The No. 23 Missouri gymnastics squad concluded a very successful February on Friday night at the Hearnes Center, defeating Southern Utah 194.925 to 193.750.
The team’s total fell just short of its targeted score of 195 for the first time in four February meets, but the final score did not dampen the squad’s spirits.
“It wasn’t exactly the score we wanted, but there were glimpses of good things that happened,” junior Allie Heizelman said. “We had some mistakes which we ultimately don’t want to have, but tonight after those mistakes were made people were able to pick it back up and hit sets.”
Heizelman was on the mark all night, hitting each of her three routines. The junior posted a score of 9.800 on her floor exercise, and tallied a 9.850 on the beam and bars.
It was Heizelman, along with performances turned in by the team’s freshmen, that led the Tigers to victory.
Three career-highs were set on Friday night for Missouri, two of which were by freshmen. Cathryn Aliceaacosta and Taylor Medrea each recorded new career highs on vault and bars, respectively. Fellow freshmen Katelyn Trevino also performed well, posting a score of 9.750 on bars, the second best of her young career.
Medrea believes her fellow freshmen are starting to hit their stride as a group.
“We (freshmen) had a rough start but we’re really getting into the flow of things and being able to hit what we need to and trust our older teammates,” Medrea said. “The upperclassmen and coaching staff have been there to keep pushing us, which has helped a lot.”
Coach Rob Drass also came away from the meet very encouraged with what he saw from the youngest of the Tigers.
“Our freshmen are coming along,” Drass said. “They’re starting to compete with more poise and confidence. I was very happy to see how they stepped up.”
Sophomores Tori Howard and Lauren Swankoski also had solid performances of the night, as Howard set a new career-high of 9.875 on her floor exercise while Swankoski recorded scores of 9.750, 9.800 and 9.825 on her routines. Each routine hit was crucial for the Tigers, as both all-around performers struggled throughout the match.
Junior Mary Burke and senior Alex Gold each turned in below average performances for their high standards. Despite the poor outing, Heizelman and the freshmen picked up the slack for their older teammates, despite not having the best week of practice.
“It was a rough week of practice,” Heizelman said. “My apartment was getting remodeled so it was difficult having to move things around, but our coaches have worked a lot with us with regards to mental toughness, and that definitely showed through tonight.”
Heizelman credits the victory to having that mindset, along with the improvement of the freshmen.
“They’re doing a great job, especially with adapting to the college lifestyle of gymnastics,” Heizelman said. “I’m really proud of them and glad they can be a part of this team.”
