Mizzou’s Quest for Victory: Fifth-Ranked Team Heads to Denver for Season’s First Road Challenge

COLUMBIA, Mo. — The University of Missouri gymnastics team, ranked No. 5, is heading to Denver for its initial away meet of the season, where the Tigers will compete against No. 11 Denver, Georgia, and LIU in the Denver Quad on Sunday at 3 p.m. at Magness Arena.

THE MATCHUP

The No. 5 University of Missouri gymnastics squad travels for its first road competition of the 2025 season in the Denver Quad, facing off against No. 11 Denver, Georgia, and LIU.

While Mizzou is set to face LIU for the first time ever in program history, the Tigers have an 8-10 record against No. 11 Denver and an 8-24 all-time record against Georgia.

No. 11 Denver commenced its season on Sunday, January 5, registering a home victory against No. 13 Michigan with a score of 195.700-194.975. The Tigers are currently ranked higher than the Pioneers in terms of team score and beam after the initial week.

Both Georgia and LIU are kicking off their 2025 seasons at the Denver Quad. Georgia concluded the 2024 season with a 20th-ranked NQS score and introduced new head coaches Cécile Canqueteau-Landi and Ryan Roberts, while LIU finished 60th in NQS and also welcomed its new coach Taylor Colwell.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST SHOW STOPPERS

In the Tigers’ season-opening event at Beauty and the Beast, Mizzou gymnasts secured four out of five event titles, achieving a 3-0 start to the season.

Amari Celestine participated in the all-around for the first time in her journey and clinched the title with a score of 39.350, achieving 9.775 on vault, 9.900 on bars, 9.825 on beam, and 9.850 on floor.

Returning after a 643-day hiatus, Addison Lawrence competed on beam flawlessly, earning a score of 9.900 to take the title, marking her third instance scoring 9.900 or above in this event.

Two Tigers, Hannah Horton and Celestine, both tallied scores of 9.900 or higher on bars, recording 9.925 and 9.900 respectively. Horton secured the event title with her first-ever score of 9.900 or more in this discipline.

Celestine, Horton, and Jocelyn Moore all shared the floor title, as each achieved a score of 9.850.

SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED

On Thursday, January 2, the Director of Athletics Laird Veatch announced that Shannon Welker, the gymnastics head coach, has extended her contract, ensuring her leadership of the program until 2029.

Since taking charge of Mizzou’s program in May 2013, Welker has elevated the Tigers into a steady competitor on the national arena.

She has propelled the program toward historical achievements, including multiple NCAA Championship appearances, record-setting team scores, attendance records at home events, and the nurturing of numerous All-Americans and conference achievers.

GUESS HU’S BACK?

Helen Hu, a two-time NCAA All-American and three-time All-Southeastern Conference gymnast, has rejoined the University of Missouri gymnastics team and will utilize her final year of eligibility for the upcoming 2025 season. Hu spent the past year traveling across Europe, South America, and Asia.

The redshirt senior boasts career highs of 9.975 on balance beam three times and 9.950 twice on bars, ranking her tied for third and second respectively in the program’s history for these events.

Between beam and bars, Hu has achieved scores of 9.900 or higher on 36 occasions across the two events.

In her latest competitive season, the 2023 campaign, Hu took part in all 13 meets, recording a score of 9.900 or greater on beam in ten of them.

She earned her second team All-America accolade in this event and was honored on the end-of-season All-SEC team.

Notably, Hu reached a score of 9.975 on beam for the third time in her collegiate career during the team’s quad meet on March 10.

IT JUST MEANS MORE

Missouri gymnastics has been ranked as the ninth-best team in the nation by the Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association as the 2025 season approaches.

In the first RoadToNationals team rankings, all four Southeastern Conference teams that contended in the opening week made it into the top 10—No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 2 LSU, No. 5 Missouri, and No. 7 Auburn.

The Southeastern Conference accounted for seven of the top 10 rankings in the WCGA preseason poll. Ninth-ranked Mizzou was accompanied at the top by No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 2 LSU, No. 3 Florida, No. 6 Alabama, No. 7 Kentucky, and No. 8 Arkansas. All nine SEC programs appeared in the top 17 nationally.

This preseason ranking equals Mizzou’s highest in the last decade and marks the second occurrence in three years that the Tigers have made the top 10. They also held the No. 9 position ahead of the 2023 season.

Only two of the Tigers’ 15 opponents for the upcoming season were not listed in either the selected 1-36 or receiving votes.

2024 WRAPPED – A RECORD-BREAKING YEAR

The Mizzou gymnastics program broke over 25 records last year during the 2024 season, notably setting team-high scores in all four events.

Seven Tigers received All-SEC honors, the highest total in the conference, with three being named WCGA All-Americans.

Missouri established a new dual meet attendance record with 7,336 fans during its January 26, 2024 win against No. 3 LSU, resulting in the program’s highest-ranked win ever.

The Tigers achieved their finest season to date on vault, executing at least a score of 49.000 in every meet for the first time.

Mara Titarsolej, Sienne Schreiber, and Jocelyn Moore each earned perfect 10s throughout the year, with Titarsolej on bars, Schreiber on beam, and Moore on floor.

The team also achieved its highest-ever NQS score of 197.420. Moreover, Missouri broke its best NQS scores on floor (49.575), bars (49.420), and vault (49.340). Their ranking of eighth on floor and 11th on bars signifies the highest end-of-year rankings.

STAR-STUDDED TIGERS JOIN THE AMBUSH

Following a significant 2024 season, Welker secured the sixth-ranked freshman class and the top transfer class according to CollegeGymNews.com.

The freshman class includes three-star Ayla Acevedo, four stars Kaia Tanskanen and Lisa Szeibert, and five stars Railey Jackson and Olivia Kelly. 

Jackson and Tanskanen were the only two first-year athletes to compete in the opening week, with Jackson achieving scores of 9.800 on beam and 9.825 on floor, while Tanskanen scored 9.750 on vault.

The leading transfer class featured Lauren Macpherson, Abby Mueller, Elise Tisler, and Amy Wier.

On November 11, 2024, Welker also disclosed the program’s 2025 recruiting class consisting of four signings, including five-star Kimarra Echols from CollegeGymNews.com, Bryce Kupbens, three-star Maiya Terry, and four-star Hayli Westerlind.

The Tigers’ class is ranked 11th nationally and fifth in the SEC, according to CollegeGymNews.com, marking the third occurrence since 2021 that MU has welcomed a top 11 class nationally.

UP NEXT

The Tigers will proceed with their schedule by commencing Southeastern Conference action for the 2025 season on Friday, January 17, as they visit No. 1 Oklahoma.

Mizzou holds a historical record of 12-60-1 against Oklahoma and will be aiming for its first victory over the Sooners since 2004. The Tigers seek to defeat their first top-ranked opponent in program history.

SEASON TICKETS ON SALE NOW

Season ticket renewals for the 2025 Mizzou gymnastics season are currently available at MUTigers.com/Tickets. In addition to the “Beauty and the Beast” event for the team’s regular-season kickoff, the Tigers will host SEC home duals against Kentucky, Georgia, and Auburn.

FOLLOW THE TIGERS

For the latest updates on Mizzou gymnastics, stay connected with MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok.