By Elizabeth Grimsley
Madison Kocian, incoming freshman at UCLA, finished up her Olympic Games with a second-place finish in the bar final. She qualified in the first position but Russia’s Aliya Mustafina had a better routine during the final. Kocian will come home with a gold and a silver medal before starting at UCLA in September.Venezuela’s Jessica Lopez, a Denver alumna, also competed int he bar final, finishing sixth. After qualifying int he seventh position, Lopez upgraded her routine to a 6.7 difficulty, allowing her to maximize her score in the final. She had a very successful Olympics despite not earning a medal. Lopez became the first female Venezuelan gymnast to make an event final at the Games and had the highest all around placement ever with her seventh-place ranking.
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For more on NCAA athletes in Rio, check out the coverage page.