DENVER – The University of Denver gymnastics team has added seven future student-athletes for the 2026-27 academic year, Joy S. Burns Head Women's Gymnastics Coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart announced on Wednesday.
 
Lily Caranci, Emerson Gaa, Stefanie Gatin, Rory Liegl, Michelle Lin, Kennedy Welsh and Delilah Zepeda-Orth will each join the program beginning with the 2027 gymnastics season. Together, they rank as the country's No. 11 recruiting class for 2026, according to College Gym News. DU has now averaged a top-10 recruiting class over the last two seasons after the class of 2025 – this year's freshmen – ranked as the No. 9 recruiting class in the country.
 
"I am thrilled to welcome this recruiting class to Denver," Kutcher-Rinehart said. "They have been fully engaged from the moment we recruited them, and they're all excited to join the Denver Gymnastics family. They already embody our philosophy of teamwork, character and excellence, and I can't wait for fans to see the talent and enthusiasm they will bring to our team.

"They bring incredible depth, experience and a range of grace, power and dynamic gymnastics. Each of them is ready to make an immediate impact on our program and will add excitement, versatility and energy to our lineups."
 
Lily Caranci is a Level 10 gymnast local to the Denver area, calling Lafayette, Colorado, home and training at Colorado Gymnastics Institute. She is a three-time USA Gymnastics Development Program National Championships qualifier, highlighted by a second-place finish on beam in 2025 and an eighth-place finish on the event in 2024. In 2023 and 2024, she posted among the top 15 beam scores in the country, both seasons in which she won the Region 3 beam title. Since 2021, she has placed in the top three in the all-around four times at the Colorado state championships including first-place finishes in 2021 and 2023. During that 2023 season, she also won the vault, bars and beam titles.

"Lily is a dedicated gymnast and a supportive teammate, but what makes her special is her adventurous spirit," Kutcher-Rinehart said. "She brings energy and curiosity to the gym, and I love her positive attitude. She's a strong athlete from right here in Colorado and excels on beam with her beauty, grace, consistency and competitiveness. Her dedication is evident as she keeps raising her level on every event."
 
WATCH: Lily Caranci Highlights
 
Emerson Gaa is a Level 10 gymnast from the Dallas-Fort Worth area and trains at Empire Gymnastics. She is a four-star recruit, according to College Gym News. In 2024, she qualified for the prestigious Nastia Liukin Cup, winning the junior floor title. Three times, she has qualified for USAG Level 10 Nationals, most recently placing fourth in the all-around in 2025. In each of her three Level 10 Nationals appearances, she has placed in the top two on floor including winning the title in 2024. She scored a perfect 10.0 on floor during the 2025 season and has held a top national floor score in each of the last two years. Over the last three years, she has placed in the top three in the all-around at the Region 3 Championships and won the floor title each time while also adding three combined top-two finishes on bars and beam.

"Emerson is one of the most hard-working people you will ever meet," Kutcher-Rinehart said. "She's loyal to her teammates and always the first to offer support when someone needs it. She's a great all-around competitor with graceful and effortless gymnastics. Her focus on details and her strong technical gymnastics will be a great addition to our team."
 
WATCH: Emerson Gaa Highlights
 
Stefanie Gatin is a Level 10/elite gymnast from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. She is a four-star recruit, according to College Gym News, and will be Denver's first international gymnast since Melodie Pulgarin Linero (Spain, 2011-14). This past season, she placed third in the challenge vault event finals at International Gymnix in Montreal and was 16^th in the all-around at the Canadian Championships. As a Level 10 gymnast, she won the all-around at the 2024 Atlantis Crown and 2020 Gymnastics in Paradise meets. She placed second in the all-around and on vault while adding a fourth-place finish on bars at the 2024 Western Canadian Championships, and she was fifth in the all-around and third on floor at the 2024 Canadian Championships.

"Stefanie is motivated and passionate, and she thrives in collaborative environments," Kutcher-Rinehart said. "She leads others through her enthusiasm and commitment. She's fearless and loves to take on any challenge that comes her way. She'll bring difficulty and graceful gymnastics to our program, and we're lucky to have her."
 
WATCH: Stefanie Gatin Highlights
 
Rory Liegl is a Level 10 gymnast from San Antonio, Texas, but was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She trains at Southern Gymnastics Club and qualified for the 2024 USAG Level 10 National Championships after placing fourth in the all-around at the Region 3 Championships. At 2024 Regionals, she also tied for second on bars and tied for fourth on vault. In her first season as a Level 10 gymnast, she tied for fourth in the all-around at the Texas State Championships while adding a tie for third on vault and a fifth-place finish on beam. This past season, she finished third on bars at the Texas state championships as well.

"Rory has a caring and helpful spirit," Kutcher-Rinehart said. "She's resilient, as she's shown in coming back from an injury, and is always finding a way to stay strong for herself and her teammates. She's hardworking and brings power and grit to her gymnastics."
 
WATCH: Rory Liegl Highlights
 
Michelle Lin is a Level 10 gymnast from the Austin, Texas, area, and trains at Capital Gymnastics. She is a four-star recruit, according to College Gym News. In her first appearance at Level 10 Nationals in 2025, she tied for fifth on vault. She added a second-place finish on floor and top-five finishes on beam and in the all-around at the 2025 Region 3 Championships. At the 2025 Texas state championships, she won the vault title with a 10.0, capping a meet where she placed in the top five on all four events and in the all-around. She was second in the all-around, third on beam, fourth on bars and tied for fifth on floor.

"Michelle is determined and resilient, but she's also easy-going through it all. No matter the challenge, she stays steady and positive," Kutcher-Rinehart said. "She's powerful and aggressive on all four events, and her gymnastics on the whole has its own unique style. We can't wait to see how she impacts our lineups."
 
WATCH: Michelle Lin Highlights
 
Kennedy Welsh is a Level 10 gymnast from near Allentown, Pennsylvania, and trains at Prestige Gymnastics. She is a three-star recruit, according to College Gym News. She has qualified for USAG Level 10 Nationals in each of the last three seasons and placed in the top five in the all-around and on vault and beam at the 2025 Region 7 Championships. This past year, she won the all-around, vault, bars and beam titles at the Pennsylvania state championships while also adding a second-place finish on floor. In 2023, she was named a member of the Jamaican National Team.

"Kennedy, like her family, is incredibly hardworking and determined," Kutcher-Rinehart said. "She's adaptable and always finds a way to elevate the people around her. She brings excitement with her gymnastics, and she competes with power, fun and joy."
 
WATCH: Kennedy Welsh Highlights
 
Delilah Zepeda-Orth is a Level 10 gymnast also from the Denver area and calls Aurora, Colorado, home. She trains at 5280 Gymnastics in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. In 2023 and 2025, she qualified for USAG Level 10 Nationals and has eight top-five finishes at the Region 3 Championships in her club career, most recently placing second on beam in 2025 and winning the vault title in 2023. She won three titles and placed in the top three on all four events and in the all-around at the 2025 Colorado state championships. In 2023, she also won the Colorado state title on vault and was third in the all-around.

"Delilah brings passion and drive to everything she does," Kutcher-Rinehart said. "Her resilience shows in the way she attacks challenges head-on and lifts up everyone around her. Her gymnastics features a great balance of power and style, and she is strong on all four events. She's a local gymnast who will graduate from high school early to join us next season as well."
 
WATCH: Delilah Zepeda-Orth Highlights
 
The current Denver roster is preparing for the upcoming 2025-26 season, which will feature five home meets in Magness Arena, beginning with the season opener against Stanford on Sunday, January 11. DU will also host Big 12 Conference meets against Utah, Arizona and Iowa State, as well as a non-conference meet against Air Force.
 
DU finished the 2024-25 season ranked No. 13 nationally after upsetting then-No. 13 Stanford and tying for first with top-seeded Utah in the NCAA Second Round in April. Denver was less than three tenths from advancing to the NCAA National Championships as an unseeded team, narrowly missing a top-two finish in the NCAA Regional Final behind two of the four eventual NCAA National Finalists in Utah and UCLA.
 
TICKETS:
Season ticket renewals and deposits for the 2026 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.