Following its first-place finish at its season opener against Lindenwood and No. 16 Penn State on Jan. 5, the then-No. 20 Pioneer gymnastics team scored a combined 196.6 on Saturday to top Air Force. After the pair of wins, the team improved to No. 11 in the GymInfo poll, the program’s best ranking since they were No. 6 in the nation the first week of the 2010 season.
DU placed first in each individual competition on Saturday, starting on vault with a top score of 9.85 by junior Kaitlin Moorhead and a 49.025 team total. Junior Moriah Martin topped the uneven parallel bars next with a score of 9.925, and a top score of 9.85 on balance beam was earned by juniors Jorie Hall and Melodie Pulgarin Linero.
“It was certainly an improvement from last weekend,” said head coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart of Saturday’s meet.
“I really think that this is what this team is capable of doing. The hard work from this week and our depth really paid off tonight.”
In the final rotation, sophomore Nina McGee lead the Pioneers in floor exercise with a 9.95 and the team earned its highest total of the night, 49.4. Finishing first for all-around performance with a 38.975 was freshman Maggie Laughlin.
“We want to hit routines, but we also want to focus on details so we can get good scores,” said Pulgarin Linero. “As long as we improve from the last week, that will accomplish our goal. We don’t want to save the world in one meet; we just want to improve little by little so we can continue to move forward.”
The Pioneers improved from their season opener win of 194.7 against Lindenwood and No. 16 Penn State. Denver gymnasts were able to place first individually in bars (9.9), balance beam (9.825) and floor exercise (9.825), only coming in second to Penn State in vault.
“I thought the team showed a lot of competitiveness and depth, and it made for a good first home opener,” said Kutcher-Rinehart. “There’s a higher skill and difficulty level than past seasons, so it was great to walk away with a win.”
Kutcher-Rinehart walked away with more than just the first win of the season, though; the Jan. 5 win marked her 250th career win as well.
“I’ve never known a coach like her; she knows where she needs to be in the gym, and she’s a really good head coach,” said Pulgarin Linero. “It’s awesome, because you feel that she cares about you, and at the same time, she’s pushing you to be the best you can be. She really deserves it.”
Now two competitions into her 15th season with the Pioneers, her overall record comes to 251-131-2, making Kutcher-Rinehart the winningest coach in program history. Kutcher-Rinehart has also qualified her team for regionals in all 14 seasons of her tenure.
“I give 100 percent of the credit to the tremendous student athletes, assistant coaches and support I’ve had over my career,” said Kutcher-Rinehart. “They’ve challenged me and made me grow as a coach and a leader.”
Also grabbing awards last week from the Pioneer squad were junior Moriah Martin and sophomore Nina McGee. Martin was named WAC Player of the Week, while McGee was awarded Event Specialist of the Week.
As the Pioneers look toward the rest of their season, they find themselves with a few goals in mind, according to Kutcher-Rinehart. Not only do they hope to continue to improve with each meet, they plan on being top 10 in the country both academically and athletically, while also increasing their fan support.
“There’s no professional gymnastics for these girls after this, so we’re looking to increase attendance from students [at our meets],” said Kutcher-Rinehart. “We encourage them to come and support, and I promise them our athletes are really committed and won’t disappoint.”
