Feb. 18, 2010
COLUMBIA, Mo. - No. 17 Missouri (7-1) is set to face its biggest test of the season this Friday against No. 2 Oklahoma (9-0) at home in the Hearnes Center. The Tigers are looking to put up their highest score of the season thus far and is hoping to do that while spoiling the Sooners currently perfect season.
Missouri is coming off a road win at Centenary College in Louisiana (195.000-189.800), while Oklahoma earned their second Big 12 win of the season over Iowa State last weekend (197.250-196.225). This meet will mark the last regular-season conference meet for both teams. With a win Missouri would move to 2-1 in the conference heading into the last few weeks of the season against several non-conference opponents.
The Tigers' win over Centenary marked a number of personal achievements. Senior All-American Sarah Shire (Columbia, Mo.) won her fourth all-around title of the year, which raised her career all-around titles to 17. Senior Becky Scholle (Chesterfield, Mo.) won the bars title, while junior Alex Gold (Plano, Texas) won the vault - the first for both this season. Sophomore Mary Burke (Inverness, Ill.) set a new career high on beam with a 9.875, as Shire set a new season high and tied her career high at 9.925. The team beam score (48.975) was the highest Missouri has posted this season.
The beam will be the event to watch, as four of the top 20 ranked individuals on the event will be competing in the Hearnes Center Friday. Oklahoma's Megan Ferguson is currently ranked second with Shire close behind in third. In a tie at No. 18 are two Sooners: Holly Vise and Natasha Kelley. Vise held the top spot in the country on beam after the third and fourth week of the season. The Tigers have their highest team ranking on beam at No. 15, while the Sooners rank No. 2 on the event.
The meet is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. Fans not able to attend will have the chance to view the meet on tape delay through Metro Sports (date and time TBA). Stay with mutigers.com for all the latest news and results from Friday's meet.
News and Notes
Scouting No. 2 Oklahoma (9-0)
The Oklahoma Sooners have had a dream season thus far and are looking to continue that against the Tigers. The Sooners are currently ranked No. 2, where they have sat the majority of the season, but recently found themselves in the No. 1 spot just a week ago. Oklahoma is averaging a team score of 196.563 with a high of 197.250 that came last week against Iowa State. OU is coming off their second-straight Big 12 Championship and their sixth-straight trip to the National Championships where they finished 10th at the end of the 2009 season. Seniors Holly Vise and Jackie Flanery, along with sophomore All-American Megan Ferguson, lead the Oklahoma team. Vise, a well-known gymnast before her college years, makes an impact on bars and beam for the Sooners. She is ranked fourth in the country on bars and tied for 18th on beam. Flanery is a three-event threat who is ranked 13th nationally on floor. Ferguson, who earned her first-team All-America status on beam, finished seventh in the event finals at nationals and is ranked second in the nation on the same event. All three gymnasts have earned Big 12 Specialist of the Week this season, as well as senior Kristin Smith who received the honor this past week.
Scholle and Gold win second career titles
Senior Becky Scholle and junior Alex Gold both had big individual achievements against Centenary last Sunday. Scholle won the bars title with a 9.800 and earned her first individual title of the season. It was the second of her career and the first since she won a bars title her freshman year against SEMO. Gold won the title on vault matching her season-high 9.850. It also marked the second individual title for Gold. She won the vault title against Oklahoma last year with her current career high of 9.925.
Shire named WIN for Columbia Collegiate Sportswoman of the Year
Thursday, Feb. 18, the Women's Intersport Network (WIN) for Columbia held their 13th annual awards luncheon celebrating outstanding female athletes of the Columbia community in conjunction with National Girls & Women in Sports Day. Senior Sarah Shire was given the organization's Collegiate Sportswoman of the Year award. Shire was nominated alongside Missouri swimmer Lauren Lavigna and Columbia College softball player Valerie Teter. Two other former Missouri gymnasts - Alisha Robinson (2003) and Jodie Heinicka (2007) - have also won the award in the past. WIN for Columbia is an organization promoting the importance of participation of girls and women in athletics and physical fitness activities. WIN strives to increase the athletic opportunities for girls and women in the Columbia area, as well as recognize athletic achievements.
Heizelman recognized by conference
The Big 12 Conference announced its 2010 Winter Chick-fil-A Community of Champions recently, which honors one student-athlete from each conference institution. Sophomore gymnast Allie Heizelman was selected as the Missouri athlete who excels in academics, community service and leadership/sportsmanship. Heizelman is one of only two non-seniors on the list and the only representative of the sport of gymnastics. In 2009, Heizelman was named a NACGC/W Scholar Athlete and to the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll. The Texas native also serves as one of the two gymnastics team representatives to the Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) where she is currently to Co-Vice President - Community Service.