Junior Julie Abaray
  
 
No. 18 Gymnastics Opens 2007 Campaign in Cancun On Friday

Tigers face Auburn, BYU and Iowa State in Cancun

Jan. 3, 2007

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The No. 18 Missouri gymnastics team kicks offits 2007 campaign at the Cancun Classic in Cancun, Mexico on Friday, Jan. 5 at 7:30 p.m. CST. Missouri will face No. 13 and Big 12 Conference foe Iowa State, No. 20 Auburun and BYU, which receieved votes in the preseason coaches' poll. The rotation order for the meet will not be finalized until Thursday night at the pre-meet banquet.

Live streaming video of the meet will be available at www.XStreamSports.tv for $24. Signup will end on Wednesday, Jan. 3.

Missouri vs. Cancun foes...
The Cancun Classic marks the 24th meeting between the Tigers of Missouri and Auburn. Auburn holds a 16-7 series record, and is 10-7 in regular season competition and 6-0 in the postseason. Mizzou will see BYU for the 19th time and holds a 11-7 all-time mark against the Cougars, with all meets coming in the regular season. Iowa State is Missouri has competed against Iowa State 77 times, which makes the Cyclones the Tigers most faced opponent. Mizzou holds a 41-36 edge in the series, with the Cylones ahead 24-23 in the regular season but Mizzou on top 18-13 in the postseason.

Mizzou in the rankings...
Missouri is ranked No. 18 in the GymInfo Peseason Coaches' Poll, released on Dec. 1. The Tigers will look to mirror last season's success when the their preseason ranking of 16th was the lowest of the season.

Black and Gold a Success...
The Tigers held their annual Black and Gold Meet on Saturday, Dec. 9 in a preview of the upcoming season. The squad was divided into two teams and at least five gymnasts competed for each team on every event. The Black team came away with a 192.050-191.650 victory.

Junior Ashley Khederian scored a 39.000 to take the all-around title, while classmate Julie Abaray finished second with a 38.900 and sophomore Adrianne Perry scored a 38.800 to come in third. Perry won the vault with a 9.850, followed by seniors Whitney Crater and Amanda Pezzullo, who both scored 9.800s to tie for second. Abaray and Khederian tied for first on bars with a 9.800 while junior Lisa Puccio (since lost for the season to an ACL injury) scored a 9.750 to take third. On beam, Abaray and Perry scored 9.800 apiece to take the event title and Pezzullo won floor with a 9.900.

Mizzou faces some of nation's best...
During the 2007 campaign, Mizzou will compete against some of the nation's top competition. Six teams ranked in the preseason poll are on the Tigers' schedule, including No. 6 Michigan, No. 7 Nebraska, No. 10 Oklahoma, No. 13 Iowa State, No. 15 Arkansas and No. 20 Auburn. Missouri will also face five teams that received votes in the poll: BYU, Illinois, Iowa, Pittsburgh and Central Michigan.

The Tigers under Drass...
In his seventh season as head coach of the Tigers, Rob Drass has revitalized the program and brought Mizzou to new heights. His squads have qualified for six regional championships in seven years, highlighted by third place showings in 2005 and 2006. The Tigers have been continualy ranked in the top 20 since his arrival and earned the program's all-time high of seventh in 2006. For his efforts, Drass was selected 2006 South Central Region Head Coach of the Year. Overall, he has a 71-54 regular season mark with the Tigers.

Mizzou to host Big 12 Championship...
For the first time since 2003, the Tigers will host the Big 12 Gymnastics Championship at the Hearnes Center on Saturday, March 31. The last time the meet was in Columbia, the Tigers finished third, which marked the first time since 1994 the squad finished better than fourth.

Pink Out on tap...
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.

 

 

Black Squad Takes Black and Gold Meet Win, 189.650 - 177.900

12/13/2008 - W. Gymnastics

Senior Adrianne Perry and the breakout performance of freshman Mary Burke highlighted the evening for the Tigers in the Black and Gold intrasquad meet.

Brittany Haines' Gymnastics Journal

12/12/2008 - W. Gymnastics

The freshman is ready to start the competitive season with the Black and Gold meet on Saturday.

Brooke Boehmer's Gymnastics Journal

12/03/2008 - W. Gymnastics

The junior fills us in on the Tigers' hard work after the Thanksgiving break and preparing for the Black and Gold intrasquad meet on Dec. 13.

Missouri Ranked 19th in Preseason Poll

11/24/2008 - W. Gymnastics

The Tigers are looking forward to starting an exciting season behind the talents of seniors Adrianne Perry and Alicia Hatcher, and junior Sarah Shire.

2009 Squad to Debut in Black and Gold meet

12/12/2008 - W. Gymnastics

The Black and Gold intrasquad meet at 7 p.m. on Sat., Dec. 13, is a key warm-up for the Tigers before they take on a difficult 2009 schedule.