No. 16 Tiger Gymnastics Opens Season in Bowling Green
1/10/2008 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
Jan. 10, 2008
Columbia, Mo. - The No. 16 Missouri gymnastics squad will kick off its 2008 season on Saturday when it travels to Bowling Green, Ohio to take on the Falcons of Bowling Green State at 6:00 p.m. (CT). The Tigers enter the season with their highest ranking since 2006, the best year in Tiger gymnastics history. Looking to duplicate the success from 2006, the Tigers first test is at Bowling Green.
Led by junior all-around performer Adrianne Perry (Columbia, Mo.) the Tigers are loaded with talent heading into Saturday's meet. Joining Perry will be All-Big 12 performer from a year ago Alicia Hatcher (Blue Springs, Mo.) Hatcher is coming off of her best season in 2007 that saw her earn All-Big 12 honors on the bars.
The Tigers also have four seniors that are likely to make big impacts in 2008. Led by Ashley Khederian (Carlisle, Mass.) and Nikki Bowman (Virginia Beach, Va.) the seniors will play a big part in the teams success in 2008. Making a return to her home state, senior Julie Abaray (Cincinnati, Ohio) is recovering from off-season knee surgery, but hopes to exhibition in front of her home state crowd on Saturday. Lisa Puccio (Kirkwood, Mo.) also has high expectations for her senior campaign and will compete for several spots in each rotation in 2008.
Along with the upperclassmen, the excitement around the 2008 team lies with Utah transfer, Sarah Shire (Hartsburg, Mo.). Last season, Shire helped the Utes earn national runner up honors at the NCAA National Championships. Shire brings with her an impressive resume, national championship experience and a positive energy. Shire will compete as a Tiger for the first time on Saturday.
The Tiger freshmen will also make their debuts on Saturday. The talented recruiting class is made up of Alex Gold (Plano, Texas), Lisa LaPerriere (Macomb, Mich.) and walk-on Lauren Stephenson (Kansas City, Mo.). All three will likely figure into the mix on Saturday. Gold posted the best score of the night at the Black & Gold intrasquad back in December when she tallied a 9.900 on the vault. Gold and the Tigers are hoping for similar results throughout the 2008 season.
The meet is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Stay tuned to www.mutigers.com for official results and scores.
News and Notes:
Scouting Bowling Green: The Falcons finished the 2007 campaign ranked 52nd in the nation. Led by first-year head coach Kerrie Beach, the Flacons have a young team that packs a lot of talent, in particular freshman Kasey Fillmore and sophomore transfer Breanne Guy. Guy, a transfer from Arkansas will figure into the all-around mix all season for the Falcons. Senior captain Jholeen Ponce adds quality depth and experience and will anchor three of the four lineups for the Falcons, vault, beam and bars.
The Falcons are a young but formidable foe, and having the room to grow and develop, the Falcons should be a power in the MAC for years to come.
MU Earns Highest Preseason Ranking Since 2006: Ranked 16th in the GymInfo Preseason Coaches Poll, Missouri has its highest preseason ranking since the 2006 campaign, a season which still ranks among one of the best ever for the program. In 2006, the Tigers climbed all the way to seventh, the programs highest ranking ever. The Tigers will look to duplicate that success in 2008.
The Tigers also come in ranked third out of the four Big 12 Conference programs. Nebraska and Oklahoma come in ranked seventh and eighth, respectively, while Iowa State comes in one spot behind the Tigers in 17th. The Tigers topped the Cyclones in last season's Big 12 Championships, the first time a Tiger team had done that since 2004.
Newcomer Shire will rank among Big 12 Elite: Sarah Shire, a sophomore transfer from 2007 national runner-up Utah, will figure right into the mix at Mizzou. A bar and vault standout with the Utes, Shire will fit into an all-around role with the Tigers. Shire has spent preseason workouts improving on both bars and floor and will compete for a spot in both events. Shire, a highly sought after recruit, will be looked at to put up big scores on all four events in 2008. With experience at the National level last season, the Tigers will rely heavily on Shire to carry them to their goal of qualifying for nationals.
The GAGE Connection With a team that is loaded with talent, the Tigers can trace some of their success and roots to the Great American Gymnastics Express club team. GAGE, based out of Blue Springs, Mo., has produced four key members of the Tiger squad, starting with juniors Adrianne Perry and Alicia Hatcher. The two juniors were also teammates with sophomore Liz Straatmann and transfer Sarah Shire. Perry has qualified for Nationals in each of her first two seasons, while Hatcher earned All-Big 12 honors on the bars in 2007. The four GAGE athletes will continue to be the cornerstone of the Tiger lineup.
New Coaching Staff has Tigers Geared Up: The start of the 2008 season has been a little bit easier for Tiger Head Coach Rob Drass, especially in lieu of the 2007 season. Drass and the Tigers have hired two new coaches that will help the Tigers excel in 2008. Associate Head Coach John Figueroa was an assistant at Denver University since 2000 and will be a key member of the coaching staff. Figueroa helped turn the DU program around, taking its bar routine to new heights, ranking 10th. That turnaround helped "Fig" earn the Region 2 Assistant Coach of the Year award in just his first season at the collegiate level. "Fig" will also serve as the recruiting coordinator for the Tigers.
Standout gymnast Amy Smith, a national champion during her competitive days at UCLA, will serve as an assistant coach this season. Smith is a proven gymnast that will focus her efforts on beam and floor. Known for her choreography, Smith has reworked almost all of the floor and beam routines, giving the Tigers a fresh look on both events.
Senior Julie Abaray has Homecoming at Bowling Green: Spending most of the off season recovering from knee surgery, Julie Abaray hopes to be ready for a visit to her home state in the season opener at Bowling Green. Abaray, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, has been working non-stop to get into the lineup in her home state. Abaray has been a standout for the Tigers during her previous three seasons, and when she returns to 100-percent, will give the Tigers another elite gymnast to rely on.
Tigers among Highest Attended in 2007: The continued success of Tiger Gymnastics has earned the program a reputation as one of the highest attended teams in the country. The Tigers ranked 11th out of 86 teams in 2007 and has been steadily increasing since Drass took over the program. With home events such as Beauaty and the Beast, Pink Out and the Cat Classic scheduled for 2008, the Tigers should see similar numbers this year.
Players Mentioned
