MU gymnastics headed to national championships
No. 15 Missouri (17-5) is headed for the NCAA National Championships in Gainesville, Fla., after winning Saturday night’s NCAA Regional at Hearnes Center.
Missouri’s final score was 196.500, a 10th less than last year’s record-setting regional qualifying score.
The Tigers snap a 29-year-long drought since the last time they competed in a national championship as a team and it is only the second national championship berth in the program’s history.
With the victory, the Tigers dispatched juggernaut No. 5 Georgia (196.275), which was looking for its 11th regional title in 12 years.
Missouri also outlasted No. 36 North Carolina (194.750), No 30 Iowa (194.900), No. 25 (195.000) and No. 8 Oregon State (196.275).
Advancing with the Tigers is Oregon State, whose total scores tallied together exceeded the Gymdogs’ total to serve as the decisive tiebreaker for the second and last qualifying spot.
Senior All-American Sarah Shire won the meet’s all-around title and now holds the all-time Missouri record for all-around titles in a single season with 11. Shire also took the meet’s vault title (9.900) and tied for first on uneven bars and floor. She also received the South Central Regional Gymnast of Year honor for the second year in a row.
Senior Danielle Guider and sophomore Mary Burke finished third and fifth in the all-around, respectively.