March 9, 2005
Complete Release in PDF Format
Missouri Travels to Arkansas
#32 Mizzou travels to Arkansas this weekend to face the #15 Arkansas Gymbacks on Sun., March 13 at 2:00 p.m.
Mizzou returns home to host its final regular season meet against Air Force and Southeast Missouri State the following Sunday at 2:00 p.m. Highlighting the competition, the Tigers bid farewell to seniors Alisha Robinson and Rachael Dombart as they compete in their final Hearnes Center competition.
Tickets are still available, for information contact the Mizzou Athletic Ticket Office at 884-PAWS.
Stellar Tiger Turnout
Rising to the call for another season, the Tigers recorded another impressive attendance during the 2005 Mizzou Cat Classic. Hosted by Callaway Bank, the meet saw 4,500 fans cheer the Black & Gold to its third consecutive Cat Classic victory. The feat continues a legacy seeing the Missouri Cat Classic shine as the Big 12 Conference's highest single meet attendance figure for over a decade.
Scouting Arkansas
The Gymbacks are currently ranked as the 15th-finest team in the country owning a 195.075 Regional Qualifying Score. Topping the nation on each apparatus as well, Arkansas is ranked 13th on beam (48.850), 16th on bars (48.735), 21st on floor (48.890) and 26th on vault (48.745).
Contending in the South Central Region, the Gymbacks are ranked third overall. Arkansas also ranks third on bars and beam, comes in fourth on floor and ranks fifth overall on vault.
Last season, Arkansas finished with an 11-14 record going 2-4 for a sixth-place finish in the Southeastern Conference. Advancing to the NCAA South Central Regional, the Gymbacks finished the year ranked 20th nationally.
Missouri leads the Mizzou-Arkansas series 2-1 picking up their second victory last season when the Tigers bested the Gymbacks 196.600-195.925.
Arkansas Live Scoring
To access live scoring of the Missouri-Arkansas meet, log onto the official website of the Arkansas Gymbacks at www.ladybacks.com. The event is pay-per-view costing $4.95. Access includes live video of routines, as well as live scoring.
Tiger Rankings
The Tigers rank in as the nation's 32nd finest team this week. Following its fifth home meet of the season, Mizzou looks to collect another solid road score this weekend to help bolster the team back into the national top 20.
Currently lacking a fifth road mark, Mizzou owns a 193.965 Regional Qualifying Score. Ranked nationally on each apparatus, the Tigers are tabbed 23rd on vault (48.780) and floor (48.825), 27th on beam (48.435) and 32nd on bars (48.32).
In the South Central Region, Mizzou stands sixth overall ranking fourth on vault, fifth on floor, sixth on beam and eighth on the uneven bars.
RQS Rankings
Regional Qualifying scores are calculated using a team's top three away and top three home scores. Of the six totals, the high is dropped and the five remaining scores are then averaged to find an RQS total.
Making the transition from event averages to RQS, fans may ask some why gymnasts have dropped from the rating charts. Utilizing the same calculations for individual rankings, only gymnasts owning three home and three away scores on each apparatus are included in the event rankings. As Mizzou continues to compete this season, fans can anticipate seeing additional Tigers in the rankings.
SEMO Recap
Turning in another stellar Hearnes Center performance, the Mizzou Tigers bested Southeast Missouri State 195.350-190.200. The victory takes Missouri to a 10-8 record on the year.
Seeing impressive execution across the board, the Tigers opened the meet scoring a 48.975 on vault including three performances scoring a 9.800 or higher. Ashley Khederian led the trio off scoring a 9.825 - her second highest career mark. Despite fighting the flu, Whitney Crater scored a 9.800 to tally her fourth vault scoring a 9.800 or above of the season. Alisha Robinson's finished up on the event scoring a 9.900 to win her sixth vault title of the year.
Highlighting on bars, Jodie Heinicka joined Robinson in the spotlight scoring a 9.800 routine to tie for top event honors. Bolstering the Tiger's 48.675 team total.
Finding a solid rhythm on beam, Missouri scored a 48.400 led by beam specialist Lauren Schwartzman who scored a 9.800 to pick up her eighth beam title of the season.
Rounding out the evening on a high note, the Mizzou floor squad recorded its second-highest floor mark of the season scoring a 49.300. Continuing to set higher personal standards, Khederian delivered an exuberant 9.900 showing establishing a new career high. Adding to the performance, Robinson turned in a stunning 9.925 routine to finish second overall while Schwartzman took top honors on the event scoring a 9.950 tying Mizzou's second-highest all-time score.
Tiger Honors
This season, the Tiger gymnastics squad has received unprecedented acclaim for their work outside of the arena, including the recognition of five gymnasts as Lathrop & Gage Student Athlete of the Week honoring a student-athlete's pursuit toward academic excellence.
Highlighting for the Tigers, Julie Abaray, Rachael Dombart, Jodie Heinicka, Amanda Pezzullo and Lauren Schwartzman have each been selected during the winter semester.