#22 Mizzou Opens 2005 Season
1/6/2005 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
Jan. 6, 2005
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#22 Missouri Kicks Off 2005 Season
The #22 ranked Mizzou Tigers jump into competition with back-to-back road trips. First on the docket, Missouri faces #14 ranked Iowa State on Fri., Jan. 5 in Ames, Iowa. Mizzou then travels to Tucson, Ariz., to compete in the Arizona Invitational on Fri., Jan. 14. The Tigers are slated to face Arizona, Illinois-Chicago and Michigan State.
Kicking off the 2005 home season, Missouri hosts the inaugural Pink Out meet against Centenary on Fri., Jan. 21 in the Hearnes Center. As an added highlight to a night of stellar gymnastics, the Tigers have paired with Ellis Fischel Cancer Hospital. Mizzou has promised $1 of each meet ticket sold to aide in breast cancer awareness and research efforts.
Scouting #14 Iowa State
The 2005 Cyclones open the season ranked 14th in the GymInfo Pre-Season Coaches Poll.
Last season, Iowa State finished with a 17th-place ranking owning a 9-1-1 record and a third-place showing at the North East Regional competition. The Cyclones also advanced three athletes, including All-American and Big 12 Newcomer of the Year Janet Anson, to the NCAA Championships as individual qualifiers.
In Big 12 Conference action, Iowa State led the league with a 3-0-1 dual meet record. The Cyclones finished second at the Big 12 Championship scoring a 196.925.
In their last meeting, the Cyclones defeated the Tigers 196.300-195.350. Missouri picked up its first victory over ISU as a Big 12 program in 2003 when the Tigers bested the Cyclones 192.575-192.000. Mizzou owns the MU-ISU dual meet series record 23-21.
Coach Drass Quotes
On Iowa State
"I think we will match up pretty evenly against Iowa State. The decision will ultimately come down to who performs better on Friday night. All the teams in the Big 12 are talented. Each conference match-up is going to rest on consistency."
Preparing for the First Meet
"Getting ready for our first meet, the girls are focused on finding a rhythm in rotation, preparations for traveling and securing spots in the competitive lineup. Hosting inter-squad competitions during practice has helped build the team's confidence."
"We are really looking tight. Our goal is to hit as many routines as possible. The first meet is always a starting point where we can gage what we are doing right and what we need to work on."
Goals of the 2005 Season
"There is the feeling among the team that we have some unfinished business from regionals last season. That drive to conquer that has helped bring the team closer and make each girl more conscious of what she needs to do to help the team succeed. We've focused our preseason on turning a negative experience into a positive catalyst for our season."
Mizzou Vault Breakdown
Last year the Tiger's strongest event was the vault--Mizzou set 10 of the program's top scores, including a 49.375 all-time high. Looking to outdo the previous season, the Tigers are confident that they've actually improved upon a solid rotation. The team has eight to ten athletes capable of performing vaults with a start value of 10.0--a tremendous advantage as many collegiate teams have athletes competing vaults with as low as a 9.8 start value.
"I think our vault line-up is going to be a real strength. We have four athletes who can vault against anybody in the country in Lauren Schwartzman, former All-American Alisha Robinson, Whitney Crater and freshman Ashley Khederian. The addition of Jodie Heinicka, back from a knee injury she suffered two years ago, should also help. We also have three or four additional athletes to fill the last spot in the lineup, Drass said.
Mizzou Uneven Bars Breakdown
Whereas vault was Mizzou's strongest event last year, the uneven bars proved the Tigers' weakest. Set in context, Missouri set the program's top five all-time highest team scores on the apparatus, including a record setting 49.400. In addition, Robinson and Heinicka both rewrote the record books scoring Mizzou's individual high 9.950. Despite these accolades however, of the four events bars proved to be the Tigers lowest scoring round.
Seeking to solve this problem, Missouri spent countless hours in the gym working to improve. After a year of reflection and hard work, Drass believes Mizzou has turned a corner developing its uneven bar rotation as one of the team's strengths in 2005. Missouri record holders Robinson and Heinicka join Khederian, Kelley Andersen, Sarah Zigler, Erin Riley, Katie Kluga, and Julie Abaray as performers capable of making a significant contribution.
Mizzou Balance Beam Breakdown
Losing beam standards Lindsay Davis and Rachel Bridges, Missouri looks to its newcomers to carry its tradition on balance beam. Setting eight of the Tigers' top beam scores last year, including two record setting 49.325 performances, Mizzou has made it maintain its prestigious standard on beam.
Adding to its already impressive lineup, the Tigers look to incorporate a slew of newcomers to form a reliable rotation. 2004 Big 12 Beam Champion Lauren Schwartzman, the only Tiger in program history to record a perfect 10.0 on beam, anchors the lineup as Mizzou's most experienced beam contender. Joining Schwartzman, Robinson and Andersen possess the skills to consistently perform well earning scores of 9.8 and above. Eyeing the team's fourth position, freshman Julie Abaray, the 2004 Ohio state, Level 10 Regional and Junior National Beam Champion, looks to add stability. Completing the Tigers competitive lineup, Mizzou looks to internal competition to sort the event out during the upcoming year.
"Our top four are really going to have to carry the load this season. We're looking for two people to step up and take charge. With the depth of our team this year I think we'll be able to sort through our options to find good choices," Drass said. "Beam is definitely an area where we'll find competition within the squad throughout the season."
Mizzou Floor Exercise Breakdown
Rounding out the gymnastics rotation, the floor exercise looks to again rise as one of Mizzou's strong points. Last year, Missouri recorded six of the program's highest all-time marks, including two 49.575 team totals. As it is with their other events, the Tigers have four athletes that Drass says, "can stand up with the best in the country."
Heading the lineup, All-Big 12 floor contenders and Mizzou record holders Robinson and Schwartzman join Andersen and Khederian to bolster the Tigers final event. Looking to fill in Mizzou's competitive roster, sophomore Amanda Pezzullo, a floor standard in 2004, joins Crater as strong choices.
Players Mentioned
