March 10, 2008

The daily grind that a student athlete experiences can be strenuous, time-consuming and at times frustrating. But if embraced and honored, the life of a student athlete is an experience unlike any other, especially when done right. Mizzou is loaded with student-athletes that embrace the latter half of that description, but few have represented the University of Missouri better than senior gymnast Julie Abaray.

Abaray, a two-time Academic All-Big 12 team member, has set a new standard for school and community involvement along with high performance in the gym as she has been honored by the Mizzou Alumni Association as a recipient of the 2008 Mizzou '39 Award, an award given to 39 seniors at the University of Missouri based of their outstanding service, academic achievement and leadership.

"It's an incredible honor to receive this award during my senior year at Mizzou," Abaray said. "Ever since I have been at Mizzou, I have tried to make academics, athletics, leadership, involvement and community service my top priorities, and it is great to be recognized."

Abaray has been one of the best gymnasts for head coach Rob Drass over the last four years, and has been one of the finest community members as well. From reading in classrooms to serving as a member of Student Athletic Council, Abaray is another in a long line of Mizzou gymnasts to be rewarded for her involvement.

"It is another great honor that shows the state of this program," head coach Drass said. "We have had a Big 12 Sportsperson of the Year in Jodie Heinecka, and now we have a Mizzou '39 recipient."

Abaray was given the award due to her outstanding presence in the gym. Abaray, one of the top gymnasts on the team, has been a leader on the team for four years now. Abaray has been recognized as a first team Academic All-Big 12 member twice and is on her way to her third. She also serves as a member of the Student Athletic Council and won the Varsity M Association's Female Student-Athlete of the Year in 2005-06 an award given to a student athlete that exemplifies what it means to be a student athlete. She also donated hours of her time to strengthening the community and working as a reporter for KOUM.

Abaray's time at Mizzou is slowly winding down, but due to her hard work and leadership qualities is starting to see more time in the lineups, despite what has turned into a lengthy recovery from off-season surgery. Abaray earned an exhibition at the 2008 Cat Classic, something that she will likely never forget. Almost in tears before climbing onto the beam, Abaray realized how important she had been to not only the team, the coaches and the fans, but the entire Mizzou community. At her final Cat Classic, an injury laden Abaray corralled her emotions and performed to the best of her ability. She fell twice, but her ability to even climb onto the four-foot-tall, four-inch-wide apparatus shows the real life qualities that Abaray encompasses.

"It is a pleasure to coach those kinds of athletes," Drass said. "Ones who have not only given everything that they have to the program, but have given to the community and classroom as well." For Abaray, her time at Mizzou has been something to embrace as she has performed to the highest of her ability, and not just in the gym. In a time where the lines are blurred between athlete and student-athlete, Abaray, like many others, serves as a reminder of what collegiate athletics is all about, making memories, developing people, but most of all creating a legacy at a place that they called home for four years.

"We are trying to teach life skills here," Drass said. "It seems like our girls are really starting to grasp that, largely in part to what Julie has done here."