New look Tigers ready to make some noise in the SEC, nationally

Nov 3, 2024 | Uncategorized

Written By

Cal Tobias/Rock M Nation

It’s way early, but these Tigers are looking fierce

Is it Gymnastics season yet?

I’m ready, the fans are ready, the gymternet, especially after the Helen Hu returning news dropped in early October, is ready, and after seeing the team in action on October 11 in the first of several public intrasquad meets, they are definitely getting ready.

(Karen Steger, Rock M Nation)
Kaia Tanskanan (left), Addison Lawrence (center) and Kennedy Griffin (right) look on as their teammates compete at the team’s first public intrasquad at Tiger Performance Center on October 12, 2024.

October 12 Observations

The team isn’t doing full floor routines yet, as Welker said “We don’t want to be too far ahead yet. It’s only October.” While team members with only two tumbling passes are running full routines, those with three are doing the choreo and then the music pauses so they can slide over and do the pass side to side instead of diagonally.

Helllllllllo, Mizzou viral floor routine. Last season, it was Kennedy Griffin with her Destiny’s Child mash-up that wowed audiences and caused quite the stir amongst the gymternet, but she’s got competition this year because fellow sophomore Hannah Horton and the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson, would like a word. The key, Jackie Terpak told me after the intrasquad meet, will be getting her to fully buy into it, but it has the potential to be a real show-stopper.

Hannah Horton’s awesomeness pic.twitter.com/U3KG2VPw5t

— Karen S (@karensteger) October 28, 2024

5th year Mara Titarsolej is working on a jaeger to a pak combo on bars, and freshman Kaia Tanskanen is working on a Maloney + gienger combo. (translation: more difficulty = more points if done well = good). And what a joy to see The Celestine performed again (below), with Amari back on bars and likely to be an all-arounder.

Amari Celestine is back on bars pic.twitter.com/xrDz3pcIzs

— Nate Salsman (@Nate_S300) October 12, 2024

The 14 (!) balance beam participants, even with it being an intrasquad, fought hard to stay on the apparatus. “We really like to see as a team is, if they have a little wobble or a mistake, they fight to stay on the beam. That’s really great. We don’t want the wobble, but we love to see a fight with that happens,” Welker said. Beam figures to be one of the Tigers’ most improved events, as their depth issues from a season before have seemingly been solved with the addition of impact transfers — Illinois’ Abby Mueller, Oklahoma’s Amy Wier, San Jose State’s Lauren Macpherson — and some really good freshmen beamers in Olivia Kelly, Railey Jackson and Kaia Tanskanen. “Our freshman class is really good on beam,” Welker said on an October 11 call, “but I also know that it can take a year at times, you know, to kind of acclimate and do some of those things.”
Of the beamers, I was most impressed with Addi Lawrence, who – I think, anyway – competed in her first full routine in public since undergoing season-ending hip surgery.

Addison Lawrence on beam: pic.twitter.com/3mDYDSydu7

— Nate Salsman (@Nate_S300) October 12, 2024

The Maneater’s Nate Salsman and I counted six — yes, SIX** — 10.0 start value vaults. When we brought this up to the coaching staff at the conclusion of the meet, Shannon said he actually thought there could be a couple more in there.

Mizzou gymnastics showcased six 10.0 start value vaults today! @MizzouGym pic.twitter.com/qjTJwizeoY

— Nate Salsman (@Nate_S300) October 12, 2024

**make that 5, as Grace Anne Davis, one of the six, recently had achilles surgery, and thus will not be competing her big and beautiful Yurchenko 1.5 this season.

Great Expectations

Back in early October, College Gym News put out an article about seven teams that could surprise everyone in 2025, and the Tigers were listed as no. 1… without knowing Hu would be back. From the article:

After falling short in the regional final, the Tigers are heading into the 2025 season with a new look, and they could be a big contender in the SEC. With transfers Abby Mueller, Lauren Macpherson, Amy Wier, and Elise Tisler, and five-star freshmen in Olivia Kelly and Railey Jackson, any holes that were left by the graduating class should be filled. Yes, it will be odd to watch a Missouri team without Sienna Schreiber, but this Tiger team is absolutely stacked and will be ready to contend for a spot in the evening session of SECs and maybe even a trip to Fort Worth.

While acknowledging that this is really cool to be thought of, it’s not something the team didn’t already think of themselves. “We built this team to do exactly what we are saying,” Welker said. “We’re not going to be surprised, quite honestly, because we think that we are fully capable of [what the article alluded to].”

This team has had higher aspirations each year. Finish in the top half of the SEC, reach the evening session of the SEC Championships, return to Nationals as a team. These are not unattainable goals. “I try to be very realistic about what we can do, and we always want to be a little bit above what we think we can do,” he said, “because we’ve got to put the envelope a little bit.”

“I think we got a great opportunity to do some to do something pretty special this year,” Mizzou head coach Shannon Welker said on an October 11 zoom call. “And we’re excited to have you guys join us to follow it.”

Depth Galore

This team is deeeeeeep, you guys. I’ve already talked up the vault rotation above, which features 5-6 gymnasts with 10.0 SV vaults, and that’s not saying anything of the countless others who could find their way into lineups. I’m also looking at Kennedy Griffin, Kyra Burns, Lauren, Abby, Railey, and Ayla Acevedo as possibilities.

On bars, five of the six anticipated rotation pieces have demonstrated 9.90+ scoring potential in Mara (10), Lauren (9.925), Amari (9.925), Joci (9.925) and Kyra (9.90). And then you have any number of others who could easily slide in, with Abby (9.85), Addi (9.85), Hannah (9.825), Rayna (9.85), Amy, Ayla, Olivia and Kaia. And there’s always a chance we could see Helen Hu back on bars, though it’s not likely.

On beam the Tigers have four spots with 9.90+ proven scoring potential in Addi (9.975), Helen (9.975), Lauren (9.95), and Amari (9.925). Mara (9.875), Abby (9.875), Amy, Kennedy (9.85), Rayna (9.80), Kylie Minard, Jessa Conedera, Courtney Woods, Railey, Olivia, Lisa Szeibert and Kaia all waiting in the wings for their shot. The Beam Queens are back, people!

Finally, we come to my favorite apparatus, floor exercise, where the Fab Floor figures to be 13-deep. Currently, Joci (10), Elise (9.975), Kennedy (9.975) and Amari (9.975) have reached perfection by at least one judge, and then you have Hannah & Abby (9.95), Lauren (9.925), and Rayna (9.90), which — if you’re keeping track — is 8 (eight!) FXers who have scored 9.90+, which is actually insane. And that doesn’t even take into account what Kylie and freshmen— Olivia, Lisa, Ayla and Kaia — can bring.

I was particularly impressed by Kylie Minard’s floor and beam routines at the intrasquad and expect to see her make a push for a rotation. One member of the coaching staff (I can’t recall who) made a point to say that Kylie had been pushing herself more consistently and she wanted to be utilized this season. Nate and I both agreed— she looked READY.

Now, with this massive amount of depth, it’s possible that we won’t see that many freshmen work their way into lineups this season. And that could be a good thing! Per Shannon, while he does anticipate that the Tigers will have some freshmen who are competitive to make lineups, they’ve had to use some freshmen out of necessity in recent years. “They’ve gotten in a little quicker than I wanted, quite honestly, because we just didn’t have that depth.”

“But now we’ve got the quality depth, and we can take our time and make sure we develop them because we will need that freshman class, not only this year, but I think we’re going to really need them next year and you know, down the road,” he said.

Time Travel, Please

If you missed seeing the team this time around, don’t fret. There will be two more public intrasquads, including November 16 at the TPC and the annual Black & Gold meet, which will be held on December 18 at 11:30am in conjunction with Columbia Public Schools.

The season will officially kick off on Friday, January 3 with the return of the Beauty & the Beast meet, a collaborative event with Mizzou Wrestling where the teams will share the floor and compete simultaneously. TigerStyle’s opponent is Cornell, and Gym’s opponents will be Illinois State, SEMO and Ball State.

“This team is really amazing,” Hu said. “We’re looking really strong. There’s a lot of depth. There’s a lot of really good energy, and I’m so excited to be part of that and to see where it’s come from. My freshman year, you know, showing up to meets with us and our moms, pretty much that was it in arena to where it is now. You know, seeing pictures of this entire place filled packed, packed every row, and the excitement that people have for not just Mizzou gymnastics, but gymnastics as a sport, has been really amazing to see, and so I’m so excited to be a part of that just a little bit longer.”

“I think we got a great opportunity to do some to do something pretty special this year,” Shannon said on an October 11 zoom call. “And we’re excited to have you guys join us to follow it.”

Let’s just fast-forward to January 3, shall we? Until then, I’ll be back with another set of updates after their November 16 intrasquad.

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