PHOTO ESSAY: Denver Defeats Minnesota in Highly Anticipated Matchup

January 14, 2020 College Gym News Event Coverage, Featured Carousel, Features, NCAA WAG, Photo Essay

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Minnesota kicked off its 2020 campaign with a road contest against No. 2 Denver in a highly anticipated matchup. Junior Gopher Lexy Ramler paced her team on its first event with a 9.900 on bars to give the team a 49.125 and the lead. (Photo/Emily Howell-Forbes)

Despite trailing after one rotation, Denver fought back with a stellar bars rotation. Junior Lynnzee Brown continued her consistency streak by hitting for a 9.875, setting the tone for senior Maddie Karr to nail her set two spots later for a 9.950. (Photo/Emily Howell-Forbes)

It was a special homecoming for Minnesota’s Maddie Quarles, who transferred from Denver after the 2019 season to be closer to home. Quarles hit her Yurchenko one and a half for a 9.900 in her first competitive routine since 2018. The score contributed to the Gophers’ 49.125 total on the event. (Photo/Emily Howell-Forbes)

Floor for the Gophers began and ended slow, as the team only managed a 48.925 despite hitting all six routines. Whether it was tighter judging or a lack of polish, the Gophers couldn’t manage to crack into anything higher than 9.825 on the event. Senior Paige Williams, pictured, tallied just a 9.775 as the anchor. (Photo/Emily Howell-Forbes)

After posting a perfect 10 on beam in her first meet of the season, the pressure was on for Denver sophomore Alexis Vasquez to hit again, going up after a somewhat lackluster performance by her teammates before her. (Photo/Emily Howell-Forbes)

Vasquez delivered a clutch hit, scoring a near-perfect 9.975 and allowing the Pioneers to drop a 9.625 from freshman Amoree Lockhart. Denver finished the rotation with a 49.250 and held the lead going into the final event. (Photo/Emily Howell-Forbes)

Karr, who recently had minor knee surgery, performed like she was never out, tallying a 9.875 to help set up the back half of the lineup and close out the meet for the Pioneers. (Photo/Emily Howell-Forbes)

One half of Minnesota’s one-two punch on beam, Tiarre Sales executed a close-to-flawless routine that left the judges impressed enough to reward a 9.925 in the five-hole to the sophomore. (Photo/Emily Howell-Forbes)

A Gophers win may have been out of reach for Ramler as the last competitor up on beam, but the all around crown was still a possibility with a perfect score. But despite beautifully performing each skill and earning a 9.950, it wasn’t quite enough to top Karr’s 39.625, leaving Ramler to finish with a still-strong 39.575. (Photo/Emily Howell-Forbes)

With the win in the bag, Brown could perform pressure-free in the closing routine of the night. With her trademark charm and dynamic tumbling, the junior hit for a 9.925, allowing Denver to finish off the meet with a 196.750 to Minnesota’s 196.475. (Photo/Emily Howell-Forbes)

Photographs by Emily Howell-Forbes; captions by Elizabeth Grimsley

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