Dec. 11, 2009
Complete Results
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Coming off a record-setting season in 2009, the 2010 Missouri gymnastics squad made its season debut at the Black and Gold intrasquad exhibition meet. The Gold squad took the win over the Black squad, 156.000-155.350, with the help of senior Danielle Guider (Nutley, N.J.) and sophomore Mary Burke (Inverness, Ill.).
The meet served as a great warm-up for the Tigers who won’t begin official competition until January. The squads’ competed with just the top four scores counting, however, had it been a traditional competition, the 16th ranked Tigers would have posted an overall score of 196.600.
“We were solid with our top six to seven competitors on each event,” Head Coach Rob Drass said. “We have lots of work ahead but we have large goals for the season. We want to win the Big 12 Championship and make it to Nationals. I think we have the team to do so. I thought we started well tonight."
Senior, and returning All-American, Sarah Shire (Columbia, Mo.) led all competitors with an all-around score of 39.550, as sophomore Mary Burke (Inverness, Ill.) followed with a 39.400. Guider made her first all-around appearance a memorable one with a 39.300. Freshman Lauren Swankoski (Chadds Ford, Pa.) looked impressive in her first meet as a Tiger posting a 38.900.
The two squads opened the meet with the standard vault and uneven bars rotation. Shire posted the Black squad’s high on vault with a 9.800, while Burke and junior Alex Gold (Plano, Texas) both put up a 9.900 on the event for the Gold.
Senior Becky Scholle (Chesterfield, Mo.) posted a 9.800 on bars, one of her best events, behind Burke’s 9.850 for the Gold squad. But it was the Black squad who took the win on the bars with sophomore Allie Heizelman’s (Cypress, Texas) 9.850 and Shire’s 9.950, both would be career highs for the gymnasts in official competition.
The squads moved to the balance beam and floor exercise for the last two rotations with the Gold squad leading 78.150-77.900. The Black squad look great on beam posting four scores of 9.700 or above. Freshman Brittany Bendoff (Long Grove, Ill.) showed her talents for the first time with a 9.700. Senior Brooke Boehmer (Overland Park, Kan.) put up a 9.800 right behind Shire’s 9.900.
The Gold squad was not to be outdone on the same event as freshman Tori Howard (Chesterfield, Mo.) posted a 9.700 and both Burke and Guider posted a 9.900. The Gold squad did not disappoint on floor as Gold received a 9.800 and Guider a 9.850, which would tie her career high. Shire closed the night out with a dazzling 9.900 on floor as her Black squad finished just behind the Gold squad by .65 of a point.
The Tigers have close to a month until regular season competition begins at home in the Hearnes Center against Ohio State at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 8. The team’s first test on the road will be Jan. 15, as they head to Las Vegas for the Lady Luck Invitational to compete against Arizona State, Kentucky and LSU.
Ticket information and sales for the upcoming 2010 season are available through the Missouri Athletics Ticket Office by calling 884-PAWS or 1-800-CAT-PAWS.
Stay tuned to mutigers.com for all the latest news on Missouri gymnastics.
