No. 13 Mizzou Dazzles on Senior Night
3/13/2009 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
March 13, 2009
Columbia, Mo. - It was an emotional night in the Hearnes Center with the Tigers saying goodbye to two seniors and junior Liz Straatmann (Blue Springs, Mo.). But Missouri grabbed that emotion by the reins and turned it into a 196.425 to 195.950 win over No. 9 Oregon State. The total is their second-highest of the year.
And accordingly, the Tiger seniors lit up the arena. Alicia Hatcher (Blue Springs, Mo.) tied her career highs on beam (9.900) and floor (9.825), while Adrianne Perry took the floor title with a sparkling 9.900 performance, and a 39.250 all-around total.
"It was kind of a bittersweet night. Emotional, of course," Perry said. "And we did a great job to get the win."
"As a senior night, I don't think it could be any better," Hatcher said. "You can always improve, but that was a great meet."
"That's the way it's supposed to go," Head Coach Rob Drass said. "You beat a Top 10 team? What a way to go out for Hatch (Hatcher) and A (Perry)."
Meanwhile, junior Sarah Shire (Columbia, Mo.) took her ninth all-around title of the year: the most by any Tiger in a single season all-time. Shire scored two 9.900's on bars and beam to contribute to a 39.475 total.
The big night started from the very first rotation. Junior Becky Scholle (Chesterfield, Mo.) hit a big vault for a 9.775, while freshman Mary Burke (Inverness, Ill.) followed, scoring a 9.800. Sophomore Alex Gold (Plano, Texas) continues to be a consistent force on the event, tonight adding a 9.775 to the Tiger total. Perry notched the same score, while Shire (Columbia, Mo.) put up the Tigers' highest score with a 9.825.
Going into the second rotation, the Tigers found themselves just a squeak behind the Beavers, 48.925 to 49.025.
Missouri really broke out on the next rotation, posting a new season high of 49.150 on the uneven bars. Scholle again put the Tigers on the right foot, going 9.750 to lead off the bars. Freshman Allie Heizelman (Cypress, Texas) turned in an impressive 9.800, just a hair under her season and career high. Burke put up another big performance, this time to tie her season high of 9.850. Perry came through a solid showing with a 9.750; the Tigers weren't done with great routines, as Shire tied her own career high of 9.900 to take the event title. And Hatcher closed out the show with a 9.850 in a confident routine, one of her highest scores of the season.
The Tigers now found themselves in the lead, 98.075 to 97.800. The Beavers had countered in the second rotation with a 48.775 on the vault.
Missouri looked to keep the momentum on the balance beam, and got a big boost from their second-highest beam total of the year, a 49.175. Burke and junior Danielle Guider (Nutley, N.J.) led off the rotation with a pair of 9.750's. Junior beam specialist Brooke Boehmer (Overland Park, Kan.) scored a 9.800 in a smooth performance. Hatcher really brought the heat, tying her career high and setting a new season high of 9.900 on the apparatus. Perry's 9.825 marked another stellar performance from the senior, while Shire posted her second 9.900 of the night to cap another strong rotation for the Tigers.
And those big numbers put Missouri in good position going into the final rotation: Missouri led Oregon State, 147.250 to 146.600.
And the Tigers wouldn't give up that momentum in the final rotation, collaborating on a season-high 49.175 on the event. Gold started the squad strong again with a 9.800 to match her season high. Hatcher followed with an emotionally-charged last performance on the Hearnes Center floor to notch a 9.825, her season and career high. Guider and Burke kept up the big scores, going 9.800 in their two routines. Shire's big performance garnered a 9.850. And, not surprisingly, it was Perry's final show on her signature event that brought the loudest cheers of the night - a 9.900 to take the event title.
The Tigers end the season at 16-2 - their winning percentage of .882 is the best in 30 years of Missouri gymnastics.
Missouri will head to the Big 12 Championship next weekend in Ames, Iowa. The meet begins at 2 p.m. on Sat., March 22, with the Tigers seeking their first Big 12 title. A highlight video will be available at Big12Sports.com, and live scoring will be linked to mutigers.com during the meet.
Stay with mutigers.com throughout the week for news and updates going into Big 12 competition.
Players Mentioned
