Jan. 6, 2009
Columbia, Mo. - With a long offseason, intrasquad competitions and preseason practices behind them, the No. 19 Mizzou Gymnastics squad is now ready to roar. The Tigers are expecting big scores this season behind a lethal combination of experience, skill, consistency and grit led by seniors Adrianne Perry and Alicia Hatcher, and junior Sarah Shire as well as a new face, freshman Mary Burke. Head Coach Rob Drass said all the pieces are in place for Missouri to challenge the Big 12's and nation's top squads.
"We expect to go out and be a solid, consistent team all season long," he said. "We feel like we've increased our difficulty, and our consistency is improved over the past few years. That's what it's going to take to win a Big 12 Championship. We really feel like this team has a great chance to accomplish some of those goals we set."
The Tigers are set to begin that journey this weekend with a road trip to Ames, Iowa to face off against Big 12 rival Iowa State. The meet will be at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 9 at the Hilton Coliseum in Ames.
Drass expects his team to be a force on all four events this season, and said he believes the team can average a score of 49.000 or better on each.
"Overall I think the team is strong," he said. "I think we're also very close-knit. The closer your team is, the better they respond to situations of adversity. We're ready for the best season yet for Mizzou Gymnastics."
Vault: The coaching staff will have a stiff competition to choose from for the six spots on this event -- Drass expects eight to ten gymnasts who will be ready with a 10.0 start, a depth not seen in past seasons. Burke, who put on a show at the Black and Gold intrasquad meet with a 9.800 on the event and a 38.900 in the All Around is expected to be regularly competing for a spot, along with Perry, Shire, juniors Becky Scholle and Danielle Guider, and sophomores Alex Gold, Lisa LaPerriere and Lauren Stephenson. Vault was the strongest event for the Tigers in 2008. Perry averaged a 9.819 on the event last year and posted a season high of 9.900 twice. Shire will also be a top returner on vault, where she averaged a 9.848 in 2008 and notched a 9.9 three times for a season high.
Uneven Bars: Drass said he expects nine gymnasts to battle for spots on this high-flying event. Senior Alicia Hatcher will likely be a mainstay on bars in 2009, where she earned a first-team spot on both the conference and Big 12 Championship in 2008. Hatcher averaged a 9.837 on the event to lead the Tigers, and posted her career high of 9.875 six times on the season. Also appearing will likely be Perry, Shire, Guider, Scholle, Gold, junior Liz Straatmann and freshman Allie Heizelman.
Balance Beam: While historically one of the Tigers' most consistent events, Missouri is looking to up the ante, increasing the difficulty of its routines on the beam this season. "I think it will be one of our stronger events. It will just be a matter of going in day in and day out and doing our job," Drass said. Coaches expect Perry, Hatcher, Shire, beam specialist junior Brooke Boehmer, Guider, Gold, LaPerriere, and Burke to vie for the starting beam spots in 2009. Perry and Shire both earned spots on the first team for the event on the All-Big 12 Championship Team in 2008 -- Perry averaged a 9.781 on the event, while Shire averaged a 9.662.
Floor Exercise: The floor exercise is always one of the most exciting events for fans, and the Tigers have wowed the crows in recent years with exciting routines and high scores. But Drass said fans should look for even better performances this year, particularly in the Tigers' tumbling. Missouri averaged a 48.867 on the event last year behind averages of 9.846 from Perry and 9.821 from Shire. This event will yield another deep field for Missouri -- Perry, Shire, Guider, Gold, Stephenson and Burke "should be tough to beat," Drass said, while Hatcher, LaPerriere, Heizelman and freshman Brittany Haines will also be strong contenders for the lineup.