March 15, 2007
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COLUMBIA, Mo. - Hitting the road for the final two meets of the regular season, the No. 18 Missouri gymnastics team travels to Ann Arbor, Mich., to face No. 11 Michigan on Friday, March 16 at 7:30 p.m. EDT at Crisler Arena. The two teams met in the 2005 NCAA South Central Regional but last faced off in the regular season in 1992.
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Mizzou in the rankings
Missouri held steady at 18th 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.
Looking ahead to Regionals
A total of 36 teams will qualify for six different NCAA Regionals, with Alabama (Central), Arizona (South Central), California-Berkeley (West), Denver (North Central), Michigan (Northeast) and West Virginia (Southeast) serving as hosts. The top 18 teams will be seeded as shown:
1 2 3 4 5 6
12 11 10 9 8 7
13 14 15 16 17 18
Joining the three seeded teams in each Regional will be the top three unseeded teams from that region. The top two teams from each Regional will then qualify for Nationals. Based solely on this week's rankings, Missouri would be in a Regional with No. 6 UCLA and No. 7 Utah. Because none of the three seeded teams are hosting this season, the Tigers would either travel to Cal-Berkeley for the West Regional or West Virginia for the Southeast Regional. The NCAA will announce the official Regional pairings on Monday, March 27.
Scouting No. 11 Michigan
Michigan posted its best score in a 197.875-196.500 loss at Georgia last weekend. The Wolverines have rebounded from season-ending injuries to senior All-American Lindsey Bruck and freshmen Sarah Curtis Jordan Sexton with season-highs the past two weekends.
All-time series: Michigan leads 7-4 (MU leads 4-2 in regular season)
Last meeting: 2005: Michigan 196.600, MU 195.100 (South Central Regional)
Last time out
The Tigers closed out the home portion of the regular season with a 195.425-192.875 win over Iowa on Friday, March 9. Sophomore Adrianne Perry claimed the all-around title with a 39.300 and took home the vault and bars titles as well, while junior Julie Abaray won beam and freshman Danielle Guider picked up her first career event title with a first place finish on floor.
Perry scored a 9.925 on vault to finish first and senior Whitney Crater tied her career-high with a 9.900 to take second. Guider also notched a 9.825 on the event to set a new career-high.
The home stretch
The Tigers enter the home stretch of their regular season with two road meets at No. 11 Michigan and No. 12 Arkansas on tap. If things go according to plan, Mizzou will be able to drop its 193.825 score from Oklahoma and the 195.025 from Iowa State from its RQS. Missouri then returns to the Hearnes Center as the team hosts the 2007 Big 12 Conference Gymnastics Championship on Saturday, March 31, which will be counted as a home meet in the RQS.
No growing pains for Guider
Over two months into her freshman campaign, Danielle Guider has evolved into one of Mizzou's most consistent competitors. Guider started the season in and out of the vault and beam lineup but is now a constant on those two events and floor. At the Tigers's recent meet against Iowa, Guider notched a career-high 9.825 on vault and won the floor title with a 9.800. She also has personal bests of 9.800 on beam (vs. Centenary, at Pittsburgh) and 9.825 on floor (at Oklahoma, vs. Centenary).
Crater continues her comeback
Senior Whitney Crater continues to astound with her lightning quick recovery from an Achilles injury. Crater ruptured her Achilles in the last practice before Mizzou left for the 2006 NCAA Southeast Regional and has not missed a meet during her senior season. She's been in the vault lineup all 10 meets and entered the floor lineup against SEMO on Feb. 9. This past weekend Crater tied her career-high on vault as she recorded 9.900 for the first time since 2005.
Gilmore grabs the spotlight
In an event lineup for only the fourth time in her career, senior Alicia Gilmore posted a personal best 9.875 on bars at Pittsburgh to tie two teammates for the event title. It was the first event crown of her career and the score bettered her previous career-high by a full tenth of a point.
Bars one of the best
Mizzou had a breakout meet on bars at Pittsburgh on March 3. Five of the six Tigers in the lineup recorded a 9.800 or higher, including 9.875s from senior Alicia Gilmore and sophomores Alicia Hatcher and Adrianne Perry. Mizzou's team score of 49.250 was the highest score on any event this season and ties the program mark for the fourth-highest total in school history.
Perry back among nation's best
After a somewhat slow start to the season, sophomore Adrianne Perry has put up solid performances the last month to return among the country's elite in the national rankings. This week, she clocks in at 18th on vault (9.880 RQS), tied for 24rd on beam (9.845), 25th in the all-around (39.140), tied for 52nd on floor (9.830) and tied for 78th on bars (9.790).
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 two away meets remaining on the schedule in the final three weeks of the regular season, the Tigers have the opportunity to drastically improve their ranking. Mizzou should be able to drop the 193.825 from Oklahoma with a good score at Michigan this weekend.
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.
Tigers ranked nationally...
Four Tigers are ranked among the nation's elite this week. Sophomore Adrianne Perry is 18th on vault, tied for 24rd on beam, 25th in the all-around, tied for 52nd on floor and tied for 78th on bars. Junior Julie Abaray is tied for 74th on bars and tied for 80th on floor. Senior Amanda Pezzullo is tied for 54th on beam, tied for 70th on floor and 92nd on vault and sophomore Alicia Hatcher is 95th on bars.
...and regionally
In addition to their national rankings, six Tigers are ranked in the top-30 in the South Central Region. Perry is third on vault, fifth in the all-around, tied for sixth on beam, 12th on floor and tied for 14th on bars; Abaray is 13th on bars, 19th on floor and 25th on beam; Pezzullo is 14th on beam, 16th on floor and 18th on vault; sophomore Alicia Hatcher is 19th on bars; freshman Danielle Guider is tied for 24th on floor; junior Ashley Khederian is tied for 27th on vault.
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
Picked up the beam crown with a 9.900 against Iowa ... tied for third on beam with a 9.850 and posted a 9.825 on bars at Pittsburgh ... 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 74th on bars, 80th on floor nationally.
Nikki Bowman
Stepped into the floor lineup and scored a 9.675 against the Hawkeyes ... recorded a 9.700 on vault at Pittsburgh ... 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
Tied her career-high on vault with a 9.900 to take second against Iowa ... 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
Posted a 9.700 on bars against the Hawkeyes ... won her first career event title with a career-high 9.875 at Pittsburgh ... scored a then career-high 9.750 on bars against SEMO in only her second time in an event lineup in her career.
Danielle Guider
Collected her first event title with a 9.800 on floor against Iowa ... also set a career-high on vault with a 9.825 against the Hawkeyes ... tied her career-high with a 9.800 on beam at Pittsburgh ... 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
Finished second on bars with a 9.850 against Iowa ... tied two teammates for the bars title with a personal best 9.875 at Pittsburgh ... also led off the beam lineup and scored a 9.825 ... 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 .. ranked 95th on bars nationally.
Ashley Khederian
Did not compete against Iowa due to a sore knee ... posted a 9.750 on vault and a 9.700 on floor at Pittsburgh ... 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.
Katie Kluga
Notched a 9.775 on beam at Pittsburgh ... 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
Claimed the all-around, vault and bars titles against Iowa ... took the all-around and tied for the bars and floor titles at Pittsburgh ... 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 18th on vault, tied for 24th on beam, 25th in the all-around, tied for 52nd on floor and tied for 78th on bars nationally.
Amanda Pezzullo
Posted a 9.800 on vault against the Hawkeyes ... recorded a 9.800 on beam at Pittsburgh ... 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 54th on beam, 70th on floor and 92nd on vault nationally.
Becky Scholle
Was in both the vault and bars lineups against Iowa posted a 9.800 on bars at Pittsburgh ... 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.
