RANDY METCALF/Arizona Daily Wildcat Senior Nikki Beyschau and the Gymcats head into action this weekend at the NCAA South Central Regional Championships in St. Louis.

Arizona to challenge in St. Louis for "Super Six" berth

It's dŽjˆ vu all over again for the gymnastics team as it travels to Missouri for the second time this year, prepared to face two Pac-10 teams and the Tigers of Mizzou again, this time for a berth in the NCAA Championships.

The No. 19 Gymcats (5-16, 2-10) will face a deep field in the 2003 South Central Regional Championships tomorrow night in St. Louis. Arizona faces No. 1 UCLA, No. 12 Oregon State, No. 13 Iowa, No. 26 Missouri and Illinois-Chicago.

Head coach Bill Ryden said he feels the Gymcats can extend their 17th-consecutive postseason appearance to beyond the first weekend.

"We're optimistic that we can put forth what we need to do," Ryden said.

Arizona must finish in first or second place in this weekend's meet to advance to its second NCAA Championship in a row. If the team does not make it to the "Super Six," individual Gymcats can make it by finishing in the top two in the all-around or by winning an event.

"We are capable of it, but it's going to be a very strong meet," Ryden said. "The teams that don't make any mistakes are the ones that are going to have a chance to advance. Our goal is to be as perfect as possible."

Arizona has competed against UCLA twice, losing both times in Los Angeles with the second at the Pac-10 championships. UA has split its meets with Oregon State, winning in Tucson but losing to the Beavers at the Pac-10s. The Wildcats also lost their only meet against Missouri, finishing behind the Tigers in Missouri's Cat Classic.

At the Classic in February, the Gymcats fell to then No. 20 BYU, then-No. 22 Missouri and beat New Hampshire, despite having Monica Bisordi and Jamie Schell hampered by injuries.

Injuries are again an issue for the M*A*S*H cats, junior Andi McCabe and Schell, a sophomore, are expected to compete, though not at a 100 percent because of serious ankle injuries.

"Andi McCabe and Jamie Schell have been dealing with severe ankle trauma," Ryden said. "They are still only at partial strength, but that's the best we can do at this point."

In the absence of 2002 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year Katie Johnson, who is done for the season with a knee injury, sophomore Jamie Duce and senior Nikki Beyschau will been counted on more, Ryden said.

"Jamie Duce is having a really good year. Nikki Beyschau has been asked to compete in events she hasn't competed in for a while, but she has really stepped up."

The Gymcats have had time to heal somewhat, having a week off since the Pac-10 Championships where Arizona finished sixth overall.

"I think we could have done a little bit better, but knowing that every Pac-10 team is ranked in the top 20 in the country and considering the state that we're in at the time, I was pretty pleased," Ryden said.

At the Pac-10s, there were five scores of 10.000 and every team in the Conference of Champions has made it to regional competitions.

"Where we finished, that was based on the fact that every team there was just amazing," Ryden said.

If the Gymcats don't advance, it will be the last meet for the senior Beyschau, who has been asked to wear many hats in her four years with the team.

"She has fought through a lot of adversity, her body has taken a lot of abuse because of the nature of the sport," Ryden said. "Her character and fortitude will be missed by the team. She has had an excellent four years, that's without a doubt."

Live stats will be available after each rotation on the Tigers' Web site, www.mutigers.com. The meet starts at 6 p.m. Missouri time.

Brett Fera contributed to this report.