The last time the Missouri gymnastics team took to competition, it recorded its best score of the season but was outclassed by the Oklahoma Sooners.
The Tigers reversed their role Friday and thumped the Bowling Green State Falcons by a decisive margin of 196.250 to 193.825, despite the best efforts of the Falcons’ raucous fans.
Coach Rob Drass’ squad turned in a dominating performance, with a Tiger winning each event.
The Tigers set the tone of the night in the vault, when sophomore Katelyn Trevino’s perfectly stuck landing elicited an ecstatic reaction from assistant coach John Figueroa. Trevino scored 9.875 and tied senior Mary Burke for the event win.
Trevino shifted much of the credit for her win to her teammates.
“Just trusting (them) and knowing that they’re all going to hit makes me feel like I can just do whatever, hold nothing back and go for it,” she said.
Missouri cruised through the bars and beam, lengthening their lead on the Falcons. Burke and senior Allie Heizelman tied for the bars win and freshman Rachel Updike took the beam title with a career-high 9.850.
The Tigers once again blitzed the floor exercise by scoring 49.375 overall, their best of the season. Updike took the event win with a career-high 9.925 while Burke and junior Tori Howard tied for second with 9.900s.
Burke’s mark on the floor helped seal her all-around score of 39.475, the best of her career.
“Just when you think you’ve seen (Mary’s) best, she turns it up one more notch,” Drass said.
The Tigers’ score was their second best of the season, and they hope to capitalize on their momentum.
“I think that all the hard work is starting to pay off a little more … I think we’re honestly getting more respect from the judges, from the whole competition, and it’s really awesome because we all just feel like (our work is) really starting to pay off,” Trevino said.
Missouri is now hitting the home stretch of the season. After their next quad meet against Denver, West Virginia and Western Michigan, they head down to Tuscaloosa, Ala., for a showdown with the perennial powerhouse Alabama Crimson Tide.
Both coaches and athletes spoke of the meet, to be held in one of the loudest, most energetic environments in the country, as an opportunity to prepare for the big stage of late-season NCAA competition.
“That’s going to be what the environment’s going to be at an NCAA regional or an NCAA championship, and we want to expose our team to that so they can handle it,” Drass said.
Though Drass acknowledged that the Tigers are at a stage of the season where some fatigue and pains are setting in, the athletes are maintaining confidence.
“We know that expectations are high, but we’re willing to meet the challenge,” Burke said.