Feb. 24, 2006
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The No. 9 Missouri Tigers took home its fourth-consecutive The Callaway Bank Cat Classic team title with a season-high 196.025 at the Hearnes Center on Friday night. With the victory, Mizzou (7-8) now holds six total event titles in the 26 year history of the meet. Pittsburgh claimed second place with a 192.075 while Northern Illinois and Ball State finished third and fourth with a 191.225 and a 187.025, respectively. Freshman Adrianne Perry won the all-around title in her with a career-high tying 39.300.
The 196.025 posted by the Tigers tied the eleventh-highest team score in Mizzou history and was the third-best Cat Classic team score. With a 9.950 on beam and a 9.825 on floor to claim both event titles, senior Lauren Schwartzman became the first gymnast in Cat Classic history to win an event title four-years running, which she accomplished on both events. Her eight career titles place her first in Cat Classic history in that category. Perry also recorded a 9.825 on floor for the Tigers to tie Schwartzman on the event and claim her second title of the night and her career.
"It's a great feeling to win," said Missouri head coach Rob Drass. "We would be happy to put up a great score and lose but to do both was great. It was our highest score of the year and with three wins on top of that, we're almost back to .500."
Mizzou started the night on vault with a 48.925, led by a team-high 9.850 by junior Whitney Crater, who finished in second. Perry and Schwartzman both recorded a 9.800 to tie for third place. The score tied Schwartzman's season-high, which she set at Illinois on Feb. 11
The Tigers claimed the first five spots on bars as the team recorded their highest season and tied the 10th highest score in program history with a 49.150. Seniors Jodie Heinicka and Sarah Ziger shared the event title with a 9.875. The score, which Zigler has notched two other times this season, ties her personal best. The Cat Classic title was the third-consecutive for Heinicka on the event and the first for Zigler. Finishing third for Mizzou with a 9.825 was Perry, while Freshman Alicia Hatcher scored a 9.800 for fourth and sophomore Julie Abaray tied for fifth place with a 9.775.
Showing why beam is the team's strongest event, the Tigers tied the seventh-highest event score in program history with a 49.175. The score also tied the team's season-high, which it posted at Centenary on Jan. 20. In addition to Schwartzman, the nation's best beam worker, three other Tigers posted impressive scores on the event. Perry notched a 9.850 to finish second while freshman Alicia Hatcher and junior Amanda Pezzullo scored a 9.825 apiece to tie for third.
Closing out the night on floor, Missouri posted a 48.800 on the event, led by the first-place finishes of Perry and Schwartzman. Crater notched a 9.750 to claim third place while Hatcher's 9.725 was good enough to tie for fourth.
"I just wanted to come out and enjoy the meet because it's my last one," said Schwartzman. "The team atmosphere was really intense with a high energy level so that helped. During the meet, I thought that this was why I did gymnastics, just to have fun."
"I was thrilled with the team the whole way through," said Drass. "Tomorrow night we expect to add something new to a few routines. We may take a couple more risks in the individual finals as far as things that may not be perfect hits."
The Callaway Bank Cat Classic continues tomorrow night when the Tigers host the individual championship final. The meet begins at 7:00 p.m., featuring the top 10 competitors from each event during team competition.
Team Vault Bars Beam Floor Total
Missouri 48.925 49.150 49.175 48.800 196.025
Pittsburgh 48.200 47.425 48.000 48.400 192.075
Northern Illinois 47.725 48.175 47.850 47.475 191.225
Ball State 48.425 45.075 46.675 46.850 187.025