished in the top 10 on three events, led by a No. 5 final ranking on bars.
 
Among returning student-athletes to the 2025 roster, two held individual rankings at the end of 2024: then-freshman Madison Ulrich at No. 22 in the all-around; and then-senior Rylie Mundell in a tie for No. 22 on bars.
 
QUICK HITS:

• Denver returns 14 of 15 student-athletes from last year's roster to the team in 2025, bringing with them 20 of 24 routines from the team's postseason lineups.
  • Among those back in 2025 are four fifth-year students in Rosie Casali, Bella Mabanta, Mundell and Abbie Thompson.
• DU's lone newcomer is freshman Sophia Hampp from Leawood, Kansas, a three-time USAG DP Level 10 Nationals qualifier who trained at GAGE.
• Sunday's meet will be broadcast live on ESPN2, the first time a Denver home regular-season home meet will be carried on a linear ESPN network.
  • DU also hosted the 2022 Big 12 Gymnastics Championship, which aired live on ESPNU.
  • Twice, Denver has competed in regular-season meets that aired on ESPN linear networks, but both came on the road at Oklahoma in 2020 and 2022.
• This is only the 15^th time in 51 seasons that DU has competed during the opening week of a new year but the second in a row after doing so at the Super 16 Challenge in Las Vegas to kick off 2024.
• Sunday will be Denver's first "Crimson Out" meet. Fans are invited to wear crimson gear while the team will wear a crimson leotard.

 
SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES:
Michigan is just one spot below Denver in the WCGA preseason rankings at No. 13 and finished last season ranked No. 19. The Wolverines were upset in the 2024 NCAA Regional Second Round but advanced three gymnasts to the NCAA National Championships as individual qualifiers – including Carly Bauman, who returns to the roster in 2025.
 
DU is 5-8-1 all-time against Michigan but has won the last two meetings including its first-ever at Michigan last season (197.750-197.550 on March 15). DU also came away with the victory the last time UM made the trip to Denver, winning the 2023 NCAA Regional Final (197.875) while Michigan placed third (197.750). Michigan has not competed in Denver during the regular season since March 4, 2006 (a 196.050-195.250 UM win).
 
This will be only the third time the teams have met in the month of January, and both previous times came at Michigan (January 13, 2023, and January 26, 2007). The teams have never met in a season opener.
 
View DU's complete history against Michigan.
 
WHAT'S NEXT:
Denver hosts its first quad meet of the year when it welcomes Missouri, Georgia and LIU to Magness Arena on Sunday, January 12, at 1:45 p.m. MT.
 
TICKETS:
Tickets for the 2025 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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