Missouri assistant gymnastics coach John Figueroa was being pulled in two different directions.

At one end of the Hearnes Center fieldhouse, Figueroa was coaching a handful of athletes working out on the bars apparatus. He was on hand to make sure the athletes got over on their rotations, moved mats under the gymnasts to soften landings if they fell and was there to catch them on the dismount.

That same end was where the vault runway began, so when someone wanted Figueroa to watch her vault, he had to move to the other end of the practice area.

Assistant coach Amy Smith sat mostly still. Reading and re-reading her notebook, Smith occasionally waved her arms in the air, mimicking a floor routine she was piecing together in her head.

Tigers Adrianne Perry and Alicia Hatcher mirrored each other’s dance movements on the mat, finding something they were comfortable with.

Figueroa, who specializes in bars and the vault, came to Missouri after eight years at Denver University, where he helped the Pioneers finish 10th last season. Smith, a national champion at UCLA, coached six All-Americans on the floor in three seasons at Florida before joining the Missouri staff.

The two new assistants and sophomore all-around competitor Sarah Shire were brought in at Missouri to help the Tigers finally break into the elite status that they’ve been so close to reaching these past few years.

Results have been immediately apparent.

Figueroa has upped the competition level on the vault, giving the Tigers higher starting scores. The depth of the team was proved when freshman walk-on Lauren Stephenson nailed a 9.55 on her first vault at the Black and Gold meet Saturday at the Hearnes Center. Freshman Alex Gold scored a 9.9 later on.

As for the floor, Smith’s choreography is fundamentally strong while letting each gymnast’s personality shine through.

"If the routine fits you, you’re going to perform it better," Perry said.

This might be the year that Perry, a Columbia native who has reached the NCAA Championships in the all-around in each of her first two years, won’t have to travel to nationals on her own. Hartsburg native Shire, who competed last season with national runner-up Utah, adds instant credibility to the Tigers.

Missouri put up strong numbers last season but wasn’t consistent enough to post a break-out score that would get the Tigers in elite company. But it’s known in gymnastics circles that the Tigers are a step or two away.

"This year’s team is deeper, a lot more confident and stronger," Coach Rob Drass said. "When I first got here, we had two kids that could compete with the best in the country. Last couple years, we probably had four that could compete with the best teams in the country. We’ve probably got six now, or seven. We put up six" scores, "so that means we can absorb an injury. We can rest somebody for a day and still go strong into those last couple of events, like the Big 12 Championships or the regional and national championships."

If the new coaches can get Missouri over the top, and Perry and Shire get the program in the national consciousness, top returners such as Hatcher, Ashley Khederian and Gold have the talent to keep the Tigers at the top.

"The depth is what’s really going to help us," Shire said. "We’re there on vault, and we’re getting closer on every other event. It’s going to be an exciting season."

The excitement began Saturday at the Black and Gold meet.

Had it been an actual competition, Missouri would have earned a 194.000 total. To contrast, the Tigers opened last season with a 192.625.

"We definitely got a head start on the season," Perry said. "I feel like maybe in past years we waited a little bit too long to get going with things. This year, we started early, and I think we were all happy with our Black and Gold meet on Saturday."