Gymnastics prepares for Regional meet
With the regular season and conference tournament in their rearview mirror it’s crunch time for No. 15 Missouri.
After two weeks to rest and prepare, the Tigers set their sights on the NCAA Northeast Regional meet this Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
For Coach Rob Drass and the Tigers, this weekend is the opportunity to punch their ticket to the NCAA National Championship and fulfill a goal set from day one.
In the Tigers’ sixth consecutive regional appearance, Missouri faces some stiff competition. Among their five opponents, two are ranked in the top-ten nationally: No. 3 Alabama and No. 9 Oklahoma.
Missouri enters the meet as a No. 3 seed behind the No. 1 seed Crimson Tide and No. 2 seed Sooners.
Rounding out the competition will be Central Michigan, Maryland and New Hampshire.
Host Alabama boasts an average team score and national ranking higher than any opponent the Tigers have faced this season. They took the 2009 SEC Championship and are aiming for their 24th regional crown.
As for Oklahoma, Missouri is looking to finally break past their Big 12 rivals in what will be their third meeting this year.
The Sooners prevailed the previous two meets, the first time in Norman on February 20 and again at the Big 12 Championships on March 21.
Missouri finished fourth at last year’s regional and aims to send a gymnast to nationals for the fifth year in a row.
Missouri junior Sarah Shire will be looking to capture a nationals berth in the all-around as she tries to add to her season total and school-record ten all-around titles.
Senior Adrianne Perry is aiming to make it a perfect 4-for-4 in NCAA National appearances in her career at Missouri. Perry competed in the all-around each of the last three years.
For Shire, Perry and the rest of the Tigers the road to nationals begins when they hit the mats at 6 p.m. in search of their first regional title since 1981.