March 29, 2000
Tigers Return To NCAA Regionals
The Missouri Tigers (8-10) are back in the NCAA Regionals for the first time since 1994. MU qualified for the Region 3 Championships as the No. 5 seed and will compete Sat., April 1, in Tucson, Ariz., against No. 5 Nebraska, No. 8 LSU, No. 16 Arizona State, Arizona and Illinois-Chicago. The meet will be held at the McKale Center beginning at 6 p.m. Mountain time (7 p.m. in Missouri). It's Missouri's 14th trip to the regionals. The Tigers own one regional championship - in 1981 when they beat Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska.
MU Travel Plans
The Tigers will fly from Kansas City to Tucson on Wed., March 29. Team headquarters there will be the Viscount Suites Hotel (520-745-6500). Sports Information Director Bob Brendel will accompany the team, arriving Thursday evening. The Tigers will practice on Thursday at Tumbleweed's Gymnastics and on Friday at the McKale Center. The team will return to Columbia on Sunday evening.
MU Coach Rob Drass
First-year Tigers head coach Rob Drass has a record of 8-10 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.
What's Needed To Advance
The top two teams and the all-around winner from each of six NCAA Regionals will receive automatic berths to the national championships, which will be conducted April 13-15, in Boise, Idaho. The remaining all-around competitors will qualify on the basis of rank order of finish (highest score) from all the regional championships. If the all-around winner in a region is on an advancing team, that position will revert to an at-large berth. In addition, the event winners at the regional championships who score at least a 9.8 may advance to the national championships (in that event only) if they are not part of a qualifying team or the all-around qualifiers. Saturday's other regionals are:
Region 1 - at Corvallis, OR (UCLA, Oklahoma, Stanford, Washington, Oregon State, Boise State)
Region 2 - at Minneapolis, MN (Utah, West Virginia, Minnesota, Denver, Utah State, Southern Utah)
Region 4 - at Tuscaloosa, AL (Alabama, Iowa State, Central Michigan, Kent State, Michigan State, Ohio State)
Region 5 - at University Park, PA (Michigan, Florida, Penn State, New Hampshire, Pittsburgh, Rutgers)
Region 6 - at Athens, GA (Georgia, BYU, North Carolina State, Maryland, Towson, George Washington)
Mizzou Has Plenty Of Arizona Ties
The Tigers' berth in the Region 3 Championships is particularly special for Mizzou gymnasts Shannon Brown and Ann Gietler who are Arizona natives. Brown hails from Quail Creek, Ariz., while Gietler is from Mesa, Ariz. Additionally, Missouri's first-year assistant coach, Karen Tierney, was a gymnast at Arizona and then coached there from 1997-99. Outside of gymnastics, Missouri has plenty of other ties to the Desert Southwest. MU Director of Athletics Michael Alden spent time as an assistant AD at Arizona State. Tigers head football coach Larry Smith served stints as both an assistant coach and head coach at Arizona, and brought Mizzou's football team to Tucson for the 1998 Insight.com Bowl. On his staff is Moe Ankney, who was an assistant under Smith at Arizona and still has children who live in Tucson. MU Associate Head Football Coach Ricky Hunley was an all-America linebacker for the Wildcats during his playing days.
Season Review
The Missouri Tigers, in their first year under Head Coach Rob Drass, started slowly in 2000, but after winning their second consecutive State Farm Insurance Cat Classic in early February, they caught fire down the stretch and posted the scores they needed to qualify for this weekend's Region 3 Championships. Drass has relied on contributions from five seniors, six freshmen and one junior and they've come together to post six of the top nine scores in school history. Missouri's average bars, beam and total scores are all school records, as was the Tigers' Regional Qualifying Score of 194.185. The Tigers aren't fazed by competing on the road. Their four highest team scores this season were all recorded away from home, as were their best five vault scores and their top two beam scores. Individually, Missouri gymnasts won 22 individual event titles in 2000 - 10 of those by senior Shannon Brown.
Quick Notes on the Tigers
ALISON AKERS, senior, Springfield, MO - Has worked on vault, beam and floor in every meet this season and established her career high - 9.9 - in winning the balance beam competition in Missouri's last regular-season meet at Texas Woman's ... has scored 9.8-or-better on beam five times this season ... her 9.9 on beam at Texas Woman's is the second-best beam score in school history ... struggled on floor late in the season, but rebounded to score 9.8 in that event at the Big 12 Championships ... her mother sang the national anthem prior to the start of the Big 12 Gymnastics Championships last year in Columbia.
LAURA ANSON, freshman, Kansas City, MO - Has been in the Mizzou lineup on vault and bars in every meet this season ... her best vault was 9.725 at Central Michigan in January and she scored 9.85 on bars twice - in MU's February win at home over Southeast Missouri State and at the Big 12 Championships ... has averaged 9.537 on vault and scored 9.8-or-better four times on bars.
SHANNON BROWN, senior, Queen Creek, AZ - Has enjoyed a superb senior season, competing in the all-around in every meet except the Big 12 Championships ... is a contender for a regional championship in three events - bars, beam and floor where her career bests are 9.925, 9.925 and 9.9 ... set the Missouri bars record with a score of 9.925 at the Corvette Cup, March 5, and tied the school record of 9.9 on floor at the Cat Classic in early February ... has twice established her career best in the all-around - 39.15 - at Nebraska and at Iowa State ... has been an NCAA Regional qualifier in the all-around the last two seasons and is a threat to advance to the national championships as an individual if the Tigers fail to advance as a team this year ... of the 10 9.9-or-better scores ever recorded in MU gymnastics history, Brown is responsible for six of them ... her most recent 9.9 score came on uneven bars at the Big 12 Conference Championships ... leads Mizzou this season with average scores of 9.725 on beam and 9.773 on the floor ... has won 10 individual events this season - three on bars, three on floor, two on beam and two in the all-around ... will be competing before a large contingent of fans and friends this weekend in her home state.
KATIE COLE, senior, Hamilton, MO - Has truly made her senior year her best at Mizzou and has been a vital cog in the Tigers' transition from the 20-year tenure of former coach Jake Jacobson to first-year man Rob Drass ... had a solid meet at the Big 12 Championships, scoring 9.775 on vault (her best event), 9.7 on beam and 9.75 on floor ... enjoyed her best meet ever in the regular-season finale at Texas Woman's ... competing against TWU and Utah State, Cole set or tied her career high in the vault (9.825), beam (9.8) and floor (9.875) ... has competed in those three events in every meet this season ... has won five events in 2000 - four in vaulting, including the Cat Classic and Corvette Cup ... has scored 9.8-or-better on the floor in four of MU's last six meets ... won two straight vaulting competitions late in the season with identical scores of 9.825.
LAURA FORBES, freshman, Columbia, MO - A walkon gymnast who worked hard and was rewarded with Missouri's leadoff spot on floor at mid-season ... has been very steady, getting the Tigers off to a flying start in that event ever since MU's meet at Nebraska ... is averaging 9.658 and has scored 9.7-or-better five times ... in the Tigers last six meets, has averaged 9.71 ... career high of 9.75 came at the Corvette Cup and at Texas Woman's.
ANN GIETLER, junior, Mesa, AZ - Former walkon who is the only junior on the Missouri roster ... competes on bars and floor ... is one of the most exhuberant cheerleaders for her teammates ... set her career high on bars - 9.775 - in Missouri's final regular-season meet at Texas Woman's ... has a season best of 9.775 on floor, but has not approached the Mizzou sophomore floor record she established last year when she scored 9.875 at the Cat Classic ... dances with exhuberance and elicits crowd involvement with her floor exercise routine, which includes the song "Tequila" ... a first-team member of the Big 12 All-Academic team each of the last two years ... one of two Tigers from Arizona who will enjoy her visit home to compete in the NCAA Region 3 Championships.
LEAH GREMAUD, freshman, St. Peters, MO - Set the Missouri freshman record on balance beam in her very first meet - 9.85 vs. Iowa State, Jan. 9 ... has struggled since then, though, and has not competed except for exhibitions in MU's last five meets ... has a season-high on floor of 9.75 at the Cat Classic.
ALINA HAMM, freshman, Springfield, MO - Is the all-arounder of the future for the Missouri Tigers, who has enjoyed a very strong freshman campaign ... has competed on vault and bars in every meet this season, and has been up on the beam for the last month-and-a-half ... season-best of 9.725 on vault came in MU's meet at Central Michigan ... her best bars performance came at Texas Woman's, where she scored 9.775 ... her best beam score of 9.775 was good enough to tie for first place against Oklahoma.
CHANDRA HARLOW, senior, Raytown, MO - Is Missouri's most exciting and powerful uneven bars performers ... recorded her career-high of 9.875 in winning the event against Southeast Missouri State ... has picked up the pace during the second half of the season, averaging 9.8 in the Tigers' last six competitions ... has also moved into the Tiger beam lineup in recent meets, and scored 9.75 on beam back-to-back in the Corvette Cup and at Iowa State ... an elementary education major who was a second-team, Academic-All Big 12 selection.
MEGGEN SMILEY, senior, O'Fallon, MO - Has been one of Mizzou's best on the floor throughout her career, topping 9.7 in that event 32 times in four seasons ... a first-team member of the Academic All-Big 12 team, majoring in physical therapy ... has competed in the all-around four times this year, where her best score was 38.525 (against Oklahoma) ... has had her best moments this season on beam and floor ... has scored 9.7-or-higher eight times on beam and nine times on floor ... has averaged 9.8 on floor in Mizzou's last four meets.
Tigers ... Quickly
? This season, Missouri gymnasts have won 22 individual event championships. The list is topped by senior Shannon Brown who has won 10 times. Katie Cole has won five times, Meggen Smiley and Alison Akers twice, while Leah Gremaud, Alina Hamm and Chandra Harlow have won once each.
? 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.
? Tigers on this year's Academic All-Big 12 team are first-teamers Meggen Smiley and Ann Gietler, and second-team choice Chandra Harlow.
? In the most recent NCAA report, the Missouri gymnastics team had a 100 percent graduation rate.
Missouri Records Set in 2000
TEAM RECORDS
Highest Score - 195.05, at Texas Woman's/Utah State, March 12
Highest Road Score - 195.05, at Texas Woman's/Utah State, March 12
Highest Score at Nebraska - 194.325, Jan. 29
Highest Score at Iowa State - 194.525, March 7
Highest Uneven Bars Score - 49.175, vs. SE Missouri State, Feb. 20
Highest Uneven Bars Score at the Conference Championship - 49.0, at Iowa St., March 18
INDIVIDUAL RECORDS
Floor Exercise - 9.9, Shannon Brown, Cat Classic, Feb. 4, Columbia (ties record)
Uneven Bars - 9.925, Shannon Brown, Corvette Cup, March 5, Columbia
Uneven Bars at the Conference Championship - 9.9, Shannon Brown, at Iowa St., March 18
CLASS RECORDS
Balance Beam by a Freshman - 9.85, Leah Gremaud, Jan. 9, Iowa State, Columbia
Balance Beam by a Senior - 9.9, Alison Akers, at Texas Woman's/Utah State, March 12
Floor Exercise by a Senior - 9.9, Shannon Brown, Cat Classic, Feb. 4, Columbia (ties record)
Uneven Bars by a Senior - 9.925, Shannon Brown, Corvette Cup, March 5, Columbia
NCAA Region 3 RotationsVAULT BYE BARS BEAM BYE FLOOR Rotation 1 LSU Ariz. St. Arizona Nebraska MISSOURI UIC Rotation 2 UIC LSU Ariz. St. Arizona Nebraska MISSOURI Rotation 3 MISSOURI UIC LSU Ariz. St. Arizona Nebraska Rotation 4 Nebraska MISSOURI UIC LSU Ariz. St. Arizona Rotation 5 Arizona Nebraska MISSOURI UIC LSU Ariz. St. Rotation 6 Ariz. St. Arizona Nebraska MISSOURI Ill.-Chic. LSU
Also competing will be the following individuals: ALL-AROUND - Phaedra Dixon (Illinois), Heather Mohler (Illinois State), Michelle Huston (Illinois State), Karen Hawley (Illinois), Beth Larson (Illinois State), VAULT - Stephanie Furman (SE Missouri State), UNEVEN BARS - Malia Roberts (SE Missouri State), BALANCE BEAM - Jana Gallagher (Illinois), FLOOR EXERCISE - Carissa Ericson (Illinois)
MU BESTS IN 2000VAULT 9.825 Katie Cole (at Nebraska) 9.825 Katie Cole (at Iowa State) 9.825 Katie Cole (at Texas Woman's) 9.8 Katie Cole (Cat Classic) 9.775 Katie Cole (SE Missouri State) 9.775 Katie Cole (at Big 12s) 9.75 Katie Cole (Cat Classic) 9.725 Laura Anson (at C. Michigan) 9.725 Alina Hamm (at C. Michigan) Team 48.425 (Nebraska)
BARS 9.925 Shannon Brown (Corvette Cup) 9.9 Shannon Brown (at Big 12s) 9.875 Shannon Brown (SE Missouri) 9.875 Chandra Harlow (SE Missouri) 9.85 Shannon Brown (at Nebraska) 9.85 Shannon Brown (Cat Classic) 9.85 Shannon Brown (at TX Woman's) 9.85 Laura Anson (SEMO) 9.85 Laura Anson (at Big 12s) 9.825 Laura Anson (at Nebraska) 9.825 Chandra Harlow (Corvette Cup) 9.825 Jacq. Coatsworth (Cat Classic) 9.825 Jacq. Coatsworth (SE Missouri) 9.8 Jacq. Coatsworth (at Nebraska) 9.8 Jacq. Coatsworth (at TWU) 9.8 Jacq. Coatsworth (at Big 12s) 9.8 Chandra Harlow (at TWU) 9.8 Shannon Brown (Cat Classic) 9.8 Shannon Brown (at Iowa State) 9.8 Laura Anson (Corvette Cup) Team 49.175 (SE Missouri State)
BEAM 9.9 Alison Akers (at TX Woman's) 9.875 Alison Akers (Gym X-Treme) 9.875 Alison Akers (at Nebraska) 9.875 Shannon Brown (Cat Classic) 9.85 Leah Gremaud (Iowa State) 9.85 Shannon Brown (X-Treme) 9.85 Shannon Brown (at Iowa State) 9.825 Shannon Brown (Corvette Cup) 9.825 Alison Akers (at Iowa State) 9.8 Alison Akers (Iowa State) 9.8 Shannon Brown (at Nebraska) 9.8 Jacq. Coatsworth (at Nebraska) 9.8 Katie Cole (at Nebraska) 9.8 Katie Cole (at Texas Woman's) 9.8 Shannon Brown (at TX Wom.) Team 49.0 (at Texas Woman's)
FLOOR 9.9 Shannon Brown (Cat Classic) 9.875 Shannon Brown (Cat Classic) 9.875 Shannon Brown (Oklahoma) 9.875 Katie Cole (at Texas Woman's) 9.85 Shannon Brown (at Nebraska) 9.85 Shannon Brown (SE Missouri) 9.85 Shannon Brown (at Iowa State) 9.85 Alison Akers (Cat Classic) 9.85 Katie Cole (Corvette Cup) 9.825 Shannon Brown (Iowa State) 9.825 Shannon Brown (X-Treme) 9.825 Katie Cole (at Nebraska) 9.825 Katie Cole (SE Missouri State) 9.825 Alison Akers (Oklahoma) 9.825 Meggen Smiley (Corvette Cup) Team 48.95 (SE Missouri State)
ALL-AROUND 39.15 Shannon Brown (at Nebraska) 39.15 Shannon Brown (at Iowa State) 39.025 Shannon Brown (Cat Classic) 38.825 Shannon Brown (SE Missouri) 38.825 Shannon Brown (at TX Wom.) 38.75 Shannon Brown (at C. Mich.) 38.575 Shannon Brown (Oklahoma) 38.525 Meggen Smiley (Oklahoma) 38.5 Shannon Brown (X-Treme) Team 195.05 (at Texas Woman's)
MU BESTS IN NCAA REGIONALS
TEAM SCORE 189.825 1993 at Baton Rouge, La.
VAULT 47.125 1994 at Tuscaloosa, Ala. 9.75 Julie Dorn, 1990, Minneapolis, MN
BARS 48.05 1993 at Baton Rouge, La. 9.775 Shannon Brown, 1998, at Tuscaloosa, Ala. Sarah Cooper, 1993, at Baton Rouge, La.
BEAM 48.025 1992 at Columbia, Mo. 9.875 Shannon Brown, 1999, at Lincoln, Neb.
FLOOR 48.2 1993 at Baton Rouge, La. 9.775 Shannon Brown, 1999 at Lincoln, Neb.
ALL-AROUND 38.625 Shannon Brown, 1999 at Lincoln, Neb.
MU YEAR-by-YEAR IN REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
1980 3rd of 6 1988 6th of 7 1981 1st of 5 1990 7th of 7 1982 4th of 5 1991 3rd of 7 1983 5th of 7 1992 4th of 7 1984 3rd of 6 1993 6th of 7 1985 6th of 6 1994 6th of 7 1986 5th of 6
MU's REGIONAL CHAMPIONS
1981 Gayle Anderson, vault Maria Christensen, bars Maria Christensen, beam Maria Christensen, floor 1982 Sherry Towle, beam 1984 Sherry Towle, beam