Missouri gymnastics to get a reinforcement
A Norwegian reinforcement in the form of Oslo native Sandra Ostad will swell the ranks of Missouri’s gymnastics squad for the upcoming season.
Nineteen-year-old Ostad’s résumé boasts two Norwegian National Champion titles in balance beam and uneven bars in 2007 and 2008. She also recently captured the bars title during the Northern European Championships earlier this year.
Ostad is expected to start training with the team when practices restart at the end of December.
Missouri’s annual Black and Gold Intrasquad meet was Dec. 11. The Gold team defeated the Black team, 156-155.350, and overcame the Black squad’s performance of senior Sarah Shire. She had an all-around high score 39.550. The Gold team saw senior Danielle Guider and sophomore Mary Burke’s get all-around scores of 39.400 and 39.300, respectively.
Guider’s solid performance was especially noteworthy because she is returning to the Tigers after a summer ankle surgery.
Also during the Black and Gold meet, freshmen Brittany Bendoff, Lauren Swankoski and Tori Howard made their Missouri collegiate debuts. Both Bendoff and Swankoski were good contributors in the all-around for Black, posting 37.550 and 38.900, respectively. Howard, who only competed on vault, beam and floor exercise for Gold, earned her best score of the night with a 9.70 performance on beam.
The regular season for Missouri will officially commence on Jan. 8 at the Hearnes Center, pitting the Tigers’ No. 16 rank against the No. 18 Ohio State Buckeyes.