Tigers Host the Boone County Bank Tiger Showdown.
2/21/2002 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
Feb. 21, 2002
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The No. 16 ranked University of Missouri women's gymnastics team returns to the Hearnes Center to host the No. 6 ranked Oklahoma and Centenary at the Boone County Tiger Showdown on Fri., Feb. 22 at 7:00 p.m.
The Showdown is gymnastic club and dance studio night where member of local groups are invited to attend for just $2. It is also Truman Club night where all TC members receive free entry and parent tickets are discounted for $2.
The Showdown will be the first Webcast, a live video stream to the internet, put on by the Missouri Athletic Department. Check the department website at www.mutigers.com for updated information.
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.
Oklahoma Sooners
Oklahoma is currently ranked sixth in the GymInfo standings recording a 195.704 team average. The Sooners open Big 12 Conference competition this weekend against the Tigers toting a 7-2 season record.
Mariana Gonclaves leads OU ranked third in the NCAA Division I on the uneven bars, fourth in the all-around, 10th on the vault and 15th on the floor exercise. Also adding fire to Oklahoma's ranks, Kasie Tamayo is ranked fifth in the country on the balance beam and 14th in the all-around.
Last year, Oklahoma finished with a 21-11 season record with a third-place standing in the Big 12. The Sooners finished second at the Central Regional and 10th at the NCAA Championships. OU returns eight letterwinners and adds five newcomers to the 2002 squad.
Becky Switzer and Steve Nuno co-head coach the Sooners. After a successful first season, the duo look to extend Oklahoma's 14-7 series lead over Missouri.
Centenary Ladies
Centenary has climbed its way to a 9-5 record after taking an 0-4 season opening pitfall. The Ladies have defeated seven teams and took first-place in the Gershon Invitational to boost their season mark. Centenary earned its most recent victory over Winona State with a 188.900-181.400 victory.
Topping the Ladies' lineup, juniors Janelle Thibault, Melanie Mock and Tasha Rogers look to be strong competitors in the Corvette Cup. Thibault and Rogers both specialize in the all-around while Mock is a bars, beam and floor expert.
Bill Hardy is in his second season as head coach at Centenary. After a 3-16 record as a first-year coach, he looks to bring his corps of eight letterwinners and five newcomers to the next level of Division II gymnastics and supercede their sixth-place USAG finish from last year.
Missouri leads the MU-Centenary series record 3-0.
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 increasingly solid performances, including a school record setting 195.425 against Ball State, the Tigers have moved up in the ranks to 16th averaging a 194.454 team score.
In addition, the Tigers top the field in all four events after setting program records on three apparatus. Missouri is ranked 10th in the country on the balance beam averaging 48.660-including Mizzou's 49.050 record high against No. 9 ranked Iowa State. Mizzou is also ranked 18th on the uneven bars with a 48.737. The Tigers also set a new team record throwing a 49.225 on the bars against Ball State. Missouri is ranked 27th on the floor exercise after recording a 49.250 program high at the Cat Classic. The mark brings Mizzou to a 48.723 average. On the vault, Missouri is ranked 32nd in the nation with a 48.320 average.
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 to rank fourth in 2002. Mizzou sits behind Nebraska, Oklahoma and Arizona in the regional rankings.
In event rankings, the Tigers are third in the region on the balance beam, fourth on the uneven bars, fifth on the floor exercise and sixth on the vault.
Robinson Rewrites the Records
After knocking down all five-freshman records and establishing a new Missouri all-around pro-quo, Alisha Robinson has continued to dazzle Tiger fans with her athletic and aggressive performance style.
Throughout the 2002 season, Robinson has continued to strike down the marks set in her first trouncing at Bowling Green. In her inaugural State Farm Cat Classic, Robinson showed spectators why gymnastics is an awe-inspiring sport. After rounding out her first three events in grand fashion, throwing a 9.825 on vault, a 9.875 on bars and a 9.850 on beam, Robinson stunned the crowd with a nearly flawless floor routine. The freshman nailed a 9.925 routine to tie the Missouri and Cat Classic floor record and set a new freshman record in the event for the third time this season. The routine pushed Robinson to top the all-around podium with a 39.250-the Cat Classic's second-highest all-around score to date. She came back for the individual finals only to top her floor exercise feet for a second consecutive night, winning the event with a record-setting 9.950.
In her most recent appearance, Robinson once again pummeled the MU record books hitting a 9.925 on both the vault and uneven bars. Her vault score ties her previous record set against Bowling Green and her bars score ties with the school record set in 2000 by Shannon Brown. Robinson struggled on the balance beam after her first two stunning events, but cleaned up the meet with a 9.900 on the floor and a 39.300 all-around score to win thee events and the all-around title.
Robinson was named Big 12 Gymnast of the Week for her performance against Bowling Green. She is the first gymnast under Head Coach Rob Drass to receive the award.
Robinson in the Rankings
Robinson has earned a place among the nation's elite after another 9.8+ meet against Ball State. In 27 events, the freshman has only scored below a 9.8 on four and has recorded 9.9+ on eight. The scores boost Robinson to top 2002 as the nation's eighth finest all-arounder with a 39.325 average. The freshman is ranked 18th in the NCAA Division I on the uneven bars averaging a 9.846. She also averages a 9.854 on the vault to rank 19th in the country.
In the South Central Region, Robinson leads the field as the second all-around competitor. She is just .150 points from Oklahoma's Mariana Goncalves that leads the region. In individual events, Robinson is ranked fourth on vault (9.854), is sixth on the floor (9.867) and ties Goncalves for seventh in the region on beam (9.779). She is also ranked seventh on the uneven bars (9.846).
Nervig 'Nocks the Records
Sophomore Andrea Nervig has shined for Mizzou on the uneven bars this season. She has recorded a 9.825 or higher on the apparatus in each of her six meets this year, including a career-record 9.900 against Ball State.
Previous to her Cardinal upset, Nervig scored an impressive career tying mark with a 9.875 to finish second against Southeast Missouri State. Nervig again repeated the feat at the 2002 Cat Classic where she finished third with duplicate mark.
In two other meets, Nervig posted her third-highest career score against Bowling Green and Nebraska (9.825) to open the season. In addition, the sophomore tied her all-time vault mark throwing a 9.650 on the apparatus to finish fourth in the meet against SEMO.
Nervig tops the country ranked 10th on the uneven bars. In the South Central Region, the sophomore is ranked third averaging a 9.867.
All About Asraf
Freshmen Ashley 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 tied Asraf with Alisha Robinson with the highest Missouri freshman mark on the apparatus, prior to the Cat Classic. In addition to her record-tying performance, Asraf finished fourth on vault (9.650) and third on beam (9.700) against the Otahkians.
At the 2002 Cat Classic, Asraf highlighted the night scoring a 9.825 on the floor exercise. She also put up a 9.600 as Mizzou's lead off on vault.
Dishing on Dombart
Rachael 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 capped off a solid Cat Classic showing scoring a 9.750 on the balance beam to advance to the individual finals where she posted a career-high 9.800 on the apparatus.
After putting up solid marks during Big 12 Conference competition throwing a 9.675 bars routine and nailing a 9.750 beam performance against nationally ranked Iowa State, Dombart set a career-record scoring a 9.850 on the uneven bars against Ball State.
Dombart is ranked 23rd in the South Central Region averaging a 9.664 on the balance beam. She is ranked 30th on the uneven bars with a 9.663 average.
Keeping up with Gremaud
Junior Leah Gremaud proves that history can often times repeat itself. At the 2002 Cat Classic, Gremaud became Missouri's first two-time beam champion scoring a 9.925 to mirror her record-setting mark from last season and win the team competition on the apparatus. She is the first Mizzou gymnast to win the same back-to-back event title at the Classic since 1991-92 when Jennifer Sand was the two-time floor exercise champion. Gremaud followed up her record-tying performance recording a 9.850 to finish second in the individual championship.
Gremaud owns three other individual event titles on the year taking top honors on beam against Bowling Green, Southeast Missouri State and No. 9 ranked Iowa State.
The junior reached new personal heights against the Southeast Missouri State Otahkians scoring and a 9.800 to finish fourth in the floor exercise and establish a new career-high mark in the event. Against ISU, the junior scored her third 9.900+ mark on the balance beam tying with Cyclone Stephanie Sweitzer for first-place honors.
In her last meet, Gremaud scored 9.825 on the bars, 9.875 on the beam and 9.725 on the floor exercise. Her beam score boosts her apparatus average to 9.843-she has scored a 9.8+ in six of seven meets, including two 9.0+ scores.
Gremaud ranks 11th in the NCAA Division one and second in the South Central Region. She also ranks 52nd on the uneven bars (9.485) and 55th on the floor exercise (9.600).
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. At the Cat Classic, Bridges set a career-mark scoring a 9.800 to start Mizzou on the floor exercise during the Cat Classic team competition. She returned against Ball State for a 9.800 repeat performance on the apparatus.
Bridges is ranked 47th on the balance beam in the South Central Region averaging a 9.416. She also ranks 51st on the vault (9.575) and 68th on the floor (9.618).
Dishing on Davis
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.
She highlighted the 2002 Cat Classic recording a 9.725 on the vault and a 9.750 on bars during team competition. Performing in the individual championship, Davis finished fourth on vault throwing a 9.825.
Against Ball State, Davis scored a 9.675 on the vault and a 9.525 on the uneven bars. Competing as an exhibitionist, she also recorded a 9.700 on the balance beam-it was her first three-event meet of the year on the road to returning to the all-around rotation.
Davis is ranked 29th in the South Central Region averaging a 9.704 on the vault and is 42nd on the uneven bars with a 9.570 average.
The Forbes Forecast
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. At the 2002 Cat Classic, she scored a 9.800 during the team competition and came back to record a 9.850 to tie for third in the individual championship.
Against Iowa State, the junior recorded a 9.775 on the balance beam and floor to boost the Tigers.
Forbes ranks eighth in the region on the balance beam with a 9.775 average. She is also ranked 28th on the floor averaging a 9.735
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. The junior highlighted the 2002 Cat Classic recording a 9.825 on the floor exercise during both the team competition and during the individual championships.
The junior was sidelined during the Iowa State and Ball State meets due to a hand injury sustained in practice. Her participation will be made on a meet-by-meet basis.
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 Anson returned to the Tiger lineup after taking a redshirt season while recovering from post concussion syndrome. In her first meet of the 2002 season, Anson scored a 9.725 on the vault against Iowa State. After scoring a 9.775 on the vault and a 9.725 on the bars against Ball State, Anson is ranked 14th in the region with a 9.750 vault average.
* 2001 medical redshirt Terri Baker made her way back into the Mizzou competitive lineup as one of the team's most competitive balance beam contenders. In her first meet since her ACL injury, Baker scored a 9.875 on the beam to tie Leah Gremaud for the meet title.
