“Beauty and the Beast: A Thrilling Home Showdown with Gymnastics and Wrestling!”

COLUMBIA, Mo. — The University of Missouri gymnastics and wrestling squads celebrated the new year with the return of “Beauty and the Beast” at Mizzou Arena. Friday night marked the 10th iteration of the multi-sport event, which attracted the fourth-largest audience of 4,655 spectators. 

The ninth-ranked gymnastics team triumphed in their season debut with a concluding total of 196.700, outperforming Ball State (194.925), Illinois State (194.775), and Southeast Missouri (190.475). Meanwhile, No. 19 Wrestling was defeated by No. 12 Cornell, with a score of 26-12.

Gymnastics

The Missouri gymnastics team commenced its 2025 season effectively by securing its eighth victory in 10 Beauty and the Beast competitions historically, achieving its highest-ever team score in this simultaneous event. The team recorded its 41st win over Southeast Missouri, its 20th against Illinois State, and ninth against Ball State.

Vault

• The Tigers accumulated a total score of 48.975.
• Senior Jocelyn Moore achieved the top score of the vault session for the Tigers with a 9.850.
• Graduate Abby Mueller and sophomore Hannah Horton contributed scores of 9.800 toward the Tiger total.

Uneven Bars

• MU posted a 49.425 on the bars.
• Horton excelled on the uneven bars, equalling a Beauty and the Beast team record with a score of 9.925, marking her first career score of 9.900 on this apparatus.
• Senior Amari Celestine followed closely with a score of 9.900, the third time she has recorded 9.900 or better in this event.

Beam

• The beam rotation achieved a total score of 49.100.
• Junior Addison Lawrence secured a score of 9.900, her third score of this kind in her career.
• Two Tigers registered scores of 9.800 on the beam: freshman Railey Jackson, making her Tiger debut, and redshirt senior Helen Hu, returning for her final year of eligibility.

Floor

• The Tigers recorded a floor score of 49.200 for the event.
• Three gymnasts attained scores of 9.850, including Horton, Celestine, and Moore.

From head coach Shannon Welker…

“I was very satisfied with our team this evening. For the inaugural competition of the year, I thought we performed commendably. We particularly wanted to use tonight to test some lineups and observe how individuals would handle those circumstances. Overall, I was pleased with their performances.”

From senior Amari Celestine…

“I was honestly just proud to be out there. This isn’t my final meet, just my last season. However, I feel like I’m approaching each event one at a time. The sensation I experienced was simply overwhelming joy.”

Up Next

The Tigers will head to face the Denver Pioneers in Magness Arena for their first road competition of the year at the Denver Quad on Jan. 12 at 3 p.m. Georgia and LIU will join Mizzou and Denver for the match. 

This visit marks the first time Missouri has faced the Pioneers since March 3, 2012, in a quad arrangement. Mizzou carries a record of 9-11 against Denver historically, 11-24 against Georgia, and will encounter LIU for the first time.

Wrestling

The No. 19 Missouri wrestling team fell to No. 12 Cornell with a score of 26-12 Friday night. The Tigers captured victories in three of the ten contested matches, garnering bonus points in one bout.

True freshman Gage Walker commenced the dual on a high note, achieving his first career fall, which gave Mizzou an early lead of 6-0. Redshirt sophomore Zeke Seltzer got the Tigers back on the scoreboard at 149 pounds with a decision victory over Cornell’s Mark Botello. However, Cornell secured crucial wins, putting Mizzou in a challenging position at the interval.

Cornell maintained its momentum in the second half, clinching five consecutive wins. Chris Foca from the Big Red sealed the dual victory with a ranked win over Colton Hawks at 184 pounds. Texas native Jarrett Stoner ended the evening positively for the Tigers, achieving a late takedown to secure a win.

Match Highlights

• Mizzou’s all-time record against the Big Red now stands at 5-9-0. Cornell has triumphed in the last three dual encounters.
• Walker’s victory at 125 pounds marked his first home dual win for the Black and Gold, as well as his inaugural career fall.
• At 149 pounds, Seltzer recorded his first dual win of the season after starting 0-3 in duals.
• Stoner achieved his second dual win, with his initial victory over Little Rock’s Keith Miley. Stoner’s record now stands at 6-4.
• Hawks experienced his first career loss against Foca in a matchup involving returning national qualifiers.
• The Tigers now hold a 6-4 all-time record in Beauty and the Beast matches, with all four defeats to top-12 opponents.

Results

No. 19 Missouri 12, No. 12 Cornell 26

125 | (30) Gage Walker (MIZ) over Marcello Milani (COR) by fall (6:10)

133 | Tyler Ferrara (COR) over Kade Moore (MIZ) by decision, 3-2

141 | (32) Josh Saunders (COR) over (14) Josh Edmond (MIZ) by major decision, 12-4

149 | Zeke Seltzer (MIZ) over Mark Botello (COR) by decision, 4-1

157 | (2) Meyer Shapiro (COR) over (32) James Conway (MIZ) by technical fall, 17-2 (6:25)

165 | (5) Julian Ramirez (COR) over Joel Mylin (MIZ) by decision, 9-2

174 | (13) Simon Ruiz (COR) over Jake Stoffel (MIZ) by major decision, 17-3

184 | (8) Chris Foca (COR) over (9) Colton Hawks (MIZ) by major decision, 9-1

197 | Aiden Hanning (COR) over Jesse Cassatt (MIZ) by decision, 2-0

285 | Jarrett Stoner (MIZ) over Aiden Compton (COR) by decision, 5-0

UP NEXT

The wrestling team will continue its five-match homestand against No. 15 Stanford on Jan. 12 at 2 p.m. This dual will take place at the Hearnes Center, and tickets can be purchased here.

FOLLOW THE TIGERS

To keep updated on Mizzou gymnastics and wrestling, visit MUTigers.com and follow the teams on Facebook, X, and Instagram.