Undaunted by Adversity, Lynnzee布朗 Ends Her DU Career With a Hurrah

This article appears in the spring issue of the University of Denver Magazine. 参观 杂志网站 for bonus content 和 to read this 和 other articles in their original format.

这是2020年2月的一个周日下午，在麦格尼斯竞技场. The University of Denver women’s gymnastics team was hosting George Washington University in front of nearly 5,500名粉丝. The Pioneers 和 then-junior Lynnzee布朗 were competing on the floor, 他们下午的最后一轮轮换.

“就在我准备做双后刺的时候, 我意识到我可能无法着陆,布朗说. “谢天谢地，我能够快速思考并安全着陆.”

当她准备最后一个空翻时, 棕色（的） knew right away that she had torn her right Achilles tendon. 这是她职业生涯中第一次受重伤, 和 it came less than a year after the sudden passing of her mother.

“This physical pain woke me up from this sense that I was just going through the motions in life,她说。. “这两种经历都不好玩, but I feel like the combination of those two made me realize how for granted I was taking the whole experience.”

在此之前，这段经历非常值得细细品味. 大二的时候, 棕色（的） became the first DU gymnast since Nina McGee in 2016 to win an individual national championship. Her performance on the floor exercise helped lead the team to a fourth-place finish at nationals, 这是项目历史上的最高成绩.

但在她失去母亲并面临八个月的恢复期后, 那种非凡的成功似乎遥不可及. 布朗刚做完手术一周，校园里就出现了, 整个世界, 由于COVID-19全球大流行而关闭. 因为手术, 她无法飞回密苏里的家, 因为那是她的右腿, 她不会开车.

“The whole team went home, the whole campus went home, 和 I was the only one on campus. 整个夏天我都有点难过，”布朗说. “I did a lot of reflecting, but at the same time I watched a lot of gymnastics. Being forced to be alone for the recovery helped me come back.”

她回来了. Her senior year, the media studies major returned as strong as ever. She set a new program all-around record; she won the all-around, bars 和 floor titles at the Big 12 championship; she scored two perfect 10s in the NCAA regional final; 和 she had three top 10 finishes at the NCAA nationals.

她的大学生涯可能就此结束, 但是因为大流行, the NCAA granted student-athletes an additional year of eligibility. 棕色（的）, by then pursuing graduate studies in communication management, 决定再比赛一年. 但在本季的第四场比赛中，悲剧再次降临.

“我马上就知道了，”她回忆道. Once again, 棕色（的） had torn her Achilles tendon, but this time in her left leg.

“We had an even stronger team than we did when I had my first tear, 所以他们没有我也会过得很好,她说。. “我知道我只需要在他们身边.”

Unfortunately, 棕色（的）’s injury was the first of three torn Achilles for the Pioneers. 三周后, 米娅·桑德斯特伦撕毁了她的, 两周之后, 艾米丽·格林也是如此. 奇怪的是, all three student-athletes were graduate students taking advantage of the COVID year, 他们三个住在同一所房子里. 棕色（的） said they had a ramp built, so they could access their house. 一进去，三个人就得在楼梯上跳上跳下.

“这太令人震惊了. 每个人都难以置信，”布朗说. “我们三个人必须团结起来，支持整个团队, because that is scary to see three people go down with the same injury. Our support for the team 和 instilling confidence in them was very important for their mental well-being.”

这支球队整个赛季都在努力比赛, 但是没有了老队员, 他们错过了NCAA全国赛的资格.

The chance to repeat the team’s 2019 feat at nationals fueled 棕色（的）’s decision to return for a sixth season this year, an opportunity that arose when she was granted another year of eligibility because of how early in the season her second Achilles injury occurred.

“I knew we could make it to the national championships if I was healthy 和 made a strong recovery. I thought I could help push this team even further,布朗说. “That was my goal, for this team to experience the national championships.”

棕色（的） once again bounced back from her injury 和 helped the Pioneers achieve that goal. In April, the team hosted 和 won the NCAA regionals, earning a return trip to nationals. Although 棕色（的） went on to break her own program record for best all-around score in an NCAA nationals meet, it would not be enough to help the team advance to the finals. Ultimately, her final collegiate performance came on the floor. 她以9分的成绩结束了比赛.95, the same score both she 和 McGee put up when they won their national titles.

“I don’t think people truly underst和 what she has been through,梅丽莎·库彻-莱因哈特说, Joy S. 伯恩斯是女子体操总教练. “In the six years of her journey at the University of Denver, to be at the highs of being a floor national champion 和 an All-American to the lows of losing her mom 和 having injuries, 她真是个鼓舞人心的人.”