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Junior Amanda Pezzullo tied for second on vault with a 9.875

No. 18 Gymnastics Finishes Fourth at Cancun Classic

Tigers host Third Annual Pink Out on Jan. 12

Jan. 6, 2007

Complete Results

Jan. 5, 2007

CANCUN, Mexico - In its season debut, the No. 18 Missouri gymnastics team started slow but finished strong to score a 192.625 and finish in fourth place at the Cancun Classic in Cancun, Mexico, on Friday night. No. 13 Iowa State took the top spot with a 195.650, while No. 20 Auburn notched a 194.150 and BYU posted a 194.025 to finish in second and third, respectively.

"I think we were a little rusty to start the meet," said Missouri head coach Rob Drass. "It took us awhile to kick the rust but we gradually improved as the meet went along. We just have to handle our nerves better and make a few small changes."

Mizzou started the meet on bars, where the squad scored a 47.550, led by 9.675s from juniors Ashley Khederian and Katie Kluga. On beam in the second rotation, sophomore Adrianne Perry paced the Tigers with a 9.825 and Kluga scored a career high 9.800 on the event.

The Tigers bounced back on floor to post a 48.575, led by junior Julie Abaray's 9.800. Perry scored a 9.750 while Khederian and sophomore Alicia Hatcher each received a 9.700.

Mizzou continued to improve as the meet progressed as the squad scored a 48.750 on vault in its final rotation. Senior Amanda Pezzullo tied for second place with a 9.875. Fellow senior Whitney Crater and Khederian notched 9.750s while freshman Danielle Guider scored a 9.700.

Missouri opens the home portion of their schedule with the third annual Pink Out against Illinois on Friday, Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. in the Hearnes Center. For one night, the Tigers will don pink leotards in honor of the meet, which helps raise proceeds and awareness for breast cancer awareness. The first 500 fans will receive pink t-shirts. Each of the past two years, the Pink Out raised over $1,600 for the University of Missouri Healthcare Ellis Fischel Caner Center.

Team             Vault               Bars             Beam           Floor           Total
Iowa State   49.050           48.650        49.200        48.700       195.600
Auburn         48.900           47.900        49.125        48.225       194.150
BYU             48.375           48.525        48.975        48.100       194.025
Missouri        48.750            47.550        47.850        48.575       192.725

Shire, Perry to Rotate with SEC Squads

04/06/2009 - W. Gymnastics

This is senior Adrianne Perry's fourth trip to the NCAA National Championships, a school record, and the first time Missouri has sent two individuals to the competition.