Feb. 21, 2001
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Missouri vs. Oklahoma
Meet #7 at Oklahoma * Sun., Feb. 25 * Norman, OK
Participants: University of Missouri (3-6) vs. No. 18 Oklahoma (9-4)
Start Time: Meet is scheduled to start at 2 p.m..
Series: Oklahoma leads the all-time series with the Tigers, 12-7.
Coaches: Missouri: Rob Drass (Penn State '90) 11-16 at MU (2nd season), 11-16 overall (2nd season). Oklahoma: Becky Switzer (Oklahoma City `76) 215-98 at OU (18th season) and Steve Nuno (Massachusetts `79) 9-4 at OU (1st season)
Crunch Time
After two quality efforts in Utah this past weekend, the University of Missouri gymnastics team travels south to Norman, Oklahoma, for the first of two 2001 meeting with No. 18 Oklahoma. The Tigers are now just past the mid-point of their 2001 season and are 3-6 overall and 0-2 in the Big 12. They are currently ranked No. 50 in the nation according to average score. Starting on Feb. 26, teams will be ranked according to their RQS'...You know, their RQS'... OK, it stands for Regional Qualifying Score. A team's RQS ultimately determines if a team will or will not compete in regional competition. RQS is determined by taking the team's three top road scores and then its top three other scores, dropping the best score, and then averaging the five remaining scores. Pretty simple, eh? (even this SID has a vague grasp of the concept.)
The teams with the top 18 RQS' in the country automatically qualify for the top three spots in each of six regionals along with the top three teams in each region outside of the top 18. As of Feb. 19, the Tigers are currently eighth in the South Central Region and if the regionals were to start today, would have an RQS of 190.700. But, with four road meets remaining, Mizzou has an excellent opportunity to make up some ground on the South Central Regional field.
No. 50 in the Polls but...
Mizzou is currently ranked No. 50 in the latest GymInfo poll. Teams are ranked according to average scores thus far this season. However, the Tigers continue to improve from their season-low 184.625 performance at Ball State, to their season-best 194.425 performance against Nebraska on Jan. 28. Besides being the fifth-highest score in school history, MU's 194.425 is one of the nations Top 30 scores.
The Tigers are also facing one of the toughest schedules in the nation with five of their 11 opponents still in the GymInfo top-25.
A Look at the Sooners
No. 18 Oklahoma is coming of a second place finish in a triangular last Friday in Ames, Iowa. OU is 9-4 overall, but has not won a Big 12 meet this season and are currently in third place in the conference. Led by sophomore Leticia Ishii, the Sooners recorded a season-high score of 196.225 at Texas Woman's University on Feb. 27. Ishii has proved to be one of top gymnasts in the Big 12 as has twice won the Big 12 Gymnast of the Week Award, including the latest installment that was handed out on Tuesday. Ishii has won four all-around titles this season and eight during the course of her career. The Tigers will face the Sooners for the first of two times in two weeks on Sunday as OU (along with Bowling Green and Texas Woman's) comes to Columbia on March 4 for the 7th Annual Corvette Cup.
Head Coach Rob Drass
Now in his second year at the helm of the University of Missouri gymnastics program, Rob Drass looks to continue the upward trend he has set in motion.
Winning a second consecutive Cat Classic championship and returning as a team to the NCAA Regionals for the first time since 1994 made Drass' first season as the University of Missouri's gymnastics coach a successful one. The program effectively transitioned from its first 20 years under the direction of the program's creator, Jake Jacobson.
Under Drass' tutelage, the Tigers broke 16 school records, accumulated 22 individual titles and had three Academic All-Big 12 selections in the historic 2000 campaign. Mizzou's average meet score and Regional Qualifying Score were the highest in school history. The Tigers finished the year at 8-10.
Last Time Out for Mizzou...
Tiger Gymnasts Compete Well but Fall Short at BYU
The University of Missouri gymnastics team traveled to Provo, Utah, last Friday night and fell to the No. 14 BYU Cougars, 196.900-192.325. The night saw three Tigers put up career-high scores with sophomore Leah Gremaud competing in the all-around for the first time in career slating a score of 37.7250. Gremaud also scored a career-high 9.825 on bars while freshmen Lauren Owca (9.700) and Heather Holden (9.750) set career-high marks on floor and beam respectively.
The Tigers were well on their way to their best score of the year when they entered the final rotation but had two falls on beam.
Freshman all-arounders Andrea Nervig and Lindsay Davis had solid nights with both competitors hitting all four routines and scoring 38.025 and 38.725 respectively. Davis' mark is just .175 off of her freshman all-around record she set at the Cat Classic of 38.900.
Mizzou once again ran into a team that was red-hot. For the third time this season, a Tiger opponent scored better than 196.000. The Cougar's score of 196.900 set a new BYU school record while the Cougars set new school records on bars and floor as well. Junior Kelly Parkinson tied the BYU all-around record with her 9.950 effort.
Missouri Gymnastics Team Registers Second-Highest Score of Season but Loses to Utah State
The University of Missouri gymnastics team was well on its way to its best score of the season on Saturday night going in to their final event. Mizzou had a 1.325 point, but had three competitors fall on beam and dropped a tough meet to the Utah State Aggies 193.900-193.025.
The Tiger's score of 193.025 is the second-highest score this season behind only their 194.425 effort against Nebraska on Jan. 28. Mizzou also registered their highest mark of the season on floor with a 48.900.
The night saw several Tigers set or equal career highs including four new marks on floor. Sophomores Leah Gremaud (9.750) and Alina Hamm (9.825) tied career marks while freshmen Andrea Nervig (9.800) and Lindsay Davis (9.850) registered career marks.
Gremaud set a new career mark on bars (9.825) while Davis also tied a career-high on vault with her 9.725 effort. Sophomore Lauren Owca continued to have a great weekend setting her second career-best of the weekend tonight on vault with a mark of 9.675.
Tigers Set Rocky Mountain Career Highs in Utah
Despite dropping both meets this past weekend, several Mizzou gymnasts tied or set personal bests against the Cougars and Aggies. For a complete list of career-highs that have been set during the 2001 season, turn to page four in the Tiger Superlatives section.
We've Got Next
The talented freshman class is already beginning to leave its mark on the MU gymnastics program. Lauren Owca has become a valuable two event performer for Mizzou and set career-highs on floor (9.700) and vault (9.675) this past weekend. Lindsay Davis and Andrea Nervig have been solid in the all-around competition for most of the season and continue to be a potent one-two punch. Heather Holden has also been a valued performer on beam and set a career-high on beam (9.750) against BYU.
Davis is "D" Bomb
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Tiger freshman Lindsay Davis, (her teammates call her D) had a very successful meet at the Cat Classic on Feb. 2 and has been rock-solid for the Tigers in the all-around competition all season. She broke the freshman all-around record with her mark of 38.900 eclipsing the mark of 38.850 that was set by teammate and roomate Andrea Nervig against Nebraska. Davis set or tied career-highs in all four events during the Cat Classic. During the individual competition on Sat., Feb. 3, Davis appeared in three of the four events and picked up the balance beam title with a career-high score of 9.800.
The Equilibrium Apparatus Aficionado
Coming into her sophomore year, Leah Gremaud looked to be one of the major contributors for the Tigers on three events (vault, bars, and beam.) Gremaud started out slow but has awakened from her early season sleep in a big way. Gremaud set a school record during the beam competition of the Cat Classic on Feb. 2. Gremaud put up 9.925 to tie the MU record set by Shannon Brown at the Big 12 Championships in 1999. Gremaud's 9.925 score ties the ninth-highest score in the nation this season and is her career-high. Gremaud followed up that historic effort with another beam title in the AT&T Broadband Gymnastics X-Treme against Iowa State. Gremaud put up a score of 9.850.
Hamm-ing It Up
Despite battling sickness and exhaustion in Utah this past weekend, sophomore Alina Hamm registered two solid performances for the Tigers. Hamm hit all seven routines (she did not compete in the all-around against BYU) and did not record a score lower than 9.650 on any event. Hamm placed second in the all-around competition against Utah State with a mark of 39.050, the second time she has recorded a score over 39.000 this season
On Jan. 28 against Nebraska, Hamm once again served notice to the Tiger faithful in attendance that it was indeed Hamm-er time. The Springfield, Mo., native recorded career-high marks on vault (9.75), beam (9.800) and floor (9.825) on her way to a mark of 39.225, the best all-around score by an MU gymnast in school history. The former record was set in 1999 by Amanda Peterson who slated a 39.175 during the Cat Classic. If Hamm, Davis, and Nervig continue to put up big numbers in the all-around competition, the Tigers will be a team their opponents... can't touch (Feel free to insert your own MC Hammer reference anywhere in that last note).
Totally Floored
The 2001 Tigers have a new choreographer as first-year assistant coach Kira Atkinson assumes the controls. Tiger floor routines will feature everything from the Beastie Boys to music from the soundtrack of "The Last of the Mohicans."
Mizzou used that music on their way to a season-high mark of 48.900 on floor against BYU last Friday. Four of the six Missouri competitors in the event set new career-highs this past weekend and continue to rock the crowd with their high-energy up-tempo routines. Here is a run down of some of the artists the Tigers will feature on floor this season.
Laura Forbes: Mark Anthony's "I Need To Know"
Ann Gietler: DMX's "Party Up"
Andrea Nervig: The Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony"
Alina Hamm: Beastie Boys' "Slow Ride"
Laura Anson: Lenny Kravitz' "American Woman"
Lindsay Davis: Rusted Root Medley
(Sorry, no Neal Diamond)