University of Missouri
Southeast Missouri State
Tiger Gymnasts Take Missouri Cup
1/21/2001 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
Jan. 21, 2001
Columbia, Mo.--The University of Missouri gymnastics team gave substance to the old adage that there truly is `no place like home.' After struggling in their first meet at Ball State two weeks ago, the Tigers recorded an outstanding performance on Sunday defeating Southeast Missouri State, 191.150-187.850 in the Hearnes Center. Freshmen Lindsay Davis and Andrea Nervig gave Tiger fans a glimpse of whats to come in the future as they finished first and second respectively in the all-around competition with scores of 38.775 and 38.725 respectively.
Head Coach Rob Drass said that the comfortability of not only competing at home but also with their routines was the key to the Tigers turnaround from the Ball State meet.
"We did a great job of putting that (Ball State) meet out of our heads," Drass said. "We were definitely more comfortable in our routines. That first collegiate meet, you're bound to be nervous and they were, but today we competed like we are supposed to and I'm proud of the effort the girls gave."
In front of 785 Tigers fans, Mizzou jumped out to a great start slating a 47.750 on vault including a career-high 9.725 from sophomore Alina Hamm, who took third place in the event.
Next, the Tigers went to the uneven bars. Mizzou struggled mightily on bars at Ball State recording three falls and a score of 44.950. So much for the struggles as the Tigers swept the top five spots in the competition and recorded a season-high score of 49.050 on Sunday. Nervig and Hamm tied for top honors on bars with scores of 9.875, a career-high for both. Senior Ann Gietler finished third and also put up a career-high mark of 9.850.
Assistant coach Marshall Nelson, who is the primary bars coach, said that the Tigers put a lot of emphasis on every turn and the quality of their routines the past two weeks.
"We struggled in the first meet but we really focused on putting in quality numbers and turns in the routines," Nelson said. "We came out with confidence and we need to carry that into this weeks practice and throughout the rest of the season."
After a solid performance on beam, the Tigers put the Otahkians away with their 48.375-mark on floor. Hamm picked up her second first-place finish of the day with a career-high mark of 9.775 and a routine that brought a rousing cheer from the Tiger faithful. Nervig and Gietler also grabbed positions in the top four on floor with scores of 9.725 and 9.700 respectively.
The win moves the Tigers to 1-1 on the year. Mizzou welcomes No. 8 Nebraska to the Hearnes Center next Sun., Jan. 28 at 2 p.m. for the Boone County National Bank Tiger-Husker Challenge. This will be the first conference meet of the season and Drass said that the Tigers need to continue to develop consistency in order to be successful in the upcoming weeks.
"We need to go out there and put routines up," Drass said. "Starting and finishing routines is crucial against the quality competition we'll be facing."
For ticket information, log on to www.mutigers.com or call 1-800 CAT PAWS.
Team
Team Score Missouri-191.150 SEMO-187.850
Vault
Missouri- 47.750 SEMO-46.550
Bars
Missouri-49.050 SEMO-46.850
Beam
Missouri-45.975 SEMO-46.600
Floor
Missouri-48.375 SEMO-47.850
Individual
All-Around 1. Lindsay Davis, Missouri 38.775 2. Andrea Nervig, Missouri 38.725 3. Stephanie Furman, SEMO 38.275 4. Alina Hamm, Missouri 38.125 5. Ashley Godwin 37.725
Vault 1. Stephanie Furman, SEMO 9.750 Ashley Godwin, SEMO 9.750 3. Alina Hamm, Missouri 9.725 4. Lindsay Davis, Missouri 9.700 5. Michelle Walker, SEMO 9.500
Bars 1. Alina Hamm, Missouri, 9.875 Andrea Nervig, Missouri 9.875 3. Ann Gietler, Missouri 9.850 4. Leah Gremaud, Missouri 9.750 5. Lindsay Davis, Missouri 9.700
Beam 1.Stephanie Furman, SEMO 9.725 Lindsay Davis, Missouri 9.725 3. Andrea Nervig, Missouri 9.625 4. Ashley Godwin, SEMO 9.475 5. Leah Gremaud, Missouri 9.275
Floor 1.Alina Hamm, Missouri 9.775 2.Andrea Nervig, Missouri 9.725 3. Stephanie Furman, SEMO 9.700 4. Ann Gietler, Missouri 9.700 5. Michelle Walker, SEMO 9.675
