April 9, 2010
Columbia Regional
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The No. 15 Missouri Tigers (12-5) enter the Columbia Regional as the third seed behind No. 5 Georgia (10-7) and No. 8 Oregon State (17-5), and ahead of No. 25 Minnesota (7-14-1), No. 30 Iowa (11-13) and No. 36 North Carolina (19-6). Top seed or bottom seed, there is one advantage that the Tigers have over ever other team – the home gym advantage.
The University of Missouri is host to one of the six regionals for the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championship for the first time since 2003. The Tigers, who are making their 22nd regional appearance and ninth consecutive, are looking to do something no other Missouri team has done. That is to advance as a team to nationals for the first time since the 12 team format was introduced.
Despite a Missouri regional team-record 196.000 last year, the Tigers finished the 2009 season with a No. 13 ranking and as the team on the outside looking in. The 2010 team has been determined all year to make Missouri history, while senior All-American Sarah Shire (Columbia, Mo.) has already made her own history thus far at Mizzou. Shire is the only Tiger gymnast to ever reach the No. 1 ranking in the all-around and win the Big 12 All-Around Championship twice. She and the team hope to continue their success through the Columbia Regional and into nationals in Gainesville, Fla.
The meet begins at 6 p.m. on Saturday in the Hearnes Center. Tickets for the regional competition may be purchased at the door or in advance through the Mizzou Ticket Office.
Stay tuned to mutigers.com for news and updates throughout the weekend.
News and Notes
The Columbia Regional
The No. 15 Missouri Tigers are host to the 2010 Gymnastics Columbia Regional that welcomes No. 5 Georgia, No. 8 Oregon State, No. 25 Minnesota, No. 30 Iowa and No. 36 North Carolina, as well as, nine individuals competing from four different non-qualifying schools. The third seeded Tigers are making their 22nd regional appearance (ninth consecutive) and looking to make the program's first ever NCAA Championship appearance.
Tigers ranked 15th after conference championship
The Missouri Tigers hold the No. 15 spot in the GymInfo rankings heading into regionals. Mizzou ranks in the top-20 on all four events, including one top-10 ranking. The Tigers sit at 15th on vault and bars, 17th on beam and ninth on floor.
Regional rotations
The NCAA announced the rotations for the six regional sites on March 29. Missouri will begin the competition on vault, North Carolina on bars, Iowa on beam and Oregon State on floor. Minnesota will beging with the bye before bars and Georgia with the bye before floor. The teams will proceed in Olympic order after the first rotation giving the Tigers the floor on the sixth and final rotation of the competition. Rashonda Cannie (Texas Woman's University) will rotate with Georgia, Erica Schick (Illinois State) with Oregon State, Jordan Salsberg (Southeast Missouri) with Missouri, Rachel Montoya (Illinois-Chicago) with Minnesota, Andrea Skala (Illinois-Chicago) with Iowa, while individual event specialists will compete North Carolina.
Guider, Shire earn all-conference honors
At the conclusion of the 2010 Big 12 Gymnastics Championship both senior Danielle Guider and senior Sarah Shire were named to the 2010 All-Big 12 Championship Team. The team included the top four finishers plus ties from each event and the all-around competition. Guider earned a spot on the team by way of her third place finish in the all-around, while Shire was the only gymnast named to the team on all four events and in the all-around.
Shire Big 12 All-Around Champion and Gymnast of the Year (again)
Senior Sarah Shire accomplished two seconds at the Big 12 Gymnastics Championship this year. She won the Big 12 All-Around title for the second year in a row, as well as Big 12 Gymnast of the Year for the second-straight time. It was the third year in a row that a Tiger has won the all-around title and just the third time in conference history that a gymnast has won the title twice (no one has won three). Shire is also the second Big 12 gymnast to win Gymnast of the Year twice.
Last time at the NCAA Regional
In 2009, the Missouri Tigers entered the Tuscaloosa Regional ranked 15th and the third seed. They competed against top-seeded Alabama, No. 2 seed Oklahoma, No. 3 seed Central Michigan, No. 5 seed Maryland and No. 6 seed New Hampshire. Despite tallying a season-high 49.350 on bars and a 49.000 on beam, the team's school regional record of 196.000 earned the Tigers third behind Alabama (197.000) and Oklahoma (196.600). Sarah Shire and Adrianne Perry advanced as individual competitors to the national championship where they the both finished the season as All-Americans.
Shire ties own record
Senior Sarah Shire has tied the Missouri record she set in 2009 for all-around wins in a season. As a junior Shire won 10 all-around titles breaking the previous record of eight in a season. After her win at the Big 12 Championship she has earned another 10 for this season. Shire has a chance to once again break and re-set her record at 11 with a win at the NCAA Gymnastics Columbia Regional.
2003 Columbia Regional
Missouri previously hosted the NCAA Regional Championship for the south central region on April 12, 2003. The regional saw UCLA, Arizona and Illinois-Chicago, as well as, Oregon State and Iowa (both who will be in the Columbia Regional this year). UCLA and Iowa advanced to the national championship scoring 197.700 and 195.875, respectively. Oregon State finished third and was narrowly edged out by Iowa as the Beavers scored 195.850. UCLA's Jamie Dantzscher scored a perfect 10 on floor to take the all-around win with a 39.750. Although the Tigers did not advance to the NCAA Championship, Alisha Robinson finished fourth in the all-around (39.350) to earn herself a spot at nationals as an individual competitor.
Scouting the regional competition…
No. 5 Georgia (10-7)
Five-time defending national champion Georgia (10-7) is coming off a third-place finish at the SEC Gymnastics Championship. The team ranks in the top-10 on all four events, including second on beam, and has earned a season-high 197.900. Senior All-American Courtney McCool, a native Lees Summit, Mo., holds the highest individual ranking for a Gym Dog as she ranks third on floor. Georgia currently has six All-Americans on its squad.
No. 8 Oregon State (17-5)
The Beavers have made four straight trips to the NCAA Championship and have a 17-5 record after finishing third at the Pac-10 Championship. Oregon State is led by senior Mandi Rodriguez, a four-time All-American, who is ranked 15th in the all-around and third on vault and floor. Senior Laura-Ann Chong ranks 10th nationally on beam and won the beam title with a 9.950 at the Pac-10 Championship, while freshman Makayla Stambaugh earned Pac-10 Freshman of the Year and OSU Head Coach Tanya Chaplin was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year.
No. 25 Minnesota (7-14-1)
The Golden Gophers (7-14-1) tied their best score of the season (195.350) at the Big Ten Championships to tie for fourth. Minnesota holds its highest ranking on the uneven bars at 18th and has been in and out of the top-25 all season. The team has a standout all-around gymnast in Alexis Russell who is ranked 24th in the country and has a high of 39.450 this season.
No. 30 Iowa (11-13)
The Iowa Hawkeyes (11-13) surprised a lot of teams when they finished third at the Big Ten Championships after most expected them to finish near the bottom. The team posted a season-high 195.575 in its best finish at the championship in six years. Junior Houry Gebeshian became the second GymHawk in program history to win a Big Ten beam title with her 9.950 at the meet. Iowa is led by junior Rebecca Simbhudas who is ranked 21st in the country.
No. 36 North Carolina (19-6)
North Carolina (19-6) won its fourth East Atlantic Gymnastics League Championship (EAGL) this season with a 196.025, while four Tar Heels took individual honors on vault, bars, beam and in the all-around. Seven Tar Heels were named to the 2010 EAGL all-tournament first team after the championship meet. North Carolina is led by seniors Christine Nguyen and Kara Wright. Nguyen is the highest-ranked all-around competitor at 32nd, but it was Wright who won the EAGL all-around title with a 39.325.