22nd Annual State Farm Cat Classic
1/30/2002 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
Jan. 30, 2002
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Up this week
The University of Missouri women's gymnastics team host Mizzou's premier event, the 22nd Annual State Farm Cat Classic, Fri.-Sat., Feb. 1-2 at 7:00 p.m. The Auburn Tigers, Brigham Young Cougars and Pittsburgh Panthers round out the four-feline line-up. Mimicking the national championship, the first night of events will consist of the team competition with Saturday's venue serving as a forum for individual event specialists.
Tickets for Mizzou gymnastics are available by calling 1-800-CAT-PAWS (884-PAWS in Columbia), or at the Hearnes Center Ticket Office. Group rates and season tickets are also available. Please contact the ticket office for more information.
Feline Forum
The 2002 State Farm Cat Classic features top teams from across the nation. The Missouri Tigers enter the arena ranked 16th in the NCAA Division I with an average 194.242 meet score. It is the Tigers' finest start to a season under Head Coach Rob Drass and looks to continue this weekend on Mizzou's home floor.
Missouri looks to regain the Cat Classic title from Brigham Young that slipped past MU last season. Previously, the Tigers were two-time defending Cat Classic Champions from 1999-2000. Highlighting the 2001 competition, then sophomore Leah Gremaud won the balance beam title scoring a Missouri record 9.925.
Auburn Tigers
Auburn is currently ranked 17th in GymInfo standings averaging a 193.769 team score. The Tigers are 4-2 on the season and 0-2 in the Southeast Conference with losses to nationally ranked Georgia (2nd) and LSU (10th).
Sally Cantrell and Kristi Boyte highlight as two of AU's top competitors. Cantrell is ranked 15th in the nation on the balance beam and ranks 19th on the uneven bars and as an all-arounder. Boyte is ranked 11th in the Central Region and 45th in the country on the vault.
AU is led by third-year head coach Jeff Thompson. Last season, the Tigers were 2-7 in dual meet competition with a 1-4 conference mark to finish fifth in the SEC. Auburn returns eleven letterwinners and adds eight newcomers to the 2002 roster.
Auburn leads the MU-AU series with eight wins over six. The Tigers make their 10th trip to the Cat Classic this season looking to for their first tournament title.
Brigham Young Cougars
Brigham Young is 1-3 heading into the Cat Classic. The Cougars opened 2002 finishing fourth at the Bahama Breeze Invitational scoring a 191.650. BYU came back to win its first season dual meet against Oregon State with a 194.400-192.950 victory. The Cougars are currently ranked 25th in GymInfo standings with a 193.025 season average.
Kelly Parkinson-Evanson stands in as the team's top all-arounder. She won the event scoring a 39.250 against OSU nailing a 9.900 on the floor exercise to help BYU score a season-high 49.150 as a team. Jeni Lopez also tops the podium as one of the Cougar's best all-around competitors. She scored a 38.475 against the Beavers.
Brad Cattermole enters his 15th season as Brigham Young's head coach with a 169-212-1 career record. Last year, the Cougars went 5-5 during the dual meet season and finished 26th in the final GymInfo standings. BYU rounded out post-season competition as the third-place team in the West Region. Brigham Young returns 11 letterwinners and adds three newcomers to the roster this season.
Missouri leads the MU-BYU series 8-3. This season marks the ninth year Brigham Young has competed in the Cat Classic. The Cougars won the title in 2002 and finished second in 1999.
Pittsburgh Panthers
Pittsburgh is 1-2 on the year taking is first victory of the season over Rhode Island 188.100-185.025. The Panthers recorded their highest team score of the year against No. 24 ranked Penn State last weekend posting a 191.00.
Diandra O'Connor led Pitt against Penn State scoring a 38.525 to finish fourth in the all-around. She hit career marks on the floor exercise scoring a 9.850 and finishing second. She also set a new career high recording a 9.725 on the balance beam. Also hitting career-high performances, Marcy Blitz scored a 9.750 on the uneven bars and a 9.600 on the floor exercise. Debbie Yohman enters her 16th year coaching the Panthers. She owns a 131-205 record at Pitt. Last season, the Panthers went 2-18 with an 0-10 East Atlantic League record. Pittsburgh returns 12 letterwinners and adds three newcomers to the line-up this year.
Missouri leads the MU-Pitt series 10-2. In their last meeting, the Tigers defeated the Panthers in 193.800-192.775 in the 2000 Cat Classic. This is Pitt's 11th year competing in the all-feline tournament.
Tigers vs. the Nation
Missouri made a little history starting 2002 with its highest season opening score (193.275) in program history. The mark ranked Mizzou 20th in the NCAA GymInfo standings-MU's highest opening position to date. After a solid 194.750 performance to top Southeast Missouri State and a firm 194.700 effort against No. 4 ranked Nebraska, the Tigers move up four spots and slip into 16th-place
In addition, the Tigers are ranked eighth in the country on the balance beam averaging 48.642-including Mizzou's season high 48.900 against Bowling Green. Missouri is ranked 21st on the floor (48.658), 22nd on the uneven bars (48.525) and 26th on the vault (48.417).
Mizzou in the South Central Region
After rounding out the 2001 season ranked 10th overall in the GymInfo South Central Region, Missouri has opened the new season taking a dramatic step in the standings. Following its first meet against Bowling Green, MU slipped into the in fifth-place spot before advancing into fourth-place with a 194.242 average. Mizzou sits behind Oklahoma, Nebraska and Arizona in the regional rankings.
In event rankings, the Tigers rank third in the region on the balance beam, fourth on the vault and fifth on the uneven bars and floor exercise.
First Ups for Robinson
Freshman Alisha Robinson exploded onto the college scene tearing down all five Mizzou freshman records in her first meet against Bowling Green. The 2001 U.S. power tumbling champion led the Tigers with a 9.900 on bars, a 9.925 on vault and posted a 9.875 on both the floor exercise and balance beam. The freshman rounded out her inaugural showing leading Missouri with a 39.575 all-around score-the mark tops the MU record book as both the highest individual all-around score and the highest score by a freshman in school history. Robinson topped the podium winning all events except the floor exercise, which was captured by BGSU's Marny Ostreneg, the 1999 NCAA floor exercise champion.
In addition to setting a new Mizzou all-around record, her vault score ties Robinson for the program's meet record. She shares the title with Jessica Haag who also hit a 9.925 at the Big 12 Championships in 1999.
Robinson was named Big 12 Gymnast of the Week for her performance. She is the first gymnast under Head Coach Rob Drass to receive the award.
Robinson Rocks Nebraska
In the Tigers first Big 12 Conference meet of the season, Robinson accomplished a feat yet to be experienced by an MU gymnast by winning the all-around scoring a 39.350. The freshman highlighted the evening winning the vault competition and finishing second on the floor scoring 9.850 on both events. She then rounded out the night posting a 9.825 on both the uneven bars and balance beam.
Robinson in the Rankings
Robinson tops 2002 tied as the nation's eighth finest all-arounder with a 39.333 average. The freshman is tied for eighth in the NCAA Division I on the uneven bars averaging a 9.875, is 15th on the vault with a 9.858 average and ranks 42nd in the country averaging a 9.792 on the balance beam.
In the South Central Region, Robinson leads the field as the second all-around competitor. She is just .084 points from Oklahoma's Mariana Goncalves that leads the region. In individual events, Robinson is ranked third on bars, fourth on vault, 11th on the balance beam and is tied for 13th on the floor exercise.
Hamm Hits the Mark
Junior Alina Hamm took home her first all-around title topping the podium with a 39.100 against Southeast Missouri State. Hamm scored solid marks in the meet finishing second on the vault (9.725) and beam (9.775), third in the floor exercise (9.825) and fourth on bars (9.775).
Against Nebraska, Hamm finished fourth in the all-around scoring a 38.800. She topped the meet throwing a 9.800 on the uneven bars and a 9.775 on the floor.
Hamm is ranked 65th in the country averaging a 38.617 all-around score and is tied for ninth in the region as an all-arounder. She is also tied for 21st on beam, 24th on vault and floor and 40th on bars.
Nervig 'Nocks the Records
Sophomore Andrea Nervig followed up an impressive first meet finishing second and tying her career-high bars mark (9.875) against Southeast Missouri State. Nervig posted her third-highest score against Bowling Green and Nebraska (9.825) to open the season.
In addition, Nervig tied her all-time vault mark throwing a 9.650 on the apparatus to finish fourth in the meet against SEMO.
Nervig ties for 16th in the country on bars averaging a 9.842 on the apparatus. In the South Central Region, the sophomore is ranked fourth on the uneven bars and 38th on vault.
Freshman Fire
Freshmen Ashley Asraf and Rachael Dombart continue to make their mark on the Missouri program putting forth impressive showings in 2002.
Asraf, a Tom's River, N.J., native, scored a 9.550 on vault and a 9.775 on the floor exercise in her first collegiate meet against Bowling Green. She came back to take top honors in the floor exercise against Southeast Missouri State scoring an MU season-high 9.875. The mark ties Asraf with Alisha Robinson with the highest Missouri freshman mark on the apparatus. In addition to her record-tying performance, Asraf finished fourth on vault (9.650) and third on beam (9.700) against the Otahkians.
In her last time out, Asraf boosted the Tigers scoring a 9.650 on the vault, a 9.750 on beam and a 9.775 on floor. The freshman is tied for 15th the region on the floor, 32nd on beam and 41st on the vault.
Dombart, of Woodstock, Ga., put up solid marks during her first collegiate showing helping the Tigers with a 9.600 on the uneven bars and a 9.700 on the balance beam. In her second time out, the freshman opened the MU bars rotation landing a 9.675. She highlighted the MU-NU meet scoring a 9.675 on the balance beam.
Dombart is tied for 32nd in the region on the uneven bars and 35th on the balance beam.
Keeping up with Gremaud
Junior Leah Gremaud owns two individual event titles on the year taking top honors on beam against both Bowling Green and Southeast Missouri State. The junior highlighted the BGSU meet scoring a 9.750 on beam and a 9.600 on bars. Gremaud came back to boost her scores against SEMO throwing a 9.800 to win the beam competition. The junior also reached new personal heights against the Otahkians scoring and a 9.800 to finish fourth in the floor exercise and establish a new career-high mark in the event.
Against Nebraska, Gremaud nailed her second straight 9.800 beam routine to average a 9.783 and rank 46th in the nation on the apparatus. Gremaud is ranked 14th in the South Central Region on the balance beam. She is 49th on the floor and ranks 57th on the uneven bars.
Breaking Down Bridges
Transfer Rachel Bridges opened the 2002 season leading the Tigers off scoring a 9.775 on beam against Bowling Green. She also threw a 9.575 on the vault against both BGSU and Southeast Missouri State.
The junior set a career-high scoring a 9.800 on the balance beam against Nebraska to help the Tigers. She is tied for 34th in the region on the beam and 35th on the floor.
Tiger Tidbits
? Sophomore Lauren Owca earned a 9.625 leading off the Tigers on the vault against Bowling Green--the score is her third-highest career mark in the event.
? Junior Laura Forbes nailed a 9.850 floor routine against Southeast Missouri State to finish second in meet standings and tie the junior record in the event. Forbes is 34th in the region on the floor averaging a 9.683.
? Sophomore Lindsay Davis tied the MU sophomore record when she threw a 9.850 on the uneven bars against SEMO. The score is a new career-mark for Davis who also scored a 9.800 against Nebraska last weekend. She is ranked 32nd in the South Central Region on the vault and is 43rd on the uneven bars.
