March 30, 2005

Columbia, Mo. - After jumping into the 2005 season facing changes to both judge assignment procedures and a new pre-Olympic scoring system, the Mizzou Tiger gymnastics team has once again stepped out as one the nation's top programs.

Despite a rocky start that saw the Tigers bounce around the national rankings, Mizzou's solid performance throughout the majority of the season has firmly landed it in the GymInfo National Top-25 for the fourth consecutive year.

"The potential of this team is more than what it's ranked," Mizzou Head Coach Rob Drass says. "Until I've seen all the other ranked teams, it's very hard to compare because of the inconsistency with scoring this season. I've seen a lot of top-10 teams and I know we hang with them very well. Whether we're ranked 19th because we were inconsistent early in the season and missed an opportunity or two, or because the judging has been inconsistent, I think Regionals will be a great equalizer and the best teams will be the ones that move on."

Working their way to a No. 19 ranking, the Tigers rounded out a successful regular season with a solid performance at the 2005 Big 12 Championship. Despite a fourth-place finish, Mizzou's score rallied the Tigers to a 195.235 Regional Qualifying Score to bump Missouri into the national top-20. The mark qualifies the Tigers for advancement into NCAA postseason competition for the fourth season under Coach Drass where the Tigers are scheduled to face #6 Nebraska, #8 Michigan, #18 Arizona, #29 Arizona State and #33 Illinois in the South Central Regional next week.

"The South Central Region is the toughest bracket," Coach Drass says. "The No. 6 and No. 8 teams are in the far right bracket with Mizzou. Those two teams (Nebraska and Michigan) are the two best teams that should be advancing. In comparison, the far left bracket has No. 1, No. 12 and No. 13. We'd much rather be in that bracket because it's a lot easier to beat No. 12 and No. 13 than it is to beat the No. 6 or No. 8."

Eagerly facing what some would consider an intimidating lineup, the South Central Regional draw has shifted some advantage back into the Tigers' favor. Mizzou is scheduled to open the meet with a bye rotation before starting off on the uneven bars in the second round. Giving the Tigers an additional leg up, Missouri is slated to follow behind Michigan and Nebraska throughout the meet.

"Our team is very comfortable competing at Nebraska and we couldn't have had a better draw. We follow the two best teams in the meet and in a sense they'll break the glass ceiling for us," Coach Drass says. "If judges are holding back waiting for the best teams to give out the best scores, which tends to happen, and we can follow Nebraska and Michigan with solid routines, we have a greater chance of getting scored where we need to be. We also start on a bye which is advantageous as well. The fact of the matter is, scores in women's gymnastics tend to escalate as the competition goes on. It's better to get to an event later than sooner and not to base the score by being the first team on an event. Missouri follows the top two seeds in the competition and doesn't have to base score an event. We'll have someone blazing a trail in front of us the entire meet," he explains.

Adding to the advantages created by the draw is the fact that Mizzou not only has the opportunity to advance to the NCAA Championship as a team, but also has several Tigers capable of reaching the finals as individual qualifiers. Topping the field during the regular season, various Tiger athletes have set themselves apart as some of the nation's most successful competitors.

Earning her second consecutive Big 12 vault title this year, senior Alisha Robinson ranks as the 14th-finest vaulter in the country heading into regional competition. In addition, the two-time NCAA Championship qualifier ranks 26th in the nation on floor and 36th as an all-around competitor.

Joining Robinson in the national spotlight, junior Lauren Schwartzman is recognized as the 14th-best beam competitor in the country while also ranking 79th on the floor exercise. In addition, Ashley Khederian and Whitney Crater each stand in contention for an NCAA Championship berth. Khederian ranks 72nd nationally in the all-around and 89th on vault, while Crater ranks 97th on vault.

"It speaks to the nature of our team that we have so many individuals that are capable of qualifying on their own," Coach Drass says. "It is by no means easy to advance to the National Championships as an individual because you essentially have to win the meet. But we literally have athletes on every event that can do that, whether it's Alisha on vault or Bunny on beam, we could potentially see several athletes win."

Seeing their success mount throughout the season as both a team and individuals, the Tiger program heads into postseason competition looking to reach new heights. Overcoming the instability of a new scoring system that sent fluctuations rippling through the national rankings throughout the season, Mizzou looks to utilize its consistency to take the next step toward the NCAA Championship.

"We set very high goals knowing we won't always reach them, but I don't believe in setting goals that are always attainable," Coach Drass says. "We want to be great and we're learning to be a great team. This year in particular, we match-up better than we ever have and it simply comes down to whether we can get the job done and remain focused.

"We need to go in like we own the gym and not get intimidated by teams that year-in-and-year-out are better than we have been. The matter of the fact is Nebraska and Michigan have been to the Super Six probably nine of the past ten years; they are both very strong teams. But we are a very strong team as well and whether we make it or not, if we go out there and give it our heart, give it our soul and hit what we're doing we'll give them a run. If we're not good enough, then we're not good enough, but we'll work harder to get there next year."