The No. 7 ranked women’s gymnastics team scored a season-high at the Metroplex challenge, facing three other top-25 teams, including No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 15 Missouri and No. 21 Arkansas. The Pioneers finished second with a score of 196.350, while Oklahoma finished first (197.975), Missouri in third (196.200) and Arkansas in fourth (195.825).
Denver started the meet on floor, scoring a 48.875. Senior Kaitlyn Schou (Orlando, Fla.) led the team with a 9.875, followed by freshman Alexandria Ruiz (Lake Mary, Fla.) who earned a 9.800. Sophomore Lynzee Brown (Kansas City, Mo.) and junior Maddie Karr (Stillwater, Minn.) both scored 9.775, and senior Claire Kern (Charlotte, N.C.) scored a 9.700.
The Pioneers moved on the vault, scoring a 49.250, led by a pair of 9.900s from Karr and Brown, who would finish tied for second overall in the event. Sophomore Mia Sundstrom (Boulder, Colo.) set a new career-best scoring a 9.875, and senior Diana Chesnok (Charlotte, N.C.) earned a 9.800. Ruiz and Schou both posted 9.775s.
On the bars, Denver scored a 49.225. Karr won the event title with a 9.950, followed by a 9.850 from sophomore Emily Glynn (Longmont, Colo.) and a 9.825 from Brown. Kern and Ruiz both scored 9.800s.
In the final event, the beam, freshman Alexis Vasquez (Arcadia, Calif.) tied the fifth-best score in DU gymnastics history after scoring a 9.950 and finishing second overall in the event. Ruiz scored a9.825, Brown had a 9.800, Sundstrom scored a 9.700 and Schou took a 9.675.
In the all-around, Brown finished third with a 39.300. In her first time competing the all-around for the Pioneers, Ruiz finished fourth with a 39.200.
“Tonight wasn’t perfect. There are a lot of places we know we can improve,” Head-Coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart said. “But tonight shows the potential of this team to be away from home and score above a 196 with mistakes. We’re not focusing on wins or scores. We’re focusing on continued growth and development.”
Denver will travel to Morgantown, W. Va. for a Big 12 matchup against West Virginia and Iowa State on Feb. 2. They will return to Magness Arena on Feb. 10 to take on No. 1 Oklahoma.
