On Saturday’s exciting face-off, the no. 4 Denver women’s gymnastics team scored a 196.575 to tie with no. 5 Alabama for second overall. No. 1 Oklahoma scored a 197.525 to take first and no. 18 Georgia took fourth with a 196.300. 

The Pioneers began the meet on the floor where senior Maddie Karr (Stillwater, Minn.) tied for first with an impressive 9.900. Karr was followed by junior Lynnzee Brown (Kansas City, Mo.) with a 9.850 and junior Emily Glynn (Longmont, Colo.) who scored a season-best of 9.800. The Pioneers scored a total of 48.975 on the floor, the lowest team score in this event. 

However, the Pioneers fought back as they moved onto the vault and scored a 49.225, the second-best vault rotation of this season. Glynn scored a new career-high of 9.875 and shared Denver’s top score with Karr, who also scored a 9.875. The three following Pioneers all scored a 9.800 or higher to give Denver a second-place finish in this event. 

As Denver moved onto the bars, the team had a standout performance. Denver scored a 49.500 which, in this event, is the second-highest overall score in program history. Karr matched her personal best with a 9.975 and was followed by juniors Mia Sundstrom (Boulder, Colo.) and Brown who both recorded a 9.900. Sophomore Alexandria Ruiz (Lake Mary, Fla.) received a 9.875 and Glynn recorded Denver’s final counted score with a 9.850. The Pioneers had the highest bar score between all four teams with their impressive performance, topping even Oklahoma, last year’s national champions.

On the beam, the Pioneers once again recorded the lowest score between the four competing teams with a 48.875. Both Brown and Karr were first in the event with a 9.900 but the rest of the team struggled to follow. Sophomore Alexis Vasquez (Arcadia, Calif.) recorded a 9.775 and was followed by both Ruiz and Lockhart, who each scored a 9.650. 

Karr was the star of the night with four individual titles and a tie for first all-around with Oklahoma’s Anastasia Webb. Karr was first between all four teams on both the floor and the bars and was part of a four-way tie for first on the beam. She earned a total score of 39.650, just .025 shy of her season’s best. Denver was also represented on the podium by Brown, who was third overall with a 39.500. 

The Pioneers hope to continue their remarkable season as they return to Denver on Sunday, Feb. 2 to host Air Force and Ball State in Magness Arena.