2008 Woodie Awards
Stepping up
Gymnasitcs coach inspires run for NCAA title
Arianna Ranahosseini
Issue date: 4/8/08 Section: Sports
For the last 10 years, Head Coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart's guidance has been a key factor in the growing success of the DU gymnastics team especially as they prepare for the Northeast Regional Championship at Penn State on Saturday.
As a former collegiate gymnast at the University of Florida, Kutcher-Rinehart uses her own experiences and her firsthand knowledge of the work ethic involved in college gymnastics to motivate her team.
Kutcher-Rinehart's vision for the team is best described by the team's mission statement.
"This year sums it up perfectly," said Kutcher-Rinehart. "To build a championship tradition based on the foundation of character, teamwork and excellence."
In her time here, Kutcher-Rinehart has compiled an impressive 174-80-2 overall record as she hopes to steer the Pioneers to be the first team to ever win a national championship in both the Division I and Division II levels.
The Pioneers won the Division II national championship in 1983 and Denver has gotten even closer to achieving this goal with every appearance in the NCAA national tournament.
"Even before I was here, DU had a pretty incredible history in gymnastics," Kutcher-Rinehart said. "The athletes and alumni have really paved the way. We have continued to capitalize on that. It is really the student athletes that have capitalized."
In these last five seasons, Kutcher-Rinehart's team has set team records on three events and broken the previous team record five times. She has guided six gymnasts to the Nationals.
Last season, the Pioneers returned to the National championships after six consecutive years of near misses. Kutcher-Rinehart guided junior All-American Jessica Lopez as she became the first three-time All-American gymnast in Pioneer history. Denver finished tenth overall, the best Division I finish in DU history.
"She has built it from a Division II team to a successful Division I program," said sophomore Kelley Hennigan.
As a former collegiate gymnast at the University of Florida, Kutcher-Rinehart uses her own experiences and her firsthand knowledge of the work ethic involved in college gymnastics to motivate her team.
Kutcher-Rinehart's vision for the team is best described by the team's mission statement.
"This year sums it up perfectly," said Kutcher-Rinehart. "To build a championship tradition based on the foundation of character, teamwork and excellence."
In her time here, Kutcher-Rinehart has compiled an impressive 174-80-2 overall record as she hopes to steer the Pioneers to be the first team to ever win a national championship in both the Division I and Division II levels.
The Pioneers won the Division II national championship in 1983 and Denver has gotten even closer to achieving this goal with every appearance in the NCAA national tournament.
"Even before I was here, DU had a pretty incredible history in gymnastics," Kutcher-Rinehart said. "The athletes and alumni have really paved the way. We have continued to capitalize on that. It is really the student athletes that have capitalized."
In these last five seasons, Kutcher-Rinehart's team has set team records on three events and broken the previous team record five times. She has guided six gymnasts to the Nationals.
Last season, the Pioneers returned to the National championships after six consecutive years of near misses. Kutcher-Rinehart guided junior All-American Jessica Lopez as she became the first three-time All-American gymnast in Pioneer history. Denver finished tenth overall, the best Division I finish in DU history.
"She has built it from a Division II team to a successful Division I program," said sophomore Kelley Hennigan.
Be the first to comment on this story