Jan. 8, 2009

Columbia, Mo. - With high expectations and a team loaded with talent, the No. 19 Missouri Tigers Gymnastics squad kicks off the season at 7 p.m. tomorrow against Big 12 rival Iowa State. Head Coach Rob Drass said the first meet is always an interesting one, but expects the Tigers to show off their best.

"I think we're very well prepared. We expect good things to happen," he said. "Iowa State is a great team. We think we match up really well. Like always, it will come down to landings, staying on the equipment and selling each and every routine. We're hoping to do our job and good things will happen for us."

Missouri coaches are hoping to start off on the right foot this weekend and pounce into a season they expect could be the best one yet. The depth for the Tigers is vast this year, and Drass said the team will yield a full lineup of high-impact competitors on every event.

Mizzou is on the road for its season-opener for the fifth year in a row. But Drass sees some advantages to competing at the Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa.

"I think it's always a little harder starting on the road," he said. "But, it's nice going up to Iowa State. We have the Big 12 Championships there in March, so our gymnasts will get to see and compete on the equipment before the Big 12 meet. That will be a big advantage for us."

The Tigers are ready to build on 2008's 13-10 season, which saw some of the program's best individual performances. Now-senior Adrianne Perry (Columbia, Mo.) won both the floor and all-around titles at the Big 12 Championships, while junior Sarah Shire (Columbia, Mo.) took home the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year award and was a first team All-Big 12 selection on vault, and also named to the first-team Big 12 Championship team on balance beam.

Perry advanced to her third straight NCAA Championship appearance after also picking up spots on the first-team All-Big 12 on bars and vault, and the first team All-Big 12 Championship team on floor, bars and beam.

Senior Alicia Hatcher (Blue Springs, Mo.) continued to lay a solid foundation for the Tigers. She notched another consistent, successful season that culminated in a first team All-Big 12 selection on bars for the second consecutive year, as well as a spot on the All-Big 12 Championship team on bars.

The Tigers are also getting excited about freshman Mary Burke (Inverness, Ill.), who has consistently made her routines in practice and put on a show for fans at the Black and Gold intrasquad meet. Burke proved she was ready for the collegiate spotlight by finishing just under Perry for the all-around title with a 38.900, including two scores of 9.800 on the vault and beam.

Results and recaps of all of Missouri's meet this season can be found at mutigers.com.

Scouting Iowa State The Cyclones ended the 2008 season ranked No. 26 in the nation after pulling off a strong performance at the Big 12 Championships. Iowa State finished second just a tenth of a point behind perennial power Oklahoma. The finish came after a tough season for the Cyclones -- three of their top gymnasts were sidelined by serious injuries and Iowa State ultimately finished 3-15. But the Cyclones are returning strong, having lost only one letterwinner. Head Coach Jay Royane's squad is led by all-arounders junior Nikki Dilbert and senior Jasmine Thompson. Another gymnast to watch is junior Megan Barnes, who was the 2007 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year. She missed the Cyclones' first four meets in 2008 with a back injury, but is healthy and looking to build on a 9.9 vault and third place finish in the event at last year's Big 12 Championships.

Freshman Mary Burke makes her case early One of the highlights of the Black and Gold meet on Dec. 13 was the debut of freshman Mary Burke -- who proved she was ready for the collegiate spotlight by finishing just under Adrianne Perry for the all-around title with a 38.900, including two scores of 9.800 on the vault and beam. Burke is expected to compete in the all-around this year for the Tigers after offering up strong performances across the board during preseason practices. She has qualified three times for the Junior Olympic Nationals, and was named the Chicago Tribune/WGN Prep Athlete of the Month for February 2008 after becoming only the second gymnast in Illinois history to win the all-around at the state tournament, which pushed William Fremd High School to its third state championship in four years.

Black squad takes Black and Gold meet, 189.650 - 177.900 After a long offseason, the Missouri Gymnastics team finally made its debut at the annual Black and Gold intrasquad meet. The Black squad took the win 189.650 - 177.900 behind senior Adrianne Perry's 38.950 performance on the night. Overall, the meet was a solid warm-up for the Tigers and gave fans a taste of the season to come. It also gave the Missouri gymnasts a chance to get in front of the crowds and the judges again, Head Coach Rob Drass said. Perry looked true to form in her senior debut. She posted a 9.7 or better on all four events, including a 9.800 on beam, which tied for first for both squads.

Tigers ranked #19 in preseason poll Missouri will start the 2008-09 season ranked 19th in the country, according to GymInfo's preseason poll released in November. Missouri shares that spot with Boise State, and proves the Tigers are already being recognized for their strong talent going into the upcoming season. The Tigers have been a mainstay of the Top 25 for the past seven years, starting every season since 2003 with a preseason ranking. Missouri started last year ranked 16th, where they also sat in 2006. In 2007, the Tigers entered the season ranked 18th. Missouri will not take an easy road to success -- conference foes Nebraska (11th) and Oklahoma (10th) both take high spots in the poll, and Iowa State was just edged out of the Top 25 and is receiving votes. In addition, six of the Tigers' opponents make an appearance on the list -- Oregon State (9th); Illinois (16th); Michigan State (17th); Ohio State (21st); West Virginia (23rd); and Arizona State (24th). Two more of Missouri's opponents are receiving votes -- Southeast Missouri and Kent State.

Missouri sees record crowds in 2008 -- again The Tigers averaged 2,266 fans per meet last season to rank 11th nationally. In addition, the crowd of 6,308 for the Beauty and the Beast meet on Jan. 8 stands as the sixth most-attended meet in the nation in 2008, the 12th best figure in program history and the highest non-Cat Classic attendance ever.

Six Tigers named Scholar Athletes by NACGC/W For the eighth consecutive year, both the Mizzou gymnastics team and individual student-athletes have been recognized for their academic achievements by the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastic Coaches (NACGC/W). Six gymnasts were recognized, and the team was honored as an NACGC/W Academic Team for having a collective GPA of 3.2653. The Tigers placed 37th on the list, the highest in the Big 12 conference. The individual gymnasts recognized include Julie Abaray, Brooke Boehmer, Nikki Bowman, Lisa LaPerriere, Lauren Stephenson and Liz Straatmann. This is the second award for Boehmer and Straatmann, who were both recognized last year.