March 14, 2001
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Missouri at No. 24 Michigan State
Meet #11 * Sat., March 17 * East Lansing, Mich.
Participants: University of Missouri (4-10 overall, 0-5 in Big 12)
Michigan State University (12-7-1 overall)
Start Time:
Meet is scheduled to start at 7 p.m..
Series:
MSU leads the series with Mizzou, 13-5
Last Meeting: 2000 MU Gymnastics X-Treme
Michigan State-193.125
Illinois State-191.875
Missouri-191.350
Kent State-188.350
Western Michigan-186.375 Via the Web:
Live scoring will be provided at www.mutigers.com
Coaches:
Missouri: Rob Drass (Penn State '90) 12-20 at MU (2nd season), 12-20 overall (2nd season).
Michigan State: Kathie Klages (Central Michigan `77) 185-97-2 at MSU (11th season), 185-97-2 overall (11 seasons)
Tigers Look for Big Scores in Big Ten Country
The University of Missouri gymnastics team takes on a Big Ten team this weekend for the first time this season as they travel to East Lansing, Mich. to take on No. 24 Michigan State. Mizzou is still clinging to a glimmer of hope to make regional competition, but need several senarios to play out in order for that to happen.
The Tigers need to register two excellent scores during the course of the next two weekends and get some help from other schools around the region. After taking on the Spartans on Saturday, Mizzou will head to Norman, Oklahoma once again to for the Big 12 Championships on March 24.
MU Quickly
Mizzou recorded its second-highest team score of the year in their last meet against No. 9 Iowa State posting a 193.250...The Tigers continue to get good production from senior Ann Gietler, freshman Lindsay Davis, and Sophomore Leah Gremaud...Gietler took second place on bars against Iowa State and tied a career-best with her 9.875-effort, Davis once again set the MU freshman all-around record with her 38.975 effort and Gremaud took second place on beam with her second 9.800 performance in two weeks...The Tigers are currently 4-10 on the season and 0-5 in the Big 12.
Qualifying for Regional Competition is as Easy as R-Q-S
The Tigers have only two regular season meets left in their 2001 season and are 4-10 overall and 0-5 in the Big 12. They are currently ranked No. 48 in the nation according to their RQS (Regional Qualifying Score). A team's RQS ultimately determines if a team will or will not compete in NCAA Regional competition. RQS is determined by taking the team's three top road scores, 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 March 12, the Tigers are currently eighth in the South Central Region and if the regionals were to start today, would have an RQS of 192.820. Mizzou looks to make up some ground in the South Central Region with two road meets remaining.
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.
A Look at the Spartans
The Michigan State Spartans are currently ranked No.24 in the latest GymInfo poll. MSU has and RQS of 195.045 and is in fifth place in the Central Region. A regional bid definitely is a very good possibility with just two weeks left in the regular season. This is the Spartans final meet before they travel to Ann Arbor, Michigan next weekend for the Big Ten Conference Meet.
The Spartans have been busy as they traveled to Baton Rouge, La., on March 9. LSU won the meet with a 196.950, while the Spartans tied New Hampshire with a 194.125. Following that meet, MSU had to hurry home for a meet on Sunday, March 11 against No. 1-ranked UCLA. Although UCLA won the meet 195.475-194.000, Michigan State had several highlights.
Forbes a Force on Floor
Tiger sophomore Laura Forbes has been a quiet, consistent performer for the Tigers on floor and beam all season. She had not recorded a score higher than 9.775 on floor until March 4 when she had a break-out 9.925 performance at the Corvette Cup. The Columbia native's first career championship was also good for a school record on floor eclipsing fomer Tiger greats Shannon Brown, Amanda Peterson, and Charise Schrupp's mark of 9.900. Behind Forbes' great performance, the Tigers set a new school record on floor with a score of 49.200. No Tiger competitor scored lower than a 9.700 during the course of the rotation.
The Veteran Rookie
Derby, Kansas, freshman Lindsay Davis, (her teammates call her "D") has been rock-solid for the Tigers in the all-around competition all season. She is averaging a score of 38.470 in all-around competition. She has broke the freshman all-around record three times this season most recently recording a 38.975 at Iowa State last weekend. That effort eclipses her own mark of 38.925 she set at this year's Corvette Cup. She boasts the Tigers highest all-around average (38.470) and has set career bests on vault (9.800), bars (9.750) and floor (9.850) over the course of the past four meets.
MU Continues Assault on Career-High List
Several Tiger gymnasts tied or set personal bests during last weekends meet at Iowa State. For a complete list of career-highs set during the 2001 season, please 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 a career-high on floor this past weekend with a score of 9.825. 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) on Feb. 16 against BYU.
Precision Personified
Sophomore Leah Gremaud has been outstanding on beam all season. However, over the past four weeks, Gremaud has really started to flex her muscle. She has finished no worse than second on the four-inch wide apparatus in the past three meets and recorded scores of 9.800 at OU, 9.900 at the Corvette Cup and Iowa State The St. Peters, Mo., native has scored a 9.700 or higher seven times on beam and picked up her third beam title of the season at the Corvette Cup with her 9.900 effort. Gremaud also set a school record during the beam competition of the Cat Classic on Feb. 2. She 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 for top mark in the Big 12 this season
Building With a Hamm-er
The Tigers continue to improve as the season progresses. A major factor in the teams development has been the success of sophomore Alina Hamm. Hamm experienced a mini-mid season slump before setting career-highs on vault (9.775) and floor (9.875) in the past three meets. She has recorded all-around scores higher that 39.000 three times this season
On Jan. 28 against Nebraska, Hamm served notice to the Tiger faithful in attendance that it was indeed "Hamm-er time." The Springfield, Mo., native recorded then career-high marks on vault, beam and floor 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.
It's A.G.
In some circles, the acronym "A.G." represents the term "all good." Ann Gietler, or A.G. has been all-good and is a woman on a mission this season. The Tiger senior is nearing the end of her college career, but she is definitely not slowing down to smell the roses. The two-time academic all-Big 12 selection has been on a roll the past four meets on bars averaging a score of 9.8375. She has recorded three second place finishes and picked up a first place finish at the 7th Annual Corvette Cup. Gietler tied a career-high last Sunday at Iowa State with a 9.875 effort on bars.
Last Time Out...
Tigers Record Second Highest Score of Season But Lose to High-Powered No. 11 ISU
The University of Missouri gymnastics team once again faced Iowa State when they were at their best. The Cyclones slated a new school record and defeated the Tigers, 197.300-193.250. This marks the second time the Cyclones have put up a season-high score against the Tigers. The other instance was a 196.475-190.500 defeat of the Tigers in Columbia on Feb. 11.
Mizzou registered a very solid performance on bars in the first rotation putting up its second highest score of the season (48.975). The Tigers effort was also the sixth highest bars score in school history. Senior Ann Gietler tied a career-best with her 9.875 effort and finished in a three-way tie for second place on bars.
Mizzou once again had troubles on beam with a score of 47.475. However, sophomore Leah Gremaud was excellent on the apparatus, as she once again equaled her own MU-third best score of 9.900 and taking second place. The Tigers continued their success on floor with a team score of 48.775, its fourth-highest mark of the season. Freshman Andrea Nervig slated a new career-best with her score of 9.825.
Davis and Nervig were solid in all-around competition once again, placing fourth and fifth respectively. Davis continued to out-do herself setting the MU freshman all-around mark for the third time this season with her score of 38.975.
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."
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)
Tiger Superlatives
The Tigers have only two meets remaining in their 2001 season and several records and career-highs have been established. Listed below are the new marks that have been recorded so far.
Career Highs as of 3/4/01
Ann Gietler -Bars, 9.875 (twice) Shannon Brett -Bars, 9.500 (vs. Iowa State 2/11/01) Laura Forbes -Beam, 9.750 (Cat Classic 2/2/01) -Floor, 9.925 (Corvette Cup 3/4/01) Leah Gremaud -Vault, 9.575 (at Oklahoma 2/25/01) -Bars ,9.825 (twice) -Beam, 9.925 (Cat Classic 2/2/01) -Floor, 9.750 (three times) -All-around, 38.900 (at Oklahoma 2/25/01) Alina Hamm -Vault, 9.775 (at Oklahoma 2/25/01) -Bars, 9.875 (vs. SEMO 1/21/01) -Beam, 9.800 (vs. Nebraska 1/28/01) -Floor, 9.875 (Corvette Cup 3/2/01) -All-around, 39.225 (vs. Nebraska 1/28/01) Heather Holden -Beam, 9.750 (at BYU 2/16/00) Lindsay Davis -Vault, 9.800 (Corvette Cup 3/4/01) -Bars, 9.750 (three times) -Beam, 9.800 (Cat Classic 2/3/01) -Floor, 9.850 (vs. Utah State 2/17/01) -All-around, 38.975 (at Iowa State 3/11/01) Katie Myers -Vault, 9.325 (at Oklahoma 2/25/01) Andrea Nervig -Vault, 9.625 (twice) -Bars, 9.875 (vs. SEMO 1/21/01) -Beam, 9.775 (twice) -Floor, 9.825 (at Iowa State 3/11/01) -All-around, 38.850 (twice) Lauren Owca -Vault, 9.675 (vs. Utah St. 2/17/01) -Floor, 9.825 (Corvette Cup 3/4/01)Tiger Records set as of 3/11/01 Lindsay Davis -All-around score by a freshman (38.975 at ISU) Alina Hamm -All-around score MU Record (39.225 vs. Neb.) Leah Gremaud -Beam score MU Record (9.925 Cat Classic 2/2/01) Laura Forbes -Floor score MU Record (9.925 Corevette Cup 3/4/01)