Feb. 13, 2009
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Columbia, Mo. - It was already a special night in the Hearnes Center, with the nationally ranked Missouri Gymnastics and Wrestling teams competing side-by-side in the third annual Beauty & The Beast meet. But, the No. 13 Gymnastics squad truly made it a night to remember, posting their highest team score of the season and second-best home meet score of 196.625 to best Illinois' 195.000.
Junior Sarah Shire (Columbia, Mo.) took an incredible fifth all-around title for the year behind a career high performance of 39.525 in the all-around, including career-tying bests of 9.925 on the balance beam and floor exercise. Senior Adrianne Perry (Columbia, Mo.) took second place with a 39.325, and freshman Mary Burke (Inverness, Ill.) placed third by scoring a 39.175.
Missouri wanted to get off to a big start from the very first event, and seemingly didn't miss a beat, posting a 49.125, their third highest total this season. Burke was first up for the Tigers, posting a big 9.800 to get things going. Sophomore Alex Gold (Plano, Texas) upped the ante with a 9.825, while classmate Lauren Stephenson (Kansas City, Mo.) kept up the big night on vault, going 9.775. But it was Perry and Shire who really made the statement on the event - Perry scored a 9.850, the fourth time this year she's hit her season high, while Shire picked up the vault's highest score and a share of the event title with a 9.875.
The hard work paid off for the Tigers, as the squad found themselves just under half a point ahead of the Fighting Illini going into the second rotation.
Missouri kept it going in the second rotation, scoring a blistering 48.950 on the uneven bars, their second highest total of 2009. Junior Becky Scholle (Chesterfield, Mo.) was first up in the second rotation, scoring a solid 9.775. Next was freshman Allie Heizelman (Cypress, Texas), who continued her trend of posting consistent scores on her routines by notching a 9.725. Shire posted a 9.800, while Perry and Burke both followed with a 9.775 on the event. Senior Alicia Hatcher (Blue Springs, Mo.) saved the best for last, notching a 9.825 to lead the Tigers and take the bars title.
The effort kept the Tiger lead intact going into the third rotation despite a season-best vault score of 49.175 for Illinois. And Missouri just kept bringing the heat on their way to a record-breaking night, notching a season high 49.250, the third highest beam score in program history. Burke got the Tigers on good footing as the leadoff gymnast on balance beam, scoring a 9.750. Junior Danielle Guider (Nutley, N.J.) kept Missouri going with a 9.700, while junior beam specialist Brooke Boehmer (Overland Park, Kan.) posted a new career and season high of 9.875 behind a clean, crisp performance. Hatcher repeated the performance, and the score, for another 9.875 - a season high for the senior. Perry followed with a 9.825 to bolster the home team total, while Shire executed her career high, a 9.925, for the third time this year and second week in a row.
Going into the final rotation, the Tigers found themselves nearly a point ahead of the Illini and chasing 196.000 - the squad needed a 48.675 on the floor exercise to hit the mark.
Missouri wasn't done breaking records in its final rotation, posting a team total of 49.300 on floor, their sixth best total all-time. Gold revved up the crowd with her season-high 9.800 performance, followed by Hatcher and Guider's pair of 9.825's, a new season high for Hatcher, and a tie for Guider's career best. Burke wowed the crowd yet again, scoring a 9.850 to repeat her season high on the event for the second week in a row. Shire turned up the momentum, posting a season high and tying her career high of 9.925, while Perry followed with a 9.875.
The Tigers are now 16-7 all time against the Fighting Illini. Missouri will be on the road next weekend to face conference power and No. 8 Oklahoma, along with Brown University and No. 23 West Virginia in a critical mid-season meet. Stay with mutigers.com throughout the week for news and updates.