University of Missouri
Iowa State
12th Ranked Tigers Blow Past Cyclones in Big 12 Opener
1/18/2008 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
Jan. 18, 2008
Columbia, Mo. - The 2008 Missouri Gymnastics team opened its 2008 Big 12 season with a win over the Iowa State Cyclones by a score of 194.125 - 192.400. The win over the Cyclones is the first for the Tigers in the regular season since 2003. After sitting out on vault against Bowling Green, junior Adrianne Perry (Columbia, Mo.) won the all-around in her first time this season, posting a score of 39.225.
"We're rolling pretty good right now," Head Coach Rob Drass said. "What's really good is I feel like we haven't maxed out yet. We are very solid on three events right now."
2,766 fans were on hand to witness the meet, ranking third all time in non-Cat Classic events. It was also the second highest attended "Pink Out" meet in its four year history.
Starting on vault, the Tigers posted a 49.050 largely in part to the last three competitors in the rotation. Sophomore Sarah Shire (Columbia, Mo.) won the event posting a 9.900, tying her career high set at Utah last season. Perry and freshman Alex Gold (Plano, Texas) each posted a 9.850, giving the Tigers another solid vault score. Freshman Lisa LaPerriere (Macomb, Mich.) and senior Ashley Khederian (Carlisle, Mass.) also put up big scores on vault, with each tallying a 9.725. The Tigers led the Cyclones 49.050-47.550 after the first rotation.
With the lead heading to the uneven bars, the Tigers posted 47.700. Perry and junior Alicia Hatcher (Blue Springs, Mo.) put up the best scores for the Tigers on bars, with Hatcher leading the way at 9.825. The win on bars is Hatcher's second in a row after winning the event at Bowling Green. Perry put up a 9.775, placing her third overall in the event.
The Tigers took a 96.750-96.125 lead onto the balance beam. Mizzou put up a score of 48.500 on beam, higher than the Cyclones floor score of 48.175, putting them in the lead for good. Hatcher also won the beam, giving her two event titles on the night. Hatcher scored a 9.825, just ahead of her teammate, Perry, who finished with a 9.750.
Heading onto the floor, the Tigers led the meet 145.250-144.300. After posting a 48.875 on floor the Tigers had more than enough points to win the meet. The 194.125 is .025 higher than the 194.100 that the Tigers posted at Bowling Green. Shire claimed the event title with 9.875, giving her two event titles on the evening.
Next up for the Tigers will be a meet with huge Big 12 implications as Mizzou heads to Lincoln, Neb. to take on the Cornhuskers of Nebraska next Saturday. The meet will be at 7:00 pm. Stay tuned to www.mutigers.com for all the latest on Missouri Gymnastics.
Players Mentioned
