University of Missouri
Ohio State
Tigers Start Off Season With Win
1/8/2010 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
Jan. 8, 2010
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COLUMBIA, Mo. - The No. 16 Missouri Tigers took the lead after the first rotation and never looked back as the team posted a season opening 194.725 to best the No. 18 Ohio State Buckeyes' 190.650. Sophomore Mary Burke (Inverness, Ill.) took her first ever all-around title with a 39.200 to match her career high. Missouri won three of the four events on the night as the Tigers started at home for the first time since 2004.
Senior Becky Scholle (Chesterfield, Mo.) started off the 2010 season for the Tigers posting a 9.750 on vault to get the meet rolling. Freshman Lauren Swankoski (Chadds Ford, Pa.) and Junior Alex Gold (Plano, Texas) followed with strong scores of 9.750 and 9.700, respectively. Burke put up a 9.800, while senior All-American Sarah Shire (Columbia, Mo.) received a 9.825 to take the vault title.
The Tigers entered the second rotation already leading 48.825-46.575. Missouri put up a number of solid scores on the bars that started with Swankoski's 9.675. Senior Danielle Guider (Nutley, N.J.) looked strong in her bars debut posting a 9.725. Sophomore Allie Heizelman (Cypress, Texas) and Scholle put up a pair of 9.750s making the way for Burke's event winning 9.850.
Missouri moved to the balance beam knowing they had to keep up the momentum against the Buckeyes. Burke got it rolling with a 9.700 in the lead-off position followed with a 9.625 by Swankoski. The Tigers faltered a little in the middle of the lineup but looked towards beam specialist senior Brooke Boehmer (Overland Park, Kan.) to get them back on track. Boehmer looked solid in her first routine of the season posting a 9.750. Shire closed it out for the team on the event with her difficult new tumbling series that landed her a 9.850 and the beam title.
Going into the fourth and final rotation the Tigers held a solid lead 146.000-142.175, but still put on a show for the Tiger fans who braved the sub-zero temperatures to come out and support them. Freshman Tori Howard (Chesterfield, Mo.) made her first appearance with a 9.750 to start the team off. Gold and Swankoski kept it up with a 9.700 and 9.725. But the floor, like the rest of the night, went to Burke who posted a new career high 9.875 on the event to take her first floor and all-around title.
Missouri swept the four event titles with Burke winning bars and floor and Shire with vault and beam. The Tigers also held the top spots in the all-around. Swankoski looked outstanding in her first meet as a Tiger as she took second with a 38.775, while Guider garnered third in her first all-around competition with a 38.575.
The Tigers are now 1-0 as they head into their first road test of the season next week in Las Vegas at the Lady Luck Invitational. The competition will be a quad meet against No. 6 LSU, Kentucky and Arizona State. The meet is set to begin at 9 p.m. CST. Stay tuned to mutigers.com for news and updates throughout the week.
Players Mentioned
