Dear Readers, forgive me if I’m showing my age a bit here, but this gif, from the absolute CLASSIC 1999 movie 10 Things I Hate About You, is what came to mind watching Mizzou Gymnastics’ meet on what almost was a very unlucky Friday the 13th evening. Like Chastity Church, played by the un-aging Gabrielle Union, ponders above, I wasn’t overwhelmed with any particular emotion as I was watching this meet unfold, per see. It wasn’t like Florida’s Great Gators Bars Implosion of 2026, or me rage-writing
about the absurd LSU beam scores. I wasn’t super underwhelmed either as there was a good amount of individual good in this meet. I was just… well…. whelmed. I wanted so much more from the Tigers as a team in this meet as they hit the midseason mark of the season and start tabulating an NQS score, but instead the performance was just kinda… there. And while pretty much everyone else in the SEC has also had this kind of meet, what we’re seeing across the board in Week 7 is an uptick in SEC scoring, so Friday’s score is not ideal for a team with lofty goals and this level of talent.
When speaking with Shannon at Monday afternoon’s media session, he said, “We’ve had some really great things in areas, but we need to level that out be a little more consistent. So instead of three people doing really well and then a couple being off, you know, we’ve got to have at least five or six, you know, at a little bit more of a consistent level.”
Agreed. Let’s get into it. But first… nice backflip, Shannon!
The Good
We (collectively) don’t care about wins around here this time of year. THEY DO NOT MATTER AT THIS POINT. But on a day like Friday, they’ll happily take the win, as winning is fun and just historically doesn’t happen for the Tigers in Lexington… until this meet. On top of this, this means the Tigers are also now on a two meet SEC win streak. Also cool.
Does it matter? No. Is it nice? Of course.
There also were some wonderful performances in this meet, per usual. Half the bars rotation — Olivia Kelly, Hannah Horton & Kimarra Echols, respectively — was really good, featuring a season best 9.875 from OK👌🏻 (her mom told me she makes the OK symbol after her beam dismount), an incredibly solid 9.925 from H2, and a career-high tying 9.95 from Ki. Elise Tisler had her highest scoring vault of the season (9.90), which was also her best in a Missouri leo, along with her best floor score since Week 1 vs. Iowa State (R.I.P. to that program). Kennedy Griffin’s 9.825 on vault was just off her season high. H2 tied her career high 9.95 set her freshman year on floor, and Kennedy earned her fifth consecutive 9.925 of the season. Amazing. And in the final rotation, Amy Wier looked fabulous on beam, with her highest score in several weeks, a 9.875.
“You know, if we can walk away with a win and [sic] knowing that we could have done better in some areas, I think that’s a good thing,” Shannon said. “That shows some growth, right? I’d much rather walk out of there feeling that way with a win than a loss, quite honestly. So there are some growth moments right there.”
He continued. “We know we can do better, and we’re going to have to if we want to accomplish some of the things we like to the rest of the season.”
Hear, hear! Also, in retrospect, I’m glad that I delayed this writing to get to hear from the Shan Man himself and add some context.
The Mid
There were plenty of decent performances in this meet as well. Kimarra and Railey were pretty good on vault, and while RJ’s been a near-perfect 9.95 on vault this year, a 9.825 is in her median of scores this season and we must remember how far she’s come on this vault in the past year!!! Ki scored a 9.825 for the third time this season and she looked really good in the air. Also remember, her vault is coming from a 9.95 SV. When she gets that landing dialed in, ooooh, watch out. RJ’s 9.85 to lead off floor was consistent with what Mizzou’s leadoffs are earning this season and is a middle of the road score for her. LMac’s beam was solid, earning a 9.90 from one of the judges. Kaia’s 9.80, when she’s competed beam just a couple of times this season, was solid. RJ’s 9.85 was also solid and a score she’s received numerous times this season.
Lauren was asked about her role specifically this season, a year after returning from injury. “I’m just grateful to even just be in the rotation,” she said. “And there’s like, so many people that could be in this lineup, we have amazing beam workers, like 14 of us I think… I really don’t take it for granted.”
The Oddities
Makayla looked so good leading off on bars until she took a couple of steps back, which significantly lowered what would have been a great score for her. Kaia took a step back on her landing, receiving a weird 9.85/9.70 split from the judges which lowered her score to a 9.775. Perhaps the second judge saw something that no one else did? Maiya, per the broadcast, may have hit her foot, but also had both a step forward AND a step back on the dismount, which was weird.
On Vault, Ayla (9.95 SV) was inserted last minute for Kaia (10.0 SV) and earned just a 9.75, and Hannah’s landing was a bit too unwieldy, with what I’d say was a large hop forward and with some arm swings, resulting in an additional deduction she doesn’t usually have.
Ayla also had her lowest score of the year on floor, a 9.775, as she was low on her double pike. Kaia went out of bounds on her first pass, automatically knocking a tenth off her score, which would have been a so-so 9.85.
A normally sure-footed Olivia had some wobbles on the beam, earning an uncanny 9.65. And then Addi, who had been NAILS this season, fell in the anchor spot for the first time since Black & Gold.
Looking for Consistency
There’s been a lot of lineup switching as the Tigers look for consistency. Makayla was out of the rotation on bars last week after several weeks of scores in the 9.7-9.8 range as the team tried out Kaia and Maiya. Mak was back this week, and out of the lineup was Lauren, who also has had some trouble achieving scores above the 9.8 range consistently in that leadoff spot. We also curiously haven’t seen Sara Wabi in the bars lineup yet this season, and she scored a 9.90 at Illinois State. Regarding Sara, I think it’s likely coming per my discussions with Shannon and Whitney.
When asked specifically about bars leadoff situation, Shannon said, “I think we’re just trying to figure out if we get off to a little bit of a stronger start with that first routine, versus maybe just doing a pure score build, [and] maybe will that help us right there? I think we’re trying to figure that piece out right there. And I think we have, maybe one or two more weekends, and then we’re gonna need to settle in there… I have confidence they’ll get it squared away.”
On vault, Kaia was pulled out last minute in favor of Ayla, and Railey was inserted as leadoff in the floor rotation for the second week despite Elise being back, who is normally in the leadoff role. We’ve seen Kimarra in there a couple times, though she was out of the rotation this week. We also haven’t seen Rayna yet this season, who led off much of last season and had a 9.925 lead score.
“I think if you’re gonna make a change [in the lineup],” Shannon said, “You made it for a specific reason, and sometimes it takes a couple of weeks for it to come to fruition. So I do think we’re going to try to potentially stick with some of the order changes we made last weekend. I do think there’s opportunity for some new people to maybe get back into the lineup. We’re just putting the best people that are going to really shine in that moment and embrace that moment.”
How it Went Down
Rotation 1: MIZ Bars | UK Vault
The Tigers kicked off the meet on bars, earning a 49.225 score that matched their second lowest score of the season, and just under last week’s 49.250 against Florida. Makayla, back in the leadoff position after a week off, had a great first handstand, and if not for a couple steps back on her dismount, her 9.700 would have been much higher. Liv followed with a season-high 9.875. Her Church to shootover was wonderful, and the stuck landing was great to see. Kaia went a 9.775 in the three-spot on a weird 9.85/9.7 split from the judges. The analysts thought she perhaps held on to the long before releasing into her double tuck dismount, which led to a hop back. Maiya, a week after earning a career-high 9.90, had a bit of an issue, perhaps hitting her foot, but also taking a step back and a step forward, earning a 9.60 (9.7/9.5 split). The final two rotations for the Tigers were quite strong, however, with a stick from Hannah that earned a 9.925 and a beautiful shootover and Khorkina from Kimarra which earned a career-high tying 9.95.
As for Kentucky, they got started on vault, earning a 49.150 score, led by Anna Flynn Cashion’s 9.875 in the anchor role, as well as three 9.825s and a 9.80.
After 1: Mizzou led by 0.075.
Rotation 2: MIZ Vault | UK Bars
With a slight lead, Mizzou headed to vault, where they scored a 49.200 for the third time this season. There was a bit of a lineup switcharoo this time around, as Railey stepped into the leadoff role, earning a 9.825 on her Yurchenko 1.5, which had good form, but a bit of a directional hop in the landing. With Kaia taken out during the two-minute touch, Ayla stepped in, with a medium hop back on her 9.95 SV Yurchenko Full, earning a 9.75 in her second collegiate vault. Kennedy, normally the leadoff, pushed back to third, earning a very solid 9.825 on her YF, just a hair off her season best 9.85. Kimarra, the last of the YFs, had her typical massive vault— so much height and distance— and just a small hop back, earning also a 9.825. In the five spot, Elise had her best vault in a Mizzou leo, earning a season high 9.90, before Hannah closed things out with yet another 9.825. She had a huge amount of distance, but perhaps flared her arms out too late at the end, resulting in a pretty sizable step forward.
As for Kentucky, they struggled in a couple spots, including an opening fall and a stoppage in rhythm mid-routine by another gymnast, resulting in them having to count a 9.425. Those two aside, the Cats also had a 9.95 by Delaynee Rodriguez, a 9.925 and a 9.90 score to still allow them to score a 49.05.
They talked to Shannon Welker in between the second and third rotations, who said they were “plugging along and trying to settle in a bit.”
After 2, Mizzou built its lead to 0.225, 98.425 to 98.200.
Rotation 3: MIZ Floor | UK Beam
With the Tigers’ two strongest events to go and the Tigers firmly in control, all they had to do was close this thing out. On floor, Mizzou’s 49.375 tied their highest away FX score of the season, but is still a bit off what we’d like to see ideally with the Fab Floor being so, well…. fab. RJ led things off for the second week in a row, and maybe was a smidge uncontrolled on her second pass, scoring a 9.85. Elise, now in the two spot, excelled, earning her second highest score of the season, a 9.875. Her first pass showed great power and had some really nice looking leaps. Ayla, a week removed from a career high 9.925, appeared to be a little low on her double pike, but that’s all I had in my notes, earning a 9.775 that unfortunately ended up being counted. On Kaia’s first pass, she lifted her front foot and had a bit too much power, landing out of bounds. Her second pass was great, however, and with the mandatory deduction, earned a 9.75 that would be dropped. In the final two spots, the Tigers shined, with Hannah looking even more incredible than normal, tying her career high 9.95 that was set her freshman year, and Kennedy wrapped it up in the anchor spot, earning her fifth 9.925 in a row.
The Wildcats headed to beam, earning a 49.200, counting two 9.90 scores, a 9.875, a 9.775 and a 9.75 after a fall from Lee on her triple series.
After 3, Mizzou extended its lead to .400, 147.800 t0 147.400.
Rotation 4: MIZ Beam | UK Floor
Barring a beamtastrophe, the Tigers would leave Lexington victorious, and they still managed to avoid a sub-49 score (49.025) despite it being not an optimal rotation for the K.A.B.Q. (Kick Ass Beam Queens). Amy led off with a really great 9.875, her highest score in a few weeks, and LMac followed with a masterful triple series and full turn. Her gainer LOSO was amazing, and had just a small hop on the landing, earning a 9.85 (9.9/9.8 split). OK ran into some trouble in the third spot, with her side aerial being a bit cock-eyed, which led to a pretty significant balance check — she stayed on the beam — and with a stuck dismount, earned a 9.65. Kaia had a nice routine with a stick, but had a little arm circle on her front toss, which cost her a tenth in all likelihood. She earned a 9.80, which is solid. RJ also had a lil’ arm swing, and took a step back trying to stick the dismount, earning a 9.85. Really, it was a nice routine with a great leap series. Unfortunately, Addi fell on her series when she landed crooked; there was just no saving it, to be honest. It did coincide, per my gym colleague Ben Hartong, with a roar of the crowd as Kentucky scored a 9.95 on floor, so it’s possible that rattled her a bit despite the team’s best attempts to prepare for this sort of noise explosion in practice. Her 9.275 was dropped, of course.
After practice on Monday, Lauren was asked about her leadership role with it being her second year on the team but first competing, and she said, “I’ve been talking about getting my voice heard out there,” she said. And really be like, ‘Hey guys, we got this, we can do this. I’ve seen you guys in practice. Repeat, stick, stick, stick, 10,10, 10, right? I’ve seen that so many times. Like, why don’t we just do it? Like, why not us?’”
As for Kentucky, they finished off on floor VERY strong, earning a 49.400 to put the distance between the two teams at a miniscule 0.025. The final two competitors for the Cats were nails, as both Delaynee Rodrigquez and Creslyn Brose earned 9.95 scores. They also counted a two 9.85 scores and a 9.80. Rizo’s 9.75, set to some really fun instrumental Pink Panther music, was dropped.
After 4, Mizzou took the W, 196.825 to 196.800. This was the Tigers’ lowest score of the season, just under the 196.85 in the team’s home opener. This also wasn’t the best for the Cats, who had started to prove themselves the week prior with a 197.3. We’d all just like to forget this meet, eh?
Around the SEC
After seven weeks, in the first week of national qualifying scores (NQS), Mizzou moves down to #8 nationally with a 197.095 NQS and 197.1114 average. They moved down one spot to no. 8 on Vault (49.235 NQS, 49.232 avg), moved up two spots to no. 8 on Bars (49.260 NQS, 49.225 avg), held steady at no. 7 on Beam (49.295 NQS, 49.232 avg), and moved down one spot to no. 5 on Floor (49.420 NQS, 49.425 avg). This puts them 7th in the SEC currently, with plenty of opportunity to grow ahead.
Looking back at Week 7 going back to the 2025 season, this is the exact same spot they were in, but with a slightly lower NQS (196.995). At this point last year, they also were no. 5 on FX (49.375 NQS), no. 8 on BB (49.250 NQS), no. 6 on UB (49.280 NQS), and no. 15 on VLT (49.060 NQS).
Below are the scores from this weekend, along with their new rankings. Auburn competed in two meets this weekend. LSU was the big winner here, with the highest weekly SEC scores on overall, vault & floor.
- #1 Oklahoma at #4 Florida— 198.200 — home
- VLT: 49.525| UB: 49.575 | BB: 49.525 | FX: 49.575
- #2 LSU vs. #18 Auburn — 198.325 — home
- VLT: 49.550 | UB: 49.575 | BB: 49.425 | FX: 49.775
- #3 Alabama vs. #7 Arkansas — 197.95 — home
- VLT: 49.500 | UB: 49.475 | BB: 49.425 | FX: 49.550
- #4 Florida vs. #1 Oklahoma — 197.575 — home
- VLT: 48.975 | UB: 49.650 | BB: 49.500 | FX: 49.450
- #6 Georgia at #40 Air Force, #17 Cal, #10 Stanford (Metroplex Challenge) — 197.650 — away
- VLT: 49.375 | UB: 49.475 | BB: 49.475 | FX: 49.325
- #7 Arkansas at #3 Alabama — 196.900 — away
- VLT: 49.075 | UB: 49.250 | BB: 49.300 | FX: 49.275
- #8 Missouri at #24 Kentucky — 196.825 — away
- VLT: 49.200 | UB: 49.225 | BB: 49.025 | FX: 49.375
- #18 Auburn at #2 LSU— 196.825— away
- VLT: 49.175 | UB: 49.000 | BB: 49.400 | FX: 49.250
- #18 Auburn at #22 NCSU, #15 UNC, #44 Boise State (Metroplex Challenge) — 196.075— away
- VLT: 49.075 | UB: 48.750 | BB: 49.525 | FX: 48.725
- #24 Kentucky vs. #8 Missouri — 196.800 — home
- VLT: 49.150 | UB: 49.050 | BB: 49.200 | FX: 49.400
Up Next
The Tigers head back to CoMo for Friday’s Pajama Jam quad meet with Illinois, Air Force and Ball State in a double dual format, similar to what they’ll see at SECs and Regionals and NCAA Championships.
“I think that’s [the meet format] something we’re looking forward to doing this weekend. Again, I think you just want to see your team moving towards their maximum. And I think that’s what I’d like to see this weekend is kind of get back to into that. Obviously score-wise, we know we need to be at that mid-197+ range and so that’s obviously what we were hoping our performance will show this weekend,” Shannon said.
