March 21, 2006

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Showing they excel in the classroom as well as in the gym, eight members of the No. 13 Missouri gymnastics team earned a spot on the 2006 Academic All-Big 12 Gymnastics Team, as announced by the conference on Tuesday. Missouri's eight selections led the league and doubled the next highest school's total.

Seven Tigers, seniors Jodie Heinicka, Lauren "Bunny" Schwartzman and Sarah Zigler, juniors Alicia Gilmore and Amanda Pezzullo and sophomores Julie Abaray and Katie Kluga earned Academic All-Big 12 first team honors while sophomore Nicole Bowman made the second team.

Heinicka and Schwartzman are now three-time members of the first team while Pezzullo made the first team for the second-consecutive year.

Nominated by each institution's director of student-athlete support services and the media relations offices, the academic all-league gymnastics squad consists of 14 first team members combined with four on the second team. First team members consist of those who have maintained a 3.20 or better GPA and the second team are those who have a 3.00 to 3.19 GPA.

To qualify student-athletes must maintain a 3.00 GPA or higher either cumulative or the two previous semesters and must have participated in 60 percent of her team's scheduled contests. Freshmen and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence. Senior student-athletes who have participated for a minimum of two years and meet all the criteria except percent of participation are also eligible.