The women’s gymnastics team opened their season with a last place finish at the Super Six Challenge in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Competing against three of the top 10 teams in the nation at the tournament, Alabama, Florida and Georgia, the University of Denver is looking to have another strong season.
The women began the season ranked No. 18, but have slipped to No. 24 after the Super Six Challenge
The team is led by sixth-year Head Coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart, and assistant coaches John Figueroa and Carl Leland who have the goal of taking the women to the national championships this April in Los Angeles.
To attain this goal the women will have to place in the top two at the regional competition held April 4.
The women have failed to place in the top two at the regional championship the last two years, thus missing the national championships after making it in 2001.
There are six regional championship competitions around the country allowing 12 teams to advance.
Despite losing Michelle Kasuga, one of the Pioneers top performers last year and a couple juniors, Kutcher-Rinehart has a big recruiting class of six freshmen with which to work.
The team is led by the three returning seniors Emily Bankhead, Rose Kiernan, and Ashley Shible. Shible qualified for the national championships as an individual all around competitor two years ago as a sophomore and will be looking to return, hopefully as part of a team.
Bankhead led the Pioneers at the Super Six Challege with a fourth place finish in the all around competition and a score of 39.175.
Shible finished not far behind in seventh place with a score of 38.975.
“They have a dynamic quality of leadership” said assistant coach Carl Leland. All three of them compete in all of the events.
The Pioneers began their schedule with the crimson versus gold intrasquad meet and will compete next against the University of West Virginia and Pittsburgh in West Virginia this Friday.
Highlighted competitions for the year include the Pioneers taking on No. 6 Iowa State Feb. 6 and the home meet against No. 3 University of Nebraska Feb. 21.
Also, senior night against the University of Southern Utah March 12 in Hamilton Gymnasium.
The Pioneers will be in action next at home when they take on Air Force Jan. 31 in Hamilton Gymnasium.
