University of Missouri
NCAA Region 3 Championships
Tigers Place 6th At NCAA Region 3 Championships
4/3/2000 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
April 3, 2000
TUCSON, AZ -- It was a bittersweet end to the 2000 season for the University of Missouri gymnastics team at the NCAA Region 3 Championships, Saturday, at the University of Arizona's McKale Center.
Poised to make a run at fourth place in the six-team field entering their final rotation, the Tigers had their worst balance beam performance of the season and their score of 46.325 relegated them to sixth place in the standings. Mizzou's first five competitors fell from the beam, meaning that MU had to count four falls - its only falls of the meet.
"I think the emotion got to the seniors," first-year Mizzou coach Rob Drass said, "as they saw that the end (of their careers) was near. We'll use that beam score as the fuel to feed our fire until next January." Ending their careers for Missouri were Alison Akers, Shannon Brown, Katie Cole, Chandra Harlow and Meggen Smiley.
Still, there were bright spots for the Tigers who were making their first appearance at regionals since 1994. The team score of 190.975 was a Missouri regional record, as were its scores on vault (48.475) and bars (48.35). Senior Shannon Brown and freshman Laura Anson tied for 11th place on bars, each with scores of 9.75. There were Mizzou's highest place finishers.
Nebraska won the meet with a score of 196.875 and was followed by LSU (195.65), Arizona State (195.5), Arizona (194.1), Illinois-Chicago (193.65) and MU. Nebraska and LSU advance to the NCAA Championships, April 13-15 in Boise, Idaho.
Missouri assistant Karen Tierney shared the Region 3 "Assistant Coach of the Year" award with Nebraska's Rhonda Faehn. Other Region 3 awards went to Nebraska's Dan Kendig and Heather Brink as "Coach of the Year" and "Gymnast of the Year," respectively. On Saturday, Brink won the vault (10.0), uneven bars (9.975) and all-around (39.7).
"This team did a great job all season," first-year Mizzou Coach Rob Drass said. "Just getting here (to regionals) was a huge accomplishment for them. When you haven't been here for six years, sometimes you don't get much respect. Now our young kids have had a taste of regional competition and they know now that from this point out, regionals is an expectation, not an exception."
VAULTAttendance: 10091. Heather Brink, Nebraska 10.0 2. Heidi Hornbeek, Arizona 9.9 3. Nikki Beyschau, Arizona 9.875 Kim Descalopoulis, LSU 9.875 Shanyn MacEachern, LSU 9.875
Missouri Competitors Meggen Smiley 9.65 Alison Akers 9.7 Shannon Brown 9.625 Laura Anson 9.7 Alina Hamm 9.7 Katie Cole 9.725
UNEVEN PARALLEL BARS
1. Heather Brink, Nebraska 9.975 2. Julie Houk, Nebraska 9.95 3. A.J. Lamb, Nebraska 9.9 4. Abbey Burns, LSU 9.85 5. Margaret Wojciak, ASU 9.825 Jessica Wertz, Nebraska 9.825 Nicole Wilkinson, Neb. 9.825
Missouri Competitors Ann Gietler 9.65 Alina Hamm 9.575 Meggen Smiley 9.625 Laura Anson 9.75 Shannon Brown 9.75 Chandra Harlow 9.425
BALANCE BEAM
1. Randi Liljenquist, Arizona 9.9 2. Lea Carver, Arizona State 9.875 Heather Brink, Nebraska 9.875 4. Kara Fry, Arizona 9.85 Kim Descalopoulis, LSU 9.85
Missouri Competitors Katie Cole 9.2 Shannon Brown 9.3 Meggen Smiley 9.25 Alina Hamm 9.025 Chandra Harlow 9.175 Alison Akers 9.4
FLOOR EXERCISE
1. Nicki Arnstad, LSU 9.95 2. Lea Carver, Arizona State 9.875 Elizabeth McNabb, ASU 9.875 4. Kelly Cowley, Arizona St. 9.85 Beth Boudreaux, LSU 9.85 Heather Brink, Nebraska 9.85
Missouri Competitors Laura Forbes 9.625 Ann Gietler 9.4 Meggen Smiley 9.4 Katie Cole 9.7 Shannon Brown 9.7 Alison Akers 8.75
ALL-AROUND
1. Heather Brink, Nebraska 39.7 2. A.J. Lamb, Nebraska 39.375 3. Randi Liljenquist, Arizona 39.275 4. Shanyn MacEachern, LSU 39.25 5. Amy Ringo, Nebraska 39.125
Missouri Competitors Shannon Brown 38.375 Meggen Smiley 37.925
VAULT, TEAM
1. Nebraska 49.325 2. Arizona 49.175 3. LSU 49.075 4. Arizona State 48.775 5. Ill.-Chicago 38.575 6. Missouri 48.475
UNEVEN PARALLEL BARS, TEAM
1. Nebraska 49.475 2. Arizona State 48.55 3. Ill.-Chicago 48.425 4. Missouri 48.35 5. LSU 48.325 6. Arizona 48.2
BALANCE BEAM, TEAM
1. Arizona State 49.075 2. Nebraska 49.0 LSU 49.0 4. Ill.-Chicago 48.5 5. Arizona 47.925 6. Missouri 46.325
FLOOR EXERCISE, TEAM
1. LSU 49.25 2. Arizona State 49.1 3. Nebraska 49.075 4. Arizona 48.8 5. Ill.-Chicago 48.15 6. Missouri 47.825
TEAM TOTALS
1. Nebraska 196.875 2. LSU 195.65 3. Arizona State 195.5 4. Arizona 194.1 5. Ill.-Chicago 193.65 6. Missouri 190.975
