Hearnes Center and Practice Gym - Gymnastics
The Hearnes Center is an $11 million competitive facility that is the home to the Missouri gymnastics, wrestling and volleyball programs. The building, which has a seating capacity of 13,611, has hosted numerous post-season competitions, including the Big 12 Gymnastics Championships on four occasions (1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011), 2010 NCAA South Central Regional Gymnastics Championships, and three Big 12 Wrestling Championships (1997, 2003, and 2007).
The arena once served as the site of the nationally renowned Missouri Cat Classic, where the Tigers host some of the nation’s premier gymnastics teams each season. Missouri also puts on an annual Beauty and the Beast meet where the gymnasts and the wrestlers take the floor and compete simultaneously; giving fans a fast-paced, unique experience. The event has generated some of the largest crowds in Missouri Gymnastics history. In 2008, 6,308 fans gathered to watch the gymnasts face Illinois as the wrestlers took on Central Michigan. The crowd stands as the all-time largest non-Cat Classic crowd.
The Hearnes Center was dedicated to Governor Hearnes during summer commencement ceremonies in 1975. Within the structure, the gymnastics facilities are continuing to improve under head Coach Rob Drass. The Mizzou gymnasts practice just footsteps away from their competitive floor in the Hearnes Center Fieldhouse. The practice gym is one of the best equipped training gyms in the nation.
