GYMNASTICS HEADED TO SOUTHEAST REGIONAL
Tigers earn No. 3 seed

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The No. 13 Missouri gymnastics team will travel to Athens, Ga., as the No. 3-seed for the NCAA Southeast Regional at the University of Georgia’s Stegeman Coliseum on Saturday,
April 8 at 6 p.m. EDT. The Tigers will face top-seed Georgia, No. 2-seed Nebraska, No. 4-seed West Virginia, No. 5-seed North Carolina and No. 6-seed North Carolina State.

Missouri received a favorable draw in the meet, as the Tigers follow the other two seeded teams, Nebraska and Georgia. Mizzou starts the meet with a bye before starting competition on floor in the second rotation. The squad then moves to vault, has another bye in the fourth rotation before concluding the meet on bars and beam, arguably the squad’s two strongest events.

Six teams, five all-around competitors (who are not on a qualifying team) and one individual event specialist per event [who has a minimum Regional Qualifying Score (RQS) of 9.4] were named to each of the six regions.

The top two teams and the top two all-around competitors (who are not on an advancing team) from each regional will receive an automatic berth to the national championships in Corvallis, Ore., April 20-22, hosted by Oregon State University. Event winners at the regional championships will also advance to the national championships (in that event only) if they are not part of a qualifying team or the all-around qualifiers.

In addition to Missouri’s chance to qualify for the National Championships as a team, a number of Tiger gymnasts are capable of qualifying as individuals.

Freshman Adrianne Perry, the 2006 Big 12 Conference Newcomer of the Year, ranks 24^th nationally in the all-around. On beam, senior Lauren Schwartzman ended the season tied for second in the country on the event with Georgia’s Courtney Kupets. Fellow senior Jodie Heinicka ranks as the nation’s fourth-best bars competitor but will have to go against the No. 2 and No. 3 bars workers in the nation Georgia’s Courtney Kupets and Kelsey Ericksen.

Last season, Mizzou fell just short of its quest for its first National Championship appearance with a third-place finish at the South Central Regional behind Michigan and Nebraska.

Southeast Regional (April 8 in Athens, Ga., 6 p.m.)

Teams

1. Georgia

2. Nebraska

3. Missouri

4. West Virginia

5. North Carolina

6. North Carolina State

 

All-Around Competitors

1. Christina Ghani, Towson

2. Rachel Martinez, Maryland

3. Rachel Colon, Maryland

4. Erin Aiken, George Washington

5. Decelia Willacy, Towson

 

Individual Event Specialists

Vault

Angela Ferg, Maryland

Alternate: Kristen Simpson, George Washington

Uneven Bars

Christina Lindo, Towson

Alternate: Stevie Waldman, William and Mary

Balance Beam

Alex Gatch, Maryland

Alternates: Jess Randall, William and Mary; Angela Ferg, Maryland

Floor Exercise

Jess Guilbert, George Washington

Alternate: Brittany Gibbs, William and Mary