No. 16 WVU hosts No. 13 Denver, George Washington, and Temple

No. 13 Denver Has Breakout Meet to Win West Virginia Quad with 196.80

Mar 5, 2013 by Anne Phillips

MORGANTOWN, W. Va. - The No. 13 University of Denver gymnastics squad turned in its third-highest road score and its sixth-highest overall score in program history, winning the West Virginia quad on Sunday afternoon with a 196.800 at the WVU Coliseum. No. 16 West Virginia finished second with a 196.375, followed by George Washington's 195.300 and Temple's 191.375.

"Our team showed such great character today," said head coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart. "It was an east coast trip, a three hour flight, a 1.5 hour drive, a two hour time change and a mid-afternoon meet, and I thought the girls really adjusted beautifully to that. We had a couple people resting at home that are continuing to recover from injuries, but I thought the girls that came into the lineup for them stepped up and met that expectation."

For the first time this season, the Pioneers opened up on floor, combining for a 49.300 in their opening rotation. Sophomore Nina McGee (Cincinnati, Ohio) led Denver's floor corps for the seventh time this season, scoring a 9.925 in the anchor spot in the Pioneers first event. Junior Jorie Hall (Denver, Colo.) added a 9.900, while classmates Moriah Martin (Lake Mary, Fla.) and Kaitlin Moorhead (Palo Alto, Calif.) turned in matching 9.850s. Freshman Katie Menhinick (Paramus, N.J.) recorded the other counting score in the rotation, a 9.775. The team score was Denver's highest on floor since January 12 in a home meet against Air Force.

Watch Nina McGee's Floor Routine:

Watch more video of No. 16 WVU hosts No. 13 Denver, George Washington, and Temple on gymnastike.org

The Pioneers tallied another four scores of 9.800 or higher in their second rotation, led by Martin's 9.850. Sophomore Ellese Sakai-Hart (Aptos, Calif.) inked a 9.825 on vault, and Moorhead matched that with a 9.825 of her own. Redshirt-senior Brianna Springer (Arvada, Colo.) followed up Sakai-Hart's performance with a 9.800, and Denver combined for a 49.025. The Crimson and Gold took a 0.450 lead into the midway point.

Despite the absence of its two bars regulars, Denver shined in its third rotation, combining for a 49.300. The score is Denver's sixth-highest score on the event in program history, and the third-highest road score for the squad. Senior Simona Castro (Santiago, Chile) kick-started Denver's bars lineup with a 9.825. Freshman Emily Barrett (Norman, Okla.) followed that up with a 9.800. Junior Emily Warfield (Lafayette, Colo.) inked a 9.775 in her debut, after a back injury has limited her to exhibition performances this season. A career that has seen a lot of positives over the last five seasons continued on Sunday, as Springer tied a career-high with a 9.900 on the apparatus. Martin followed up Springer's routine with a 9.875, and McGee anchored Denver's third event with a 9.900 of her own. DU's bars score was also its highest since Jan. 20, 2007.

"Our bars lineup was really key tonight," Kutcher-Rinehart said. "They kept the momentum going and they kept the energy going. It was a great afternoon from beginning to end today."

Denver combined for a 49.175 in its fourth rotation, this time on beam. Hall won the beam title with a 9.925. She was followed on the beam leaderboard by Springer and Barrett's 9.825s and Sakai-Hart and McGee's 9.800s.

The Pioneers were once again without junior all-arounder Melodie Pulgarin Linero (Barcelona, Spain), who is hopeful to return for the Western Athletic Conference meet later this month. Freshman Maggie Laughlin (Scottsdale, Ariz.) was also given the meet off on Sunday to rest up for the stretch run of her rookie season.

Denver will welcome Olympian Jordyn Wieber to Hamilton Gymnasium on Saturday, as the Pioneers host Arizona State and Illinois State at 6 p.m. MT. Fans are encouraged to arrive early, as the DU men's basketball team tips off in Magness Arena at 5 p.m.

Watch competition video HERE.

via denverpioneers.com