Feb. 9, 2006
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COLUMBIA, Mo - The No. 8 Missouri Tigers head to Champaign, Ill. this weekend for a non-conference matchup with No. 25 Illinois on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 7:00 p.m. CT. During the meet, the women will share the floor with the No. 3 Illini men's gymnastics team as they compete against No. 15 Temple. The Tigers are coming off a narrow 196.175-195.875 loss to No. 9 Iowa State on Feb. 3 while the Illini recorded a season-high 194.175 against Illinois State on Feb. 4. The last time these two squads met, Mizzou tied the highest beam and second-highest bars score in program history with a 49.325 on each event. Following the non-conference meet with Illinois, the Tigers return home Friday, Feb. 17 for a matchup with conference for No. 6 Oklahoma at 7:00 p.m. in the Hearnes Center.
Mizzou can't hold off No. 9 Iowa State...
The No. 7 Missouri gymnastics team returned home after a three-week absence but could not stop No. 9 Iowa State as the Cyclones bested the Tigers 196.175-195.875 in front 1,518 fans. The Tigers took home at least a share of three event titles on the night. Senior Lauren Schwartzman tied her season-high on beam with a 9.950 to take home first place and scored a 9.850 on floor to tie for the title. On bars, senior Jodie Heinicka scored a 9.925 for the fourth-consecutive meet and earned the event title for the fourth straight week. Heinicka also recorded a 9.850 on vault to tie for second place. Freshman Alicia Hatcher set two personal bests with a 9.850 on bars to finish in fourth and a 9.750 on floor. Senior Sarah Zigler recorded a 9.875 on bars for the second week in a row for to tie for second place, freshman Adrianne Perry tied for third on beam (9.825) and junior Whitney Crater tied for fourth on floor (9.825) and fifth on vault (9.775).
Despite a close 196.175-195.875 setback to No. 9 Iowa State on Feb. 3, the Tigers slipped just one spot to No. 8 in this week's national poll. The Big 12 Conference still holds the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth ranked teams in the country with Oklahoma leading the way, followed by Nebraska, Missouri and Iowa State.
About Illinois...
The Illili are coming off a win over Illinois State where they posted a season-best team score of 194.175. The last meeting between the teams took place in Columbia on Feb. 11, 2005 and saw the Tigers triumph 196.225-193.775. Illinois has continuously improved its team score each week this season. The biggest jump in points happened just last week when the Illini posted their season-high 194.175, 1.350 points better than the previous week's score of 192.825.
Mizzou vs. Illinois: 12-7
Weaknesses turned to strengths...
Always stronger on vault and floor in years past, Mizzou has reversed that trend this year with more consistent scores on bars and beam. Currently, the Tigers rank third on beam and sixth on bars in the country with averages of 48.845 and 48.775, respectively.
Spectacular Seniors...
All three Missouri seniors have made important and spectacular contributions to the squad this season. Heinicka is tied for second nationally on bars with a 9.910 average and has scored a 9.925 in four consecutve meets. The anchor for the beam team since her stepped on the floor for the Tigers, Schwartzman, the 2004 Big 12 beam champion, ranks third in the nation on beam and has recorded a 9.950 twice this season. Additionally, she ranks 22nd in the country on floor. Zigler has impressed on vault and bars this season with a 9.850 on vault against Arkansas to win the title and scored a 9.875 on bars the past two meets.
Not just a sport of wins and losses...
Unlike other sports, gymnastics polls are not based on a team's record but by its scores. The first seven weeks of the season, rankings are compiled by highest or average score. After seven weeks, the Regional Qualifying Score comes into effect. The RQS uses a team's three highest away scores, three highest remaining scores, drops the highest score, and averages the remaining five scores.
Tiger Notes
Nicole Bowman
Led off the floor lineup against Nebraska and scored a career-high 9.725 ... improved her career-best on bars with a 9.650 against Arkansas, a mark she set at the Super Six Challenge ... had a then-personal best 9.500 on floor against Arkansas ... ranks tied for 47th in the region on floor.
Whitney Crater
Recorded a 9.825 on floor and a 9.775 on vault against Iowa State to finish tied for fourth and fifth, respectively ... tied for fifth on floor at Nebraska with a 9.825 ... recorded a 9.850 on vault and floor against Centenary and Air Force for second and third place finishes, respectively ... finished tied for first on floor with a 9.825 and recorded a 9.800 on vault to tie for fourth place against Arkansas ... ranks 31st in the South Central Region on vault and floor.
Alicia Hatcher
Scored a career-high 9.850 on bars to finish in fourth place against Iowa State ... also set a career-high on floor with a 9.750 and posted a 9.775 on beam ... placed fourth on beam with a career-high 9.850 while also recording a 9.800 on bars and 9.725 on floor at Nebraska ... recorded a 9.825 on bars at Centenary to finish second ... finished in fifth place on bars with a 9.725 against Arkansas ... ranked 10th in the South Central region and tied for 35th nationally on bars.
Jodie Heinicka
Scored a 9.925 on bars for the fourth-straight week to claim first place honors against Iowa State ... finish tied for second on for the second straight week against Iowa State with career-high tying 9.850 ... has won bars titles in four of five meets this season. tied for fifth at the Super Six Challenge ... against Arkansas on Jan. 13, became the first Tiger to perform a full-twisting double-layout dismount on bars ... is tied for second nationally on bars and is first in the South Central Region with a 9.910 average. Also ranks 60th nationally and 14th in the region on beam.
Ashley Khederian
Competed on bars and floor against Iowa State and posted a 9.725 on floor ... scored a 9.800 on floor at Centenary for a season-high ... in the bar lineup for the second-consecutive year at the Super Six Challenge, Khederian did not disappoint with a 9.700 on the event.
Katie Kluga
Competed on bars and beam against Iowa State and posted a 9.725 on beam ... set a career-high on beam with a 9.775 at Nebraska ... recorded a 9.750 on both bars and beam at Centenary, which earned her a third place finish on bars ... tied Lauren Schwartzman with a team-high 9.700 on beam to help the Tigers place third on the event at the Super Six Challenge ... is tied for 19th on bars and 32nd on beam in the region.
Adrianne Perry
Against Iowa State, finished tied for third on beam with a 9.825 and tied for fifth on bars and vault with a 9.800 and 9.675 ... also posted a 9.800 on floor and finished fourth in the all-around with a 39.100 ... improved her all-around personal best for the third straight week with a 39.300 at Nebraska to finish in second place ... recorded a career-high 9.875 on beam and 9.850 on bars to go along with a 9.825 on floor and 9.750 on vault ... tied for first on beam and tied for fifth on floor and vault at Nebraska ... for the second week in a row, won the all-around title at Centenary while finishing first on vault and second on floor ... won the all-around with a 39.025 against Arkansas in her first home meet and the first all-around competition of her collegiate career ... ranks second in the South Central region and 12th nationally in the all-around ... also ranks fourth in the region and 30th nationally on floor and sits in the top-100 on vault, bars and beam nationally.
Amanda Pezzullo
Competed in the vault, beam and floor lineups against Iowa State and posted a 9.725, 9.700 and 9.675, respectively ... tied for fifth on vault with a 9.750 against Nebraska ... also recorded a 9.775 on beam and a 9.700 on floor ... set a career-high with a 9.900 on beam against Centenary and Air Force to tie for second place ... also recorded a 9.700 on floor ... had an impressive meet against Arkansas after recording a 9.825 on vault to finish tied for second place ... ranks 13th on beam in the region and 54th nationally.
Lauren Schwartzman
Scored a 9.950 on beam for the second time this season against Iowa State to claim first place ... also posted a 9.850 on floor to tie for first place and scored season-high 9.775 on vault ... marked the third-highest beam score in program history with a 9.950 at Centenary to match her own score set in 2004 ... also finished first on beam and floor after recording a 9.900 on the floor exercise ... won the beam title against Arkansas with a 9.850 on the event and tied Perry for third place on floor with a 9.800 ... ranks third nationally and in the South Central Region on beam and is 22nd nationally and third in the region on floor.
Sarah Zigler
Tied for second on bars against Iowa State with a 9.875, which marks the second week in a row Zigler tied her career-high ... recorded a 9.875 on bars with against Nebraska to tie for fifth place ... also recorded a 9.700 on vault ... finished third on vault against Centenary and Air Force after notching a 9.800 ... placed first on vault with a career-high 9.850 and finished third on bars with a 9.800 against Arkansas ... ranks tied for 23th on vault and 40th on bars in the region.
GymInfo National Top 25 Poll (Feb. 6)
1. Georgia
2. Utah
3. Alabama
4. Michigan
5. Florida
6. Oklahoma
7. Nebraska
8. Missouri
9. Iowa State
10. Arizona State
11. UCLA
12. Stanford
13. LSU
14. Arizona
15. Denver
16. Auburn
17. Penn State
18. Kentucky
19. Oregon State
20. Minnesota
21. Arkansas
22. North Carolina
23. New Hampshire
24. Michigan State
25. Illinois-Champaign
Mizzou in the national rankings
| Event | Rank | Avg. Score |
| Vault | 14th | 48.74 |
| Bars | 6th | 48.845 |
| Beam | 3rd | 48.775 |
| Floor | 15th | 48.68 |
| Team | 8th | 195.040 |
Tigers in the national rankings
| Athlete | Rank | Event | |
| Jodie Heinicka | 2nd (tie) | Bars | |
| 60th | Beam | ||
| Alicia Hatcher | 35th (tie) | Bars | |
| Adrianne Perry | 12th | All-Around | |
| 30th | Floor | ||
| 63rd (tie) | Beam | ||
| 68th (tie) | Vault | ||
| 73rd (tie) | Bars | ||
| Amanda Pezzullo | 54th | Beam | |
| Lauren Schwartzman | 3rd | Beam | |
| 22nd | Floor | ||
| Sarah Zigler | 97th (tie) | Vault | |
Mizzou in the South Central Region rankings
| Event | Rank | Avg. Score |
| Vault | 4th | 48.74 |
| Bars | 2nd | 48.845 |
| Beam | 2nd | 48.775 |
| Floor | 5th | 48.68 |
| Team | 3rd | 195.04 |
Tigers in the South Central Region rankings
Vault
| Rank | Athlete | High | |
| 17t. | Adrianne Perry | 9.875 | |
| 23t. | Sarah Zigler | 9.85 | |
| 26 | Jodie Heinicka | 9.85 | |
| 31 | Whitney Crater | 9.85 | |
| 42 | Lauren Schwartzman | 9.775 | |
Bars
| Rank | Athlete | High | |
| 1 | Jodie Heinicka | 9.925 | |
| 10 | Alicia Hatcher | 9.85 | |
| 19t. | Adrianne Perry | 9.85 | |
| 32t. | Katie Kluga | 9.75 | |
| 40 | Sarah Zigler | 9.875 | |
Beam
| Rank | Athlete | High | |
| 3 | Lauren Schwartzman | 9.95 | |
| 13 | Amanda Pezzullo | 9.9 | |
| 14 | Jodie Heinicka | 9.725 | |
| 16t. | Adrianne Perry | 9.875 | |
| 29 | Katie Kluga | 9.775 | |
| 46 | Alicia Hatcher | 9.85 | |
Floor
| Rank | Athlete | High | |
| 3 | Lauren Schwartzman | 9.9 | |
| 4 | Adrianne Perry | 9.875 | |
| 24 | Amanda Pezzullo | 9.725 | |
| 31 | Whitney Crater | 9.85 | |
| 38t. | Ashley Khederian | 9.8 | |
| 50 | Nicole Bowman | 9.725 | |
All-Around
| Rank | Athlete | High | |
| 2 | Adrianne Perry | 39.3 | |