University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Denver
Minnesota Falls to Denver on the Road
3/4/2016 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
DENVER - The University of Minnesota women's gymnastics team suffered the first defeat of the season Friday night, as the Denver Pioneers edged out the three-team meet with a score of 196.825 over Minnesota (196.175) and the Air Force (191.175).
Denver swept all of the event titles with senior Nina McGee claiming Vault (9.925), Bars (9.925), Floor (10.000) and the All-Around (39.575) and junior Julia Ross claiming Beam (9.900).
As a team, the Gophers earned the highest score on Vault (49.250) and Beam (49.100), while the Pioneers claimed Bars (49.250) and Floor (49.400).
"It was really special for our Colorado athletes [Lindsay Mable, Bailey Abernathy, Rachel Rowland and Bailie Holst] to be back home and compete in front of friends and family," said head coach Jenny Hansen. "We had a great crowd supporting us tonight. We had our best floor and vault performance of the year, however, we struggled on bars tonight. It is tough to start the meet counting a fall on bars, but I thought the team did a great job of picking back up and finishing strong."
Minnesota started the night out on Bars, where junior Bailie Holst earned the highest score for the Gophers with a 9.900. Sophomore Abby DeMuse notched the second highest score for the team with a 9.825, good enough for fifth place overall.
For the second rotation, Beam, seniors Lindsay Mable and Hanna Nordquist tied for second overall with identical scores of 9.850. Mable also finished second on Vault (9.900), Floor (9.975) and in the All-Around (38.900). Bailie Holst tied with Ross for second overall on Bars with 9.900s.
Through two rotations, Minnesota (97.550) trailed Denver (98.450) as the Air Force (95.850) rounded out the group.
In the third rotation, the Maroon and Gold moved to Floor, where Mable tied her school record with a 9.975 performance. DeMuse and fellow sophomore Ciara Gardner finished in a three-way tie for third with sophomore Nikole Addison of Denver with 9.875s.
The Gophers closed out the night on Vault. Mable tallied the highest score for the Gophers with a 9.900. Senior Rachel Haines and DeMuse tied for third with Ross with scores of 9.850.
In the All-Around, McGee took the crown with a 39.575 while Mable finished second with a 38.900 and Gardner rounded out the top three at 38.475.
"The team didn't have the kind of performance they know they are capable of and are very much looking forward to the opportunity to compete again this Sunday," said Hansen.
LOOKING AHEAD
This Sunday, the Gophers will face the Pioneers and Falcons once again, this time in Colorado Springs, Colo. Action is set to begin at 12:00 p.m. MT (1:00 p.m. CT). Concluding the trip in Colorado, the Maroon and Gold will head to the Big Ten Qualifier at Penn State.
FOLLOW THE GOPHERS
Are you following the Gophers on the road or from home? Make sure to follow @GopherWGym on Twitter and use the team's hashtag #AlwaysGolden. You can also check for updates on Facebook and Instagram by "liking" Minnesota Women's Gymnastics on Facebook or following the Gophers on Instagram.
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Players Mentioned
