@MizzouGym Hosts Illinois Friday in Beauty and the Beast

Friday, January 8

Columbia, Mo.

7 p.m. CT

University of Missouri

Illinois

Tickets

@MizzouGym Hosts Illinois Friday in Beauty and the Beast

1/7/2016 4:07:00 PM | Gymnastics

The Tigers officially open the 2016 season against the Illini on Friday at the Hearnes Center.

Opponent	DATE // TIME	LIVE STATS	TV
No. 15 Illinois	Friday, Jan. 8 // 6:45 p.m.	StatBroadcast	SEC Network +

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The No. 23 Mizzou gymnastics team officially opens the 2016 season on Friday, Jan. 8 as the squad hosts No. 15 Illinois at 7 p.m. at the Hearnes Center. The meet marks Mizzou's Beauty and the Beast event, as the No. 4 Mizzou wrestling program hosts Buffalo simultaneously. All fans who bring a Mizzou women's basketball ticket from Monday's contest will receive free admission. Tickets must be redeemed at the ticket window and will not be accepted at the doors.

TIGER TIDBITS

Mizzou owns a 14-7 all-time regular season record against the Fighting Illini. However, Illinois defeated Missouri 196.300-194.125 in the last meeting (March 8, 2013 in Columbia).
Head Coach Shannon Welker enters his third season at the helm of the Tiger program. Welker led Mizzou to the nation's biggest improvement in 2015, as the squad finished 21st in the national rankings after coming in 41st at the end of the 2014 campaign.
Mizzou enters 2016 ranked 23rd in the preseason coaches poll, the program's highest preseason ranking since it was ranked 21st before the 2012 campaign.
Youth will be served in 2016, as over half (eight) the 15-person roster are freshmen. Additionally, 12 of the team's gymnasts are freshmen or sophomores in 2016.
Following Friday's meet, the Tigers have a short turnaround as they travel to St. Charles, Mo., on Sunday, Jan. 10 to compete against Lindenwood at 3 p.m.
Welker's Tigers made dramatic strides in 2015. In addition to the rankings bump, Mizzou scored at least 195.000 10 times during the season after reaching the mark just four times combined in 2013 and 2014. The program also scored over 196.000 twice on the season, a feat that had not been accomplishsed since the 2012 campaign.
Mizzou will have five meets televised on the SEC Network this season. The team's home competition against Florida (Feb. 19) will air live, while regular season meets against Alabama (Jan. 15), Kentucky (Feb. 12), Auburn (Feb. 26) will air on tape delay. Additionally, both sessions of the 2016 SEC Championships will air live on the channel. Mizzou's other home meets (as well as away SEC competitions) will be available on SEC Network +.
Gymnastics returns to Mizzou Arena for the second consecutive season when Missouri hosts Georgia on Friday, Jan. 22 in the annual Pink Out.
The Tigers will face a tough schedule once again, with regular season matchups against seven teams ranked in the preseason coaches poll top 10.
Illinois enters 2016 ranked 15th in the preseason poll after concluding 2015 at No. 13 in the rankings based on regional qualifying score (RQS).