The University of Missouri’s gymnastics team made history on April 17 when they made it to the NCAA Championships for the first time in program history. So what has their season looked like, and how did they make it to the Final Four?
The team started off ranked #9 in the nation, according to the Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association after their preseason performance. This is the second time the team has been ranked in the top 10 coming into the season since 2023.
The Tigers started their season off strong with a win over Ball State, Illinois State and Southeast Missouri State. On January 3, the team was victorious after a final score of 196.700 out of 200.000 to put them above their competitors. The Denver Quad was held on January 12 where the Tigers took second place, falling behind Denver with a final score of 196.125. It seemed like the Tigers were stuck in the 197s for the rest of the season with lots of wins but also having losses along the way.
But then, on March 9, the Missouri Tigers made history and scored their first ever 198.000 in program history against Auburn. Missouri had been leading Auburn all day but the final floor routine by senior Amari Celestine is what pushed the Tigers to 198.100. Moore tied her season best with a 9.950 out of 10.000 on floor to end their senior night.
The Auburn meet also led to one more first in program history: being undefeated at home. Mizzou had a 6-0 win streak at the Hearnes Center beating Ball State, Illinois State, SEMO, Kentucky, Georgia and Auburn. After their match against Auburn, the Tigers moved up in the NCAA polls to #7, the highest they’ve ever been ranked during the regular season. It was clear to see that this team was a force to be reckoned with.
The Missouri Tigers took fourth place at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama for the SEC Championship. With a total of 197.400, they clenched yet another school record, their best conference championship score; they surpassed Auburn, Georgia, Kentucky and Alabama. The Tigers also had four podium finishers. Mara Titarsolej scored her first 10 of the season, third of her career, to claim SEC co-champion on the bars. Helen Hu also took first place as the SEC co-champion for the beam with a score of 9.925. Jocelyn Moore and Kennedy Griffin both scored 9.950s on floor, earning them silver medals.
On April 2, the Tigers took first in the NCAA Championship Second Round, knocking out Georgia and Arizona State with a score of 197.650. While this was their fifth straight year going to the regional final, it was also their best postseason score in program history. Helen Hu scored a unanimous 10 on beam from the judges, landing her the title of the first ever 10 in NCAA meet history. Amari Celestine also scored a 10 from one of the judges on her vault, which led her score to be a 9.950; she won session one’s all-around title with an almost perfect score of 39.450.
The NCAA Championship Regional Final came next where the Tigers got their ticket to Fort Worth, Texas. Ending the meet in second place behind Oklahoma with a total of 197.425, Missouri claimed their spot in the semifinals, their third time going in program history. Going into their last apparatus, they were battling with Auburn for the second place title, but Hu was able to score a 9.925 to push the Missouri Tigers ahead of Auburn.
In the semifinals the Tigers were competing against #3 Florida, #11 Alabama and #2 Oklahoma in the first session. It had been a close meet but once again Missouri was able to pull ahead on beam, their anchor, Helen Hu, did it again and secured a 9.9875. The Missouri Tigers would move into the second place spot, beating out Florida by one-tenth of a point, sending them to their first ever NCAA Championship Final.
The Championship was nothing short of exciting to watch. All four teams were doing amazing, but Oklahoma and UCLA had been fighting for that top spot. With Missouri hanging out in fourth place for most of the meet, they were able to pull ahead on the floor. Kennedy Griffin scored a 9.9500, the highest for the Tigers on floor, followed by Amari Celestine’s 9.9125 and Jocelyn Moore’s 9.9000. Finishing third in the NCAA Gymnastics Championship, the Tigers finished off their record-breaking season ending in not only the highest spot in program history but also securing the title of the best postseason performance from any women’s team at Mizzou.