Feb. 8, 2007
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The No. 19 Missouri gymnastics team joins with the No. 2 Mizzou wrestling squad on Friday, Feb. 9 as the two programs come together to host the first annual Beauty and the Beast at 7 p.m. During the event, the gymnasts will square off against SEMO while the wrestlers take on Northern Iowa simultaneously on the Hearnes Center floor.
Unlike most gymnastics duals, Missouri and SEMO will not alternate routines in each rotation. Instead, the teams will compete their routines one after another on their respective events.
Mizzou All-Access will stream a live feed of the meet to online at mutigers.com for subscribers and live results cans be found at:
http://mutigers.cstv.com/livestats/gym/gym_stats.html.
Mizzou in the rankings
Missouri continued to improve on its national ranking, moving up one spot to 19th in this week's GymInfo Top 25 with an average score of 194.100. All four Big 12 programs are ranked in the poll, with Nebraska (195.684) sixth, Oklahoma (195.325) ninth and Iowa State (195.294) 11th. Rankings will be based on average score for the first five polls and will then switch to Regional Qualifying Score (RQS).
An RQS is calculated by taking the six highest scores of the season, of which at least three must be from an away meet. The highest overall score is dropped and the remaining five scores are averaged to get the RQS.
On individual events, the Tigers rank 17th on floor, 21st on vault, 23rd on beam and 27th on bars, and. In the South Central Region, Mizzou clocks in at fifth overall and fifth on floor, sixth on vault and bars and seventh on beam.
Last time out
The Tigers closed out their Big 12 Conference regular season competition with a 195.725-195.025 loss to No. 11 Iowa State on Friday, Feb. 2 in Ames, Iowa. Despite the defeat, Mizzou posted a season-high team score and stayed with the Cyclones through the first three rotations. The Tigers closed the meet on beam trailing Iowa State by just more than one-tenth of a point but could not make up any ground as the squad scored only a 48.350 on the event.
Even with the loss, Missouri posted a season-high on bars with a 48.950 as four Tigers notched 9.800 or higher and tied the season-high on floor with a 48.950 as well.
Sophomore Adrianne Perry tied her personal best with a 39.300 to finish in second in the all-around competition. The Columbia, Mo., native also finished second on floor with a 9.850 and tied for second on vault with a 9.825. Senior Amanda Pezzullo finished behind Perry with a 9.825 on floor to take third place.
Better bars
One of the Tigers weaker events in their first few meets, bars was a highlight at Iowa State on Feb. 2. Mizzou started the night on the event and scored a season-high 48.950, which was more than two-tenths higher than the team's previous high. In all, four Tigers scored 9.800 or higher.
Freshman Becky Scholle, junior Julie Abaray and sophomore Adrianne Perry all notched 9.800s, which set a new personal best for Scholle and tied Abaray's career high. The anchor of the lineup, sophomore Alicia Hatcher posted a 9.825.
Talk about improvement
After falling on vault in the first meet of the season, sophomore Adrianne Perry has reeled off a four straight fantastic vaults. She notched 9.825s against Illinois (1/12) and Iowa State (2/2), a 9.875 at Oklahoma (1/19) and a career-high 9.925 against Nebraska (1/26). Although her season average on the event is a 9.700, her average the past four weeks is a 9.863.
What a difference a year makes
Junior Julie Abaray and Senior Amanda Pezzullo are two big reasons for the Tigers' success on floor this year. Last season, Abaray suffered a severe ankle sprain, which limited her to competing on floor in only four meets, with a season-high score of 9.775. Pezzullo competed on the event all of 2006 but her high score of 9.750 was due in part to her early lineup order.
This year, Abaray is healthy and Pezzullo has moved up in the lineup, which is reflected in their scores. Pezzullo has an event average of 9.800 including three consecutive 9.825s and Abaray's average is a 9.780, with a career-high 9.850 against Nebraska on Jan. 26.
Super Sophs
Although only two gymnasts deep, the sophomore class of Alicia Hatcher and Adrianne Perry is one of Mizzou's most productive. Together, the two Missouri natives hold Missouri's season-high scores on every event thus far. Perry set highs on vault and floor against Nebraska with a 9.925 and 9.900, respectively, while both she and Hatcher notched 9.825s on bars in the meet to set that event high. Hatcher also holds the beam high with a 9.900, which she recorded at Oklahoma.
Tigers ranked nationally...
After two weeks on competition, four Tigers are ranked in the top-100 nationally on different events. Sophomore Adrianne Perry is tied for 33rd in the all-around, , tied for 74th on bars and is 89th on floor. Senior Amanda Pezzullo is tied for 50th on floor and ranks 89th on beam, junior Julie Abaray is tied for 70th on floor and junior Katie Kluga clocks in at 73rd on beam.
...and regionally
In addition to their national rankings, fiveTigers are ranked in the top-30 in the South Central Region. Perry is tied for fifth in the all-around, 10th on bars, tied 17th on floor and 29th on beam. Pezzullo is tied for sixth on floor, 18th on beam and 22nd on vault, Abaray is tied for 11th on floor and 21st on bars while Kluga is 12th on beam. Additionally, junior Ashley Khederian ranks 29th on bars.
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.
Tiger Tidbits
Julie Abaray
Tied a career-high with a 9.800 on bars at Iowa State ... also notched a 9.800 on beam and 9.775 on floor against the Cyclones ... scored a career-high 9.850 on floor against Nebraska to tie for fourth and posted a 9.800 on beam ... notched a 9.775 on floor and a 9.700 on bars against Oklahoma and Central Michigan ... tied for first on beam against Illinois with a 9.800 ... scored a career high tying 9.800 on floor at the Cancun Classic to finish in fourth place ... ranks tied for 11th in the South Central Region and tied for 70th nationally on floor and is tied for 21st on bars in the region.
Nikki Bowman
Notched a 9.650 on floor against the Cyclones ... tied her career-high with a 9.750 on vault against Nebraska ... led off the beam lineup with a 9.750 at Oklahoma ... recorded a 9.700 on vault against Illinois on Jan. 12 ... posted a 9.675 on bars and 9.625s on beam and floor at the Cancun Classic.
Whitney Crater
Recorded a 9.725 on vault at Iowa State ... had a 9.800 on vault against the Cornhuskers ... scored a 9.825 on vault to tie for second against Illinois ... in her first competition since suffering an Achilles tear in April, notched a 9.775 on vault at the Cancun Classic.
Danielle Guider
Scored a 9.775 on floor at Iowa State ... recorded a career-high 9.825 on floor at Oklahoma to tie for third place ... competed on both vault and floor in her collegiate debut and did not disappoint with a 9.700 on vault ... entered the beam lineup against Illinois and notched a 9.575.
Alicia Hatcher
Finished fourth on bars with a 9.825 at Iowa State ... tied for third on bars with a team season-high 9.825 against Nebraska ... scored a career-high 9.900 on beam to tie for third at Oklahoma ... also notched a 9.750 on floor against the Sooners ... finished second on beam against Illinois with a 9.700 ... recorded a 9.700 on floor at the Cancun Classic.
Ashley Khederian
Notched a season-high 9.725 on bars against the Cyclones ... also scored a 9.775 on vault ... posted a 9.700 on bars against the Huskers ... had a 9.775 on vault at Oklahoma to tie for fifth place ... also posted a 9.725 on floor ... scored a 9.725 on vault, 9.675 on bars and a 9.600 on floor against Illinois ... competed on three events at the Cancun Classic and notched a 9.775 on vault.
Katie Kluga
Led off beam against Nebraska and scored a 9.750 ... posted a career high 9.800 on beam at the Cancun Classic to tie for 10th place ... also notched a 9.675 on bars in Cancun ... tied for 73rd nationally and 12th in the SC Region on beam.
Adrianne Perry
Finished second on vault with a 9.825 and floor with a 9.850 and scored a 9.825 on beam and a 9.800 on bars at Iowa State ... set career-highs on vault with a 9.925 and floor with a 9.900 against Nebraska ... the vault score set a new sophomore record on the event ... also scored a 9.825 on bars against the Huskers ... tied for the vault title with a career-high tying 9.875 at Oklahoma ... picked up the all-around crown against Illinois with a 39.150 on the night ... also won the bars, beam and floor titles against the Illini with scores of 9.775, 9.800 and 9.750, respectively ... notched a 9.825 on vault against Illinois to tie for second .. at the Cancun Classic, recorded a 9.825 on beam to tie for fifth place .. ranks tied for 33rd in the all-around, tied for 74th on bars and 89th on floor nationally.
Amanda Pezzullo
Had a strong meet against Nebraska as she tied for second on beam with a 9.875 and posted a 9.825 on floor and 9.800 on vault ... recorded a 9.825 on floor to tie for third and posted a 9.800 on beam at Oklahoma ... in her first floor routine of the season, notched a 9.725 on floor to take second place ... scored a team meet high 9.875 on vault at the Cancun Classic to tie for second ... tied for 50th on floor and ranks 89th on beam nationally.
Becky Scholle
Notched a personal best 9.800 on bars at Iowa State ... scored a on bars against Nebraska ... in the vault lineup for the first time at Oklahoma, did not disappoint with a 9.725 ... tied Julie Abaray for second on bars with a 9.700 against the Fighting Illini ... was in the bars lineup in her first collegiate meet at the Cancun Classic.
