March 1, 2007
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COLUMBIA, Mo. - The No. 19 Missouri gymnastics team hits the road for the first time in four weeks as the squad travels to Pittsburgh, Pa., for a meet against host PIttsburgh and Central Michigan on Saturday, March 3 at 6 p.m. CT. With a good score at the meet, Mizzou will boost its Regional Qualifying Score and shoot up the national rankings.
Live results will be available at www.PittsburghPanthers.com.
Mizzou in the rankings
Missouri fell two spots to 19th in this week's GymInfo Top 25, based on a team's Regional Qualifying Score. 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 an RQS. Mizzou's RQS is below:
196.075 Home (dropped)
195.325 Home
195.025 Away
195.000 Home
193.825 Away
+192.625 Away
971.800
971.800 / 5 = 194.360 RQS
Last time out
Mizzou claimed its fifth consecutive team title at the 27th Annual The Callaway Bank Cat Classic last weekend. The Tigers recorded a 196.075, their highest score since 2005, to best Eastern Michigan (191.775), Bowling Green (190.650) and William and Mary (187.700).
Sophomore Adrianne Perry won the vault title and shared the floor crown with senior Amanda Pezzullo while junior Julie Abaray blaimed the bars and beam titles. With a career-high 9.925 on beam, Abaray led the Tigers to a season-high 49.175 on the event.
At the individual event finals on Saturday, Perry and Abaray were again the stars as Perry won the vault and floor and Abaray took home the bars title. Senior Whitney Crater finished second on both vault and floor with 9.850s on both events in her best performance since she coming back from last season's Achilles' injury.
And away we go
Due to the ranking system, away meets are especially important in gymnastics. A team's RQS (explained earlier) requires at least three scores from away meets. With three away meets remaining on the schedule in the final four weeks of the regular season, the Tigers have the opportunity to drastically improve their ranking. If all goes well this weekend, Mizzou will drop the192.625 from the Cancun Classic from its RQS and should be able to do the same to the 193.825 from Oklahoma after traveling to Michigan in two weeks.
A beaming success
After nearly two months of competition the Tigers finally put together a successful beam lineup at the Cat Classic. The squad's Achilles' heel all season, Mizzou recorded a 49.175, the team's highest score on any event this season, which also bested its previous season high by over six-tenths of a point. The lineup was highlighted by a career-high shattering 9.925 for junior Julie Abaray, who had tied her previous personal best of 9.850 the week before.
Fantastic Floor
After struggling on the event much of last season, floor has proved to be Missouri's strongest event thus far this season. The team averages a 48.834 on the event and scored a season-high 49.125 against Centenary on Feb. 16. The squad should continue to improve now that senior Whitney Crater is all the way back from last season's Achilles' tear and back in the lineup.
Talk about improvement
Since falling on vault in the first meet of the season, sophomore Adrianne Perry has been one of the nation's top vaulters. She scored a career-high 9.950 against SEMO and notched 9.925s against Nebraska and Centenary. With a good score at Pittsburgh, Perry will drop her 9.050 from Cancun and should enter the coutnry's top-10 on the event.
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 9.814 including a season-high 9.850 against SEMO and Abaray's average is a 9.766, with a career-high 9.875 against Centenary on Feb. 16.
Tigers ranked nationally...
Four Tigers find themselves ranked among the nation's elite this week now that rankings are based on RQS. Junior Julie Abaray is tied for 52nd on floor and 75th on bars and senior Amanda Pezzullo is tied for 57th on beam and 60th on floor. Additionally, sophomore Adrianne Perry is tied for 67th on floor, 80th on beam and 92nd on vault and junior Ashley Khederian is tied for 87th on vault and 100th on bars.
With the RQS, gymnasts need at least three away meet scores to be ranked so Perry will be unranked on bars and in the all-around and Pezzullo will be unranked on floor until Mizzou travels to Pittsburgh next weekend.
...and regionally
In addition to their national rankings, sevenTigers are ranked in the top-30 in the South Central Region. Pezzullo is tied for ninth on beam and 12th on vault; Abaray is 10th on bars, tied for 11th on floor and tied for 26th on beam; Perry is 15th on beam, tied for 15th on floor and tied for 27th on vault; Khederian is 16th on bars, 19th on vault and 22nd on floor; freshman Danielle Guider is 23rd on floor; junior Katie Kluga is 24th on bars and freshman Becky Scholle is 30th on bars.
Tiger takes Big 12 honor, finally
Sophomore Adrianne Perry was named the Big 12 Gymnast of the Week on Feb. 12, which marks the first time since 2005 that a Mizzou gymnast has received the honor. Perry earned the award after posting a career-high 39.500 in the all-around against SEMO on Friday.
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.
Tigers awarded for work in the classroom
For their efforts in the classroom, 11 Tigers were named to the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll for posting a grade-point-average of 3.0 or higher during the previous semester.
Seniors Ali Gilmore and Amanda Pezzullo, juniors Julie Abaray, Nikki Bowman, Katie Kluga and Lisa Puccio, sophomore Alicia Hatcher and freshmen Brooke Boehmer, Nicole Lovegreen, Becky Scholle and Liz Straatmann were all named to the list. Scholle was recognized for posting a 4.0 GPA.
Tiger Tidbits
Julie Abaray
Won the Cat Classic bars title with a 9.850 ... also won the bars and beam titles in the team competition, highlighted by a career-high 9.925 on beam ... claimed the bars, beam and floor titles against Centenary with career-highs on all three events ... tied for second on bars with a 9.825 against SEMO ... recorded 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 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 9.800 on floor at the Cancun Classic to finish in fourth place ... Tied for 52nd on floor and ranks 75th on bars nationally.
Nikki Bowman
Scored a 9.700 on vault at the Cat Classic ... finished fifth on vault with a 9.750 against SEMO ... 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
Finished second on vault and floor with season-high 9.850s at the Cat Classic individual event finals ... tied for second on vault atin the team competition ... finished second on vault with a 9.825 and scored a season-high 9.775 on floor against Centenary ... posted a 9.750 on vault for a fifth place finish against SEMO ... was in the floor lineup for the first time in 2007 against the Redhawks and scored a 9.625 ... 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.
Alicia Gilmore
Scored a career-high 9.750 on bars against SEMO in only her second time in the event lineup this season.
Danielle Guider
Finished fifth on beam in the Cat Classic individual event finals ... had third place finishes on beam and floor against Centenary ... set a personal best on beam with a 9.800 and tied her floor mark with a 9.825 ... finished third on floor with a 9.800 and notched a personal best 9.725 on beam against SEMO ... 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
Tied for second on bars (9.800) and third on beam (9.750) in the Cat Classic individual event finals ... in her first meet since Feb. 2, competed on bars and beam in the team competition ... sat out the against Centenary and SEMO due to a sprained ankle ... 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
Scored a 9.800 on bars for the second meet in a for in the Cat Classic to tie for second ... tied her personal best with a 9.800 on bars for third against Centenary ... also finished third on vault with a 9.775 ... competed in the all-around for the first time since 2005 against SEMO and scored a 38.825 ... also scored 9.775s on bars and floor ... 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 ... ranks tied for 87th on vault and 100th bars nationally.
Katie Kluga
Tied a career-high with a 9.750 on bars at the Cat Classic ... recorded a 9.700 on bars against Centenary ... 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.
Adrianne Perry
Won the vault and floor titles in the Cat Classic team competition and individual event finals ... claimed the all-around and vault titles against Centenary ... took the all-around, vault, beam and floor titles against SEMO with scores of 39.500, 9.950, 9.850 and 9.875, respectively ... all-around and vault scores against the Redhawks set career-highs ... 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 a then 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 67th on floor, 80th on beam and 92nd on vault nationally.
Amanda Pezzullo
Won her first event title of the year as she tied for first on floor with a 9.850 in the team competition ... took second place on beam and fourth on floor against Centenary ... finished second on vault and floor with scores of 9.800 and 9.850, respectively, against SEMO ... recorded a 9.825 on floor and a 9.800 on vault at Iowa State ... 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 ... ranks tied for 57th on beam and 60th on vault nationally.
Becky Scholle
Scored a 9.750 on bars for fifth place at the Cat Classic individual event finals ... finished second on bars with a 9.825 against Centenary ... won her first career event title with a career-high 9.850 on bars against SEMO ... notched a 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.
