University of Missouri
Pittsburgh
Mizzou Gymnasts Fall to Pittsburgh
1/18/2003 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
Jan. 18, 2003
Pittsburgh, Pa.-Overlooking veterans is a poor policy, particularly when regarding the Mizzou gymnastics team. Despite falling to the Pittsburgh Wildcats in their second meet of the 2003 season, the Mizzou upperclass kept the Tigers in the running posting resuscitating scores in each of the meet's four events.
The Tigers opened up solidly with two consecutive 9.725 routines by Rachael Dombart and Lauren Owca on the uneven bars. Freshman Katie Roets followed the pair scoring a 9.625 and veteran junior Andrea Nervig rounded out the lineup putting up her standard large mark on the apparatus with a 9.850 to win the event. Mizzou finished out the bars competition with a 48.200 score besting their previous meet's mark by .125.
Missouri once again improved on its second rotation posting a 48.500 team score to top the year. Freshman Lauren Schwartzman opened the round scoring a 9.700. Nervig Lindsay Davis and Alina Hamm each performed well recording 9.650. It was once again a junior however that topped the Tiger's rotation when Rachel Bridges scored a 9.850 to win the event title and set a career high mark on the apparatus.
Nervig proved the saving grace for Mizzou's floor lineup scoring a 9.875 to bolster the Tigers efforts. Putting up an energetic and technically sound performance, she led Schwartzman in on her coattails to also score a 9.875 with an enthusiastic routine. Both gymnasts tied as the meet's top contenders and led Mizzou to a 48.525 event score.
Balance beam proved to be Mizzou's strongest event of the evening as the Tigers posted a 48.875. Solid contributions from all six members of the lineup including a 9.775 by Bridges, a 9.750 by Davis, a 9.725 by Ashley Asraf and a 9.700 from Rachael Dombart. After coming in with a huge score on her previous event, Schwartzman once again reminded fans not to discredit the efforts of the underclass. She scored a 9.825 to lead the Tigers on the apparatus.
In her first meet back after recuperating from a foot injury, All-American Alisha Robinson competed on two events for the Tigers. She opened the meet with a disappointing 9.275 on bars, but came back to score a 9.800 on balance beam.
The Tigers finished out the meet with a 194.100 team score slipping below Pittsburgh's 195.400. The loss brings Missouri to 1-1 on the year. Getting back to business however, Mizzou returns to the Hearnes Center on Fri., Jan. 24 when the Tigers host No. 5 ranked Nebraska at 7:00 p.m.
