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Julie Abaray is now a three-time first team selection

Nine Tigers Claim All-Big 12 Academic First Team Honors

Tigers Lead the League for Third Consecutive Season

March 25, 2008

Columbia, Mo. - Nine Tiger Gymnasts have earned Academic All-Big 12 first team honors as announced by the conference office on Tuesday. The nine first team selections for the Tigers tops the league for the third consecutive season.

Seniors Julie Abaray (Cincinnati, Ohio), Ashley Khederian (Carlisle, Mass.), Nikki Bowman and Lisa Puccio (Kirkwood, Mo.) all earned honors along with juniors Alicia Hatcher (Blue Springs, Mo.) and Adrianne Perry (Columbia, Mo.) and sophomores Brooke Boehmer (Overland Park, Kan.), Becky Scholle (Chesterfield, Mo.) and Liz Straatmann (Washington, Mo.).

Nominated by each institution's director of student-athlete support services and the media relations offices, the academic all-league gymnastics squad consists of 19 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. Seniors who meet all requirements except the required participation are also eligible.

The Tigers nine selections to the first team make up 45-percent of the first team. Perry, Straatmann, Scholle, Khederian, Puccio and Boehmer are all first-time first-team selections while Abaray earned her third selection to the first team. Hatcher is a two-time first team selection as she earned the honor last season as well. Bowman also becomes a two-time first team selection and also has a second team selection on her record in 2006.

The Tigers will head to Norman, Okla. to take part in the Big 12 Championships on Saturday. The Tigers will square off against No. 9 Oklahoma, No. 14 Nebraska and Iowa State in search of their first ever league title. Stay tuned to www.mutigers.com for all the latest on Mizzou athletics. For the complete list of Academic All-Big 12 performers, visit www.big12sports.com.

Shire, Perry to Rotate with SEC Squads

04/06/2009 - W. Gymnastics

This is senior Adrianne Perry's fourth trip to the NCAA National Championships, a school record, and the first time Missouri has sent two individuals to the competition.