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TWU
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PIONEERS POST A 194.050 AT DU
Meet Results
 DENVER, Colorado (March 8) – The Texas Woman’s University Pioneers found a Rocky Mountain high on Saturday night in Denver, Colorado, using one of their best performances of the season to score 194.050 in a tri-meet versus Denver University and the University of Pittsburgh.
The Pioneers’ stellar team total, their second-highest score of the year, gave them a runner-up finish at the meet. DU, the 13th-ranked team in the country, won the competition with a 195.950. Pittsburgh finished third with a 191.675.
TWU began the night on beam, where a career-high tying score of 9.875 from senior Courtney Arno-Templet (pictured) helped the Pioneers’ match their top beam score of the season, 48.725. Arno-Templet’s outstanding routine also allowed her to share the individual beam title with Denver’s Sasha Sullivan and Ellen McCarthy. Sophomore Kristie Costa (9.775), junior Tonya Pipkorn (9.750), junior Brittany Parker (9.675), and sophomore Leslie Pladson (9.650) were nearly as good as Arno-Templet on the event for the Pioneers.
“I don’t think we could have asked for a better start,” said TWU head coach Frank Kudlac. “The performance of our beam team really gave us a ton of confidence for the rest of the meet.”
TWU kept it going on floor, hitting five of their six routines and scoring a 48.450. Junior Amie Boles was the Pioneers’ top tumbler, recording a 9.825. Freshman Mollie Blessing (9.750), Pipkorn (9.700) and junior Amy Hulbert (9.700) also did well on the event for TWU.
“I was very pleased with our result on floor,” said Kudlac. “We could have had a let down a little bit after doing so well on beam, but, to their credit, our floor workers stayed focused and did what they had to do.”
Senior Nicole Poling paced the Pioneers on vault with a 9.800, her third vault of 9.8 or better this season. Blessing (9.775), Parker (9.775), and junior Amy Hulbert (9.675) followed Poling’s lead with season-high vaults of their own to push the TWU team vault total all the way up to 48.700.
Arno-Templet led the way for TWU on bars with a 9.800. She tied for third on the event, just ahead of her Pioneer teammate, Brista Michael, who tallied a season-high 9.775 on the apparatus to tie for fifth.
“Courtney’s consistency on bars this season has been tremendous,” said Kudlac. “Every meet she is just so polished and so smooth. I am continually amazed by her gymnastics.”
The Pioneers will travel back to Texas on Sunday to start preparation for their final home meet of the season, scheduled for next Friday, March 14, versus Utah State, Kentucky, and Centenary at 7:00 p.m. in Kitty Magee Arena.
“We’re peaking at the right time,” summarized Kudlac. “We needed this score tonight in a big way, and I’m happy about that. But, I still think we’re capable of going even higher. I’m excited to be coming home and already looking forward to next week’s meet.”
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