DENVER – The University of Denver women’s gymnastics team has joined the Big 12 Conference as an affiliate member, the conference announced Wednesday. DU will compete in the Big 12 beginning with the 2016 season, joining members Iowa State, Oklahoma and West Virginia.

 

“We are excited to be joining the Big 12 Conference,” head coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart said. “The opportunity to participate with competitive student-athletes, coaches and teams is an honor. It provides us with increased exposure and will help prepare our program for postseason success.

 

“We’re committed to contributing to the Big 12 Conference’s great tradition, history and reputation.”

 

“We are excited to announce the addition of Denver to the league’s already strong gymnastics competitors of Iowa State, Oklahoma and West Virginia,” Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby said. “The DU program has consistently performed at a high level and maintained an impressive stretch of postseason success. As an affiliate member, Denver will improve and strengthen the Big 12’s postseason event, and the Conference looks forward to welcoming its staff, student-athletes and fans at future Big 12 Gymnastics Championships.”

 

DU spent the previous two seasons in the Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference, winning the conference title in 2014. In those two seasons, DU gymnasts earned one Gymnast of the Year award, 15 first-team all-conference awards and six second-team all-conference awards.

 

“We want to thank the Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference,” Kutcher-Rinehart said. “We’re thankful for the last two seasons of competition, and we wish them continued success.”

 

The 2015 season marked the 17th consecutive year that the Pioneers qualified to the NCAA Regionals and the 16th consecutive season in which at least one Denver gymnast qualified to the NCAA National Championships. At the 2015 championships, Nina McGee (Cincinnati, Ohio), who will return in 2016, tied for second on floor and finished 11th in the all-around. DU finished the season ranked No. 15 overall and in the top 25 on all four events.

 

This announcement adds to the list of offseason changes for the Pioneers—including the hiring of Robert Ladanyi as assistant coach and the promotion of Linas Gaveika to associate head coach, as well as training facility renovations.