Adrianne Perry and the Tigers host Iowa State in the home opener
  
 
12th Ranked Tiger Gymnastics Hosts Fourth Annual "Pink Out" on Friday

Ticket Sales Benefit Ellis Fischel Cancer Center

Jan. 16, 2008

Live Stats

Columbia, Mo. - The No. 12 Missouri Gymnastics team will host the fourth annual "Pink Out" on Friday, Jan. 18 at 6:30 p.m. in the Hearnes Center. The Tigers will take on No. 23 and Big 12 Conference rival Iowa State. Doors will open at 5:30. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for youth with $1 from each ticket sold going to Ellis Fischel Cancer Center for breast cancer research.

The Tigers are coming off of an impressive victory against the Falcons of Bowling Green. After posting a 194.100 the Tigers, led by sophomore Sarah Shire (Hartsburg, Mo.) and junior Adrianne Perry (Columbia, Mo.), have moved from 16th in the nation to 12th. The score of 194.100 is the second highest opening weekend score in school history and has put the Tigers closer to their goal of qualifying for the NCAA National Championships.

The Tigers had a fine meet against Bowling Green. The Tigers won all four events, highlighted by Shire taking home the titles in the all-around and on vault, floor and beam. Shire posted a 39.150 in the all-around, placing her 15th in the nation in all-around competition. Shire also scored a new career high of 9.875 on floor. Junior Alicia Hatcher (Blue Springs, Mo.) completed the sweep for the Tigers by winning the bars with a score of 9.775.

Sophomore Becky Scholle (Chesterfield, Mo.) also had a fine meet. As a late addition to the vault rotation, Scholle tallied a 9.775, a new personal best.

The "Pink Out" also marks a very important match-up in Big 12 competition as Iowa State visits Columbia. The Tigers have not beaten Iowa State in the regular season since 2003 but lead the overall series 41-38. The Tigers, despite dropping the Iowa State meet in the regular season last year, beat the Cyclones when it mattered at the Big 12 Championship, finishing third, one spot ahead of Iowa State who finished fourth.

 

 

Live stats and Mizzou All-Access video will be provided. For all the latest news and notes on the Tiger Gymnastics squad, stay tuned to www.mutigers.com

News and Notes:

Scouting the Cyclones:

Iowa State heads to Columbia boasting the nation's 23rd ranking. The Cyclones are coming off of a loss to Big 12 powerhouse Nebraska, 193.500-192.475 and will be looking for redemption against the Tigers. The Cyclones are led by head coach Jay Ronayne and sophomore Nikki Dilbert. Dilbert tallied a 38.900 in the all-around against Iowa State.

The Tigers have not beaten Iowa State in the regular season since 2003 but lead the overall series 41-38. The Tigers, despite dropping the Iowa State meet in the regular season last year, beat the Cyclones when it mattered at the Big 12 Championship, finishing third, one spot ahead of Iowa State who finished fourth.

Fourth Annual "Pink Out" to benefit breast cancer awareness:

The 2008 home opener against Iowa State will not only mark the start of Big 12 Conference competition, but it will also mark the programs fourth annual "Pink Out," sponsored by Ellis Fischel Cancer Center. A dollar from every ticket sold will go to breast cancer research and the first 500 fans will receive a free pink Tiger Gymnastics t-shirt.

Tigers score of 194.100 ranks among top Tiger scores in program history: With a score of 194.100 on opening weekend at Bowling Green, the 2008 Tigers took their place in history. The score is the second highest opening-weekend score in the history of the program, behind only the 2004 team which tallied a 195.350 in its season opener against Iowa State.

Tigers Rank 12th in the nation following an impressive season-opening performance:

Following the programs second best opening weekend in school history, the Tigers have moved up in the GymInfo national poll. The Tigers, ranked 16th heading into Bowling Green now rank 12th in that nation, just behind Big 12 Conference foe Nebraska. This is the highest the Tigers have been ranked in the second week of the season since 2004 and is the highest ranking since 2006.

Newcomer Sarah Shire will ranks among Big 12 and Nations Elite:

After an impressive performance at Bowling Green, Sarah Shire will enter the Pink Out as the 15th ranked gymnast in the nation. After posting a 39.150, Shire won the all-around and ranks second out of Big 12 performers as well, behind only Nebraska standout Emily Parsons. The meet marked the first time in Shire's collegiate career that she has participated in the all-around. Shire also ranks eighth in the nation on vault with a score of 9.875 and 13th on floor with the same score. Shire's score of 9.875 on floor is also a career best.

Vault figures to be Tigers top event in 2008:

With nine or 10 gymnasts in the vault rotation, the Tigers seem to have one of the best vault lineups in the nation. After posting a 49.025 on vault in Bowling Green, the Tigers rank ninth in the nation on vault. Led by newcomers Sarah Shire, Alex Gold and Lisa LaPerriere, as well as veterans like Adrianne Perry and Becky Scholle, the Tigers will likely improve their scores on vault throughout the 2008 season. The Tigers also come in ranked 13th on beam, 20th on bars and 21st on floor.

Freshman Alex Gold makes immediate impact with the Tigers:

After posting a 9.900 on vault at the Black and Gold intrasquad, Tiger fans got a good glimpse of what to expect from freshman Alex Gold. Gold lived up to those expectations against Bowling Green, notching a 9.850, placing her 15th in the nation on the event.

Becky Scholle sets a personal best on vault:

As a late addition to the vault lineup at Bowling Green, Becky Scholle posted the best score of her career on the event. Scholle notched a 9.775, besting her previous career high of 9.725 against Oklahoma last season.

Feb. 22 meet vs. Big 12 Rival Oklahoma to be televised:

With Missouri's stock consistently rising in the Big 12 Conference, the match up at Hearnes Center between the Tigers and Oklahoma has become a pivotal match up in determining Big 12 supremacy. The match has been picked up by the Missouri Sports Network and will be televised locally on Fox Sports Midwest and Metro Sports. It will be a tape delayed broadcast with dates and times yet to be announced.

The GAGE Connection:

With a team loaded with talent, the Tigers can trace some of their success to the Great American Gymnastics Express prep team. GAGE, based out of Blue Springs, Mo., has produced four key members of the Tiger squad, starting with juniors Adrianne Perry and Alicia Hatcher. The two juniors were also teammates with sophomore Liz Straatmann and transfer Sarah Shire. Perry has qualified for National in each of her first two seasons, while Hatcher earned All-Big 12 honors on the bars in 2007. The four GAGE athletes will continue to be the cornerstone of the Tiger lineup.

New Coaching Staff has Tigers Geared Up:

The start of the 2008 season has been a little bit easier for Tiger Head Coach Rob Drass, especially in lieu of the 2007 season. Drass and the Tigers have hired two new coaches that will help the Tigers excel in 2008. Associate Head Coach John Figueroa was an assistant at Denver University since 2000 and will be a key member of the coaching staff. Figueroa helped turn the DU program around, taking its bar routine to new heights, ranking 10th. That turnaround helped "Fig" earn the Region 2 Assistant Coach of the Year award in just his first season at the collegiate level. "Fig" will also serve as the recruiting coordinator for the Tigers.

Standout gymnast Amy Smith, a national champion during her competitive days at UCLA will serve as an assistant coach this season. Smith is a proven gymnast that will focus her efforts on beam and floor. Known for her choreography, Smith has reworked almost all of the floor and beam routines, giving the Tigers a fresh look on both events.

Adrianne Perry Starts to Rewrite Record Books:

Entering only her junior season, Adrianne Perry has already started to rewrite the Tiger gymnastics record books. Perry holds five of the top 15 all-around scores in the history of the program. Perry is also the sophomore record holder in the all-around and vault with scores of 39.550 and 9.950, respectively. With another great season, Perry should close in on many of former Tiger standout Alicia Robinson's records in 2008.

Tigers among Highest Attended in 2007:

The continued success of Tiger Gymnastics has earned the program a reputation as one of the highest attended teams in the country. The Tigers ranked 11th out of 86 teams in 2007 and has been steadily increasing since Drass took over the program. With home events such as Beauty and the Beast, Pink Out and the Cat Classic scheduled for 2008, the Tigers should see similar numbers this year.

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.

Gymnastics Signs Three Talented Recruits

11/17/2008 - W. Gymnastics

Head Coach Rob Drass, with the help of recruiting coordinator and assistant coach John Figueroa, has signed Brittany Bendoff, Tori Howard and Lauren Swankoski to national letters of intent.