Saturday, January 26
Fort Worth, Texas
7:30 p.m. CT
University of Missouri
vs
#21 Arkansas
No. 15 @MizzouGym Takes on Four Top 25 Teams at Metroplex Challenge
1/25/2019 10:03:00 AM | Gymnastics
| MEET 3: AUBURN | |||||
| OPPONENT | LOCATION | DATE | TIME | WATCH | STATS |
| No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 7 Denver, No. 21 Arkansas | Fort Worth, Texas | Saturday, Jan. 26 | 7:30 p.m. CT | FloGymnastics | TBA |
| Meet Notes: Mizzou | |||||
STORYLINES
- The No. 15 Mizzou gymnastics team travels to Fort Worth, Texas, to compete in the 2019 Metroplex Challenge on Saturday, Jan. 26 at 7:30 p.m. CT. A quad meet, the Tigers will take on No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 7 Denver and No. 21 Arkansas at the Fort Worth Convention Center. The matchup with Arkansas will serve as the Southeastern Conference dual between the Tigers and Razorbacks.
- The Tigers fell five spots to No. 15 in this week's national poll.
- Mizzou also ranks 11th nationally on floor, 12th on beam, 17th on vault and 25th on bars.
- Last time out, Missouri suffered a 195.825-194.975 loss to No. 13 Auburn on Jan. 19.
- Senior Britney Ward earned her second event title of the season against Auburn, as she won beam for the second time in three meets.
- On Jan. 11, Missouri tallied season-bests on all four events in a 197.300-196.450 loss at preseason No. 3 Floriday on Jan. 11. The Tigers did not record a score lower than 9.725 in the meet against the Gators.
- Redshirt senior Becca Schugel has returned to the lineup after missing most of the 2018 season with a season-ending Achilles injury
- Head Coach Shannon Welker is in his sixth year at the helm of the Tiger program. Last season, Welker and the Tigers earned three top 10 wins, including a victory over No. 5 Florida.
LAST TIME OUT
- The No. 10 Mizzou gymnastics team suffered a 195.825-194.975 loss to No. 13 Auburn in the Beauty and the Beast event on Jan. 26.
- Senior Britney Ward (Ozark, Mo.) claimed the beam title for her second win on the event in three meets.
- Four different Tigers made event debuts in 2019, while three earned spots in their respective lineups for the first time in their careers.
- Opening the day on vault, Mizzou used a team-best 9.825 from Ward to go 48.700 on the apparatus. Ward's score was a season-best in the anchor spot in the lineup. Redshirt junior Morgan Porter (Overland, Mo.) went 9.775 and sophomore Gabrielle Gottula (Spring, Texas) earned a 9.725.
- Three Tigers all posted scores of 9.825 to lead the home Tigers in the second rotation. Porter, redshirt senior Becca Schugel (Eagan, Minn.) and junior Aspen Tucker (Lehigh Acres, Fla.) all posted 9.825s, while Christensen added a 9.75. Overall, Mizzou went 48.850 on the event.
- Ward again led Missouri on beam with a meet-best 9.85, her third score of 9.85 or better in three meets this season. Mizzou scored a 48.350 in the third rotation on the apparatus, as Gottula tied her career-high with a 9.825 and senior Allison Bower (Mesa, Ariz.) leadoff the rotation with a 9.775.
- Missouri closed the day with a strong floor rotation to go 49.050. Tucker paced four Tigers with 9.8s or above, with a team-best score of 9.85. Junior Mary Nicholson (North Richland Hills, Texas) continued her floor success with a 9.85 and Gottula earned a 9.825 in her first-career floor routine. Additionally, Porter posted a score of 9.8.
UP NEXT
- Mizzou returns home to the Hearnes Center to host No. 9 Alabama on Friday, Feb. 1 at 7:30 p.m. CT.
MISSOURI CLOCKS IN AT NO. 15 IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
- Mizzou fell five spots to No. 15 in this week's national rankings with an average score of 195.625
- The Tigers also rank 11th nationally on floor, 12th on beam, 17th on vault and 25th on bars
MIZZOU POSTS SEASON-BESTS ON ALL FOUR EVENTS AT FLORIDA
- Mizzou posted at least 49 on all apparatuses in a 197.300-196.450 loss to preseason No. 3 Florida on Jan. 11.
- The Tigers' full point team score improvement from week one to week two was due more consistency on all four individual events.
- Mizzou's biggest improvement came on bars, where the team went 49.125 at Florida after a 48.375 at the Arizona State Quad Meet.
- The team also upped its scores on floor (49.200 from 49.050), beam (49.125 from 49.075) and vault (49.000 from 49.950).
MCCRARY CLAIMS VAULT CROWN AT FLORIDA
- Freshman Hannah McCrary claimed a share of the vault title in Mizzou's meet at Florida on Jan. 11.
- It was the first event title of the freshman's Mizzou career.
- McCrary earned a career-best 9.875 on her Yurchenko 1.5 at the meet, marking the first time she competed the 10.0 vault in collegiate competition.
- She also went personal-best 9.850 on floor at Florida.
TIGERS FACE TOUGH 2019 SLATE
- The 2019 regular season features 15 matchups with 14 teams ranked in the top 25, including 10 meets against top 10 opponents
- Overall, Mizzou faces off against No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 3 Florida, No. 4 LSU, No. 5 Utah, No. 6 Alabama, No. 7 Georgia, No. 9 Michigan, No. 10 Kentucky, No. 12 Arkansas, No. 13 Denver, No. 14 Auburn, No. 20 Arizona State, No. 21 Stanford and No. 23 Minnesota. The Tigers actually take on LSU twice during the regular season.
WARD NAMED SEC SPECIALIST OF THE WEEK
- Senior Britney Ward was named the Southeastern Conference Specialist of the Week, the league office announced on Jan. 8.
- It marked the third SEC weekly honor of her career, as Ward also claimed Specialist and Freshman of the Week honors as a freshman in 2016.
- Ward claimed the beam event title as Mizzou took first in a quad meet against No. 20 Arizona State, No. 23 Minnesota and UIC in Tempe, Ariz., on Jan. 4. She anchored the Tigers' first rotation with a 9.95, a score that held up as the highest of the night on beam. The score was good enough to rank her tied for second nationally on the event after one week of competition.
- The win was the 29th event title of her Tiger career, including her 16th on beam. It also marked the sixth time in Ward's career she scored a 9.95 or better, which ranks as the second most in Mizzou history. Additionally, it was the 19th time in 40 career beam routines she posted at least a 9.9.
TUCKER, WARD CLAIM EVENT WINS IN SEASON OPENER
- Senior Britney Ward and junior Aspen Tucker both took home event wins in the Tigers' quad meet against Arizona State, Minnesota and UIC on Jan. 4.
- Tucker tied for first on floor with a career-high-tying 9.9. It was her 11th career event title but her first-ever win on the floor exercise.
- Ward scored a 9.95 to win beam and claim the 29th event title of her career, including the 16th on beam.
SCHUGEL MAKES HER RETURN
- Mizzou's meet on Jan. 4 marked the return of redshirt senior Becca Schugel, who suffered a season-ending injury in January of last season.
- The fifth-year gymnast tore her Achilles tendon during practice after seeing action in only two meets during her senior season in 2018.
- Schugel competed on bars at Arizona State and posted a 9.825 on the event.
- Schugel is a three-time All-SEC performer over her first three-plus years with the Tigers, as she earned floor honors in 2017, beam honors in 2016 and All-Freshman Team acolades in 2015
- She earned her bachelor's degree in health science in May 2018 and is currently enrolled in Mizzou's accelerated nursing program.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT...OKLAHOMA
- Oklahoma comes into the weekend as the No. 1 team in the nation with an average score of 197.625
- The Sooners ranks first nationally on vault, bars and beam, and fourth on floor.
- They scored a season-best 198.050 in the season-opener at Arkansas
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT...DENVER
- Denver currently ranks seventh in the nation with an average of 196.225.
- The Pioneers have been consistent so far, with scores of 196.275 in the opener and 196.175 last weekend
- They also rank fourth nationally on bars and sixth on floor
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT...ARKANSAS
- The Razorbacks sit at No. 21 in the national rankings this week with an average score of 195.083
- They have a season-best total of 195.800 in a win over Arizona in week two.
- Arkansas is strong on floor, ranking 14th nationally, as well as 16th on vault and 21st on beam
Players Mentioned
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