The DU Gymnastics team will take on the defending national champions from Alabama and regional rival Air Force at 6 p.m. in Hamilton Gymnasium.

Last week’s number eight ranking marked the first top ten ranking under Head Coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart and shows that “(the team is) working harder than we’ve ever worked before,” said Kutcher-Rinehart.

To beat Alabama this weekend, “(the team) must only concern ourselves with the things we can control such as attitude, teamwork, and our routines. We can’t control their scores,” said Kutcher-Rinehart.

The Pioneers have competed four times this year, two of which have been at Hamilton Gymnasium.

The season began with competition at the University of Arkansas where CU recorded an excellent team score.

On Jan. 18, the women took on Stanford, who knocked them out of nationals by a miniscule margin.

This time around DU beat Stanford. Michelle Kasuga came through with two perfect scores to help the team win.

The team’s next competition was against Penn State where they competed well, but did not win

This weekend will be a great chance to see some of the best athletes in the nation.

“Not many people are familiar with gymnastics so we work hard at putting on a production and providing entertainment. Our goal is to sell out Hamilton,” said Kutcher-Rinehart, “Many of the athletes have been training since they were 5 or 6 and now they deserve the opportunity to compete in front of large crowds.”