Jan. 18, 2000
The Missouri Tigers (2-3) make their first road trip of the season this week, traveling to Mount Pleasant, Mich., where they'll take on the Central Michigan Chippewas (4-2) on Saturday. The meet will be held at Rose Arena and will begin at 1 p.m., Eastern Standard Time. It will be the home-opening meet for Central Michigan, which has competed at Northern Illinois and at Arizona the last two weekends. The Chippewas were ranked 18th nationally a week ago.
Series Record
Missouri leads the series with Central Michigan, 1-0, with the line meeting coming in last year's Corvette Cup in Columbia. Mizzou won that meet with a score of 193.925. Central Michigan, then ranked No. 23, was third at 190.3.
MU Coach Rob Drass
First-year Tigers head coach Rob Drass has a record of 2-3 in 2000. He spent the last eight years as an assistant coach with the Nebraska Cornhuskers, who have won the last six conference championships. He's a 1990 graduate of Penn State, where he was a NCAA qualifier on the men's gymnastics team from 1987-90. Also new to the MU coaching staff is Kansas City native Karen Tierney, who was a top gymnast at Arizona, and spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach there. Mizzou's other assistant coach is Eric Geren, now in his third year with the Tigers.
Akers, Brown Star For MU, But Michigan State Wins
The No. 21 Michigan State Spartans made their third trip to Missouri's Hearnes Center Sunday, and left with their third team championship in the Mizzou Gymnastics X-Treme (formerly the Shakespeare's Festival). Led by all-around champion Lindsay Trainham, who scored a meet-record 38.9, the Spartans rolled up a meet-record team score of 193.125. They were followed by the Illinois State Redbirds (191.875), Missouri Tigers (191.35), Kent State Golden Flashes (188.35) and Western Michigan Broncos (186.375). Michigan State also won titles in the event in 1996 and '98. Michigan State's Elisabeth Forshier won the vault with a meet-record score 9.825 and MSU's Melissa Green and Polly Kiker tied for the uneven bars title with scores of 9.875. Missouri senior Alison Akers (Springfield, Mo.) tied her career high in tying for first place on balance beam with Michigan State's Jane McIntosh. Their scores of 9.875 were meet records. Mizzou senior Shannon Brown won the floor exercise at 9.825 and tied for third in the all-around (38.5). In all, the Tigers established 18 season-high scores. "We improved from last week," first-year Missouri Coach Rob Drass said. "We still need to build more confidence."
What Could Have Been
Missouri had two exhibition performances on Sunday, that had they been counted in Mizzou's team score, would have vaulted the Tigers past Illinois State and into second place in the Mizzou Gymnastics X-Treme. Senior Chandra Harlow scored 9.725 on balance beam and freshman Jacqueline Coatsworth made her Tiger debut with a 9.675 exhibition performance on the uneven bars. Had they been among MU's five counting scores, the Tigers' team score would have risen from 191.35 to 192.3.
Scouting The Chippewas
Central Michigan went 23-5 a year ago on the way to a NCAA Regional berth and a final national ranking of No. 21. Senior Nikki Liphardt was last week's Mid-American Conference "Gymnast of the Week" after she won the all-around in the Chippewas' opening meet of the season with a score of 38.975. At last year's Corvette Cup in Columbia, she tied the meet record with a score of 9.9 on floor exercise. Liphardt scored 9.975 on the floor three times last season. Last week, CMU scored 191.85 to place third at Arizona, placing behind UCLA (196.3) and Arizona (192.675) and beating Iowa (190.775). In their opener, the Chippewas scored 191.575 to beat Northern Illinois, Winona State and Wisconsin-Whitewater. Coach Jerry Reighard, now in his 16th season, can also count on sophomore Bethany Couturier, who as a freshman last season tied the school all-around record at 39.375. She scored 38.75 to place fifth at Arizona on Friday.
About The Tigers
Missouri jumped its score by more than two full points on Sunday, improving in every event except the vault. So far, the Tigers' performances have been similar to a year ago when they scored 188.725 and 191.65 in their first two meets. This year, it's been 189.125 and 191.35. The difference, though, has been that a year ago now retired Coach Jake Jacobson wasn't trying to break five new freshmen into the lineup like Rob Drass has had to do this time around. Rookies Laura Anson, Terri Baker, Leah Gremaud and Alina Hamm have all made significant contributions to the Tiger cause this season. And Jacqueline Coatsworth is likely to make her debut in the regular lineup this weekend at Central Michigan after her exhibition performance on bars last week.
Missouri Records Set in 2000
CLASS RECORDS Balance Beam by a Freshman - 9.85, Leah Gremaud, Jan. 9, Iowa State
Tigers ? Quickly
The Missouri gymnastics team had a team grade point average of 3.017 for the Fall '99 semester, and seven Tigers had individual GPAs of 3.0 or better. Terri Baker, Ann Gietler, Leah Gremaud, and Meggen Smiley made the Dean's List ? In the most recent NCAA report, the Missouri gymnastics team had a 100 percent graduation rate.
MU BESTS IN 2000 VAULT 9.6 Alina Hamm (Gym X-Treme) 9.575 Katie Cole (Iowa St., X-Treme) 9.55 Laura Anson (Iowa State) 9.55 Terri Baker (Iowa State) 9.55 Alina Hamm (Iowa State) Team 47.675 (Iowa State)BARS 9.75 Chandra Harlow (Iowa State) 9.725 Alina Hamm (Gym X-Treme) 9.675 Chandra Harlow (X-Treme) 9.65 Alina Hamm (Iowa State) 9.65 Laura Anson (Gym X-Treme) 9.625 Ann Gietler (Iowa State) Team 47.8 (Gymnastics X-Treme)
BEAM 9.875 Alison Akers (Gym X-Treme) 9.85 Leah Gremaud (Iowa State) 9.85 Shannon Brown (X-Treme) 9.8 Alison Akers (Iowa State) Team 47.6 (Gymnastics X-Treme)
FLOOR 9.825 Shannon Brown (Iowa State) 9.825 Shannon Brown (X-Treme) 9.75 Alison Akers (Gym X-Treme) 9.725 Katie Cole (Gym X-Treme) 9.7 Meggen Smiley (Iowa State) Team 48.35 (Gymnastics X-Treme)
ALL-AROUND 38.5 Shannon Brown (X-Treme) 37.75 Shannon Brown (Iowa State) Team 191.35 (Gym X-Treme)