It’s awards season at Rock M Nation, and we’ve got a lot to celebrate from the 2025-26 school year. New hires, postseason highs, incredible individual and team performances… There’s a lot of good things going on in CoMo, and we intend to talk about it.
And because we always strive to do things a bit differently around here, we created our own award, the Rock M’my, three years ago. Consider it to be part Emmy, part Espy, and all parts love of Mizzou Athletics. (pronounced Rock Emmy)
I encouraged the
staff to not just consider the major sports and the top dogs, but to dig below the surface and select worthy nominees from all the teams. Luckily, Rock M Nation represents a diverse group of writers with knowledge about a variety of Mizzou sports, so this wasn’t too much of an ask. With each nomination, you’ll also find a bit of backstory, so you, the fans, can make an informed decision, because at the end of each post, you’ll vote. Forget to cast your ballot one day? No big deal. I’ll provide links to the other awards from the preceding posts.
Once all the votes for each award have been tabulated over the next few weeks, I’ll present a winners list, and that student-athlete will win our completely serious award that will undoubtedly be the greatest triumph of their lives thus far.
Voting closes Friday, July 31 at 10pm CST.
In case you missed the other votes:
Let’s begin.
What a year! Mizzou Athletics welcomed in a ton of new talent on the court, on the field, in the gym… everywhere, through both high school recruiting and through the transfer portal. The Rock M staff was encouraged to make selections from an innumerable number of possibilities and came up with a list of nine freshmen and transfers who fit the bill for the best addition to the team.
We will likely award one male and one female athlete in this category.
Here are the nominees for Newcomer of the Year:
Kimarra Echols, Gymnastics
There’s simply no way to look at what Kimarra Echols accomplished her freshman season and not be ridiculously impressed. She also was just an absolute joy to watch, full of exuberance and confidence.
The 5-foot-tall Henderson, Nev. native earned a trio of 9.90-plus scores on vault, a feat considered even more incredible when you realize she competed a Yurchenko Full, which has only a 9.95 start value (max score). One of those 9.90 scores was at the SEC Championships… and should have been higher.
Here are my notes from that meet: “As for Kimarra, here’s what I wrote in my notes in capital letters — SHE STUCK THAT SHIT. For the stick on her YF? Just a 9.90. She was robbed. ROBBED, I tell you.”
Seriously… watch it.
Ki also put up seven (7!!) scores of 9.90-plus on bars (including a 9.90 at SECs) performing the second-ever Khorkina in team history, a difficult single bar release move that (Nate & I think) only two other SEC gymnasts competed this season— LSU’s Courtney Blackson and Kailin Chio. Debuting as the anchor on January 24 at Alabama, Kimarra closed out the Tiger bars rotation in a stunning 11 straight meets.
Kimarra took four event titles this past season, earning All-SEC honors on vault (third place in first session of SECs) and bars (second place in first session of SECs) and was selected as member of the SEC All-Freshman Team, an incredible honor given the ridiculous power of the Southeastern Conference. Additionally, she earned WCGA Regular Season Second Team All-American honors on bars, ranking no. 15 nationally (tied for fourth highest among other freshmen).
I cannot wait to see what’s in store for the high-flying gymnast her sophomore season! —Karen Steger
Alex Ackman, Tennis
A former five-star recruit and one of the nation’s top-ranked prospects, Alex Ackman arrived at Missouri with a decorated junior résumé that included a national singles title and a top-60 recruiting ranking. As a freshman, she posted an 11-13 singles record while primarily competing at the No. 2 and No. 3 positions, highlighted by a five-match winning streak and an SEC victory over Ole Miss. Ackman also gained valuable experience in doubles, playing mostly at the No. 1 spot and finding success alongside Korina Roso with a 6-3 record as partners. —Aaron Segal
Ahmad Hardy, Football
A 1,000+ yard freshman rusher from the Sun Belt came to an SEC team against an SEC schedule and performed better than he did the previous year. It’s hard to come up with new accolades for such a household phenom at this point, but Ahmad Hardy – in his first year on the team – finished with the second-most single-season rushing yards in school history (because I recognize Devin West’s 1,703 marker, ahem), the second-ever 300+ yard rushing game in school history, and an All-SEC and All-American nod. Not bad for a no-name, unranked kid from Oma, Mississippi. —Nate Edwards
Zoey Matias-Lopez, Volleyball
Zoey Matias-Lopez wasted little time proving she belonged in the SEC, emerging as one of Missouri’s most dependable freshmen during the 2025 season. Appearing in 26 matches and 100 sets, the libero finished second on the team with 265 digs (2.64 per set), while adding 48 assists and 25 service aces, reaching double-digit digs 14 times and posting a season-high 22 digs against Auburn. With an impressive freshman campaign already under her belt, Matias-Lopez enters her sophomore season poised to take on an even bigger role as one of the anchors of Missouri this season —Aaron Segal
Shannon Dowell, Women’s Hoops
While Shannon Dowell’s time in Columbia was short, she made quick at impact with one year on the Mizzou women’s basketball team. After transferring in from Illinois State, Dowell quickly cemented herself as the second option on the Tigers’ roster. This past season she averaged 14.9 points and 6.1 rebounds with shooting splits of 47/30/79 (rounded up). She had several memorable moments at Mizzou, tying her career-high with a 33-point double-double in a Senior Night loss to Oklahoma. However, Dowell will best be remembered for scoring 20 points and the game-winning bucket against Cal —an event that will receive a later nomination — which is where she will play next season. While her time at Mizzou was shorter than originally anticipated, Shannon Dowell added some much-needed star power in year one of Kellie Harper’s tenure. —Dylan Heinrich
Abby Carr, Softball
Abby Carr delivered one of the best freshman seasons in recent Missouri softball history, making an immediate impact as both a hitter and a pitcher in 2026. The two-way standout led the Tigers in ERA (2.92), saves (5), home runs (12) and RBIs (44), while batting .293 and posting a 6-5 record with 69 strikeouts over 74.1 innings in the circle. Her breakout season earned her Softball America Freshman All-America honors, NFCA Midwest All-Region recognition and SEC Freshman of the Week accolades, establishing Carr as one of the cornerstones of Missouri’s future. —Aaron Segal
Dillon Leacock, Track & Field
A two-time NCAA Regional Qualifier at Houston, Dillon Leacock made the most of his final year of eligibility at Mizzou. A win in the 600-meter at the Show-Me Showdown and the DMR at the Dr. Rick McGuire Invitational set the stage for another promising season. He set indoor program top-1o marks with #5 in the 60-meter hurdles at the Dr. Rick McGuire Invitational, and #9 in the 400-meter dash at the Tyson Invitational. Outdoors, Leacock won an individual title in the 400-meter hurdles at the Drake Relays, and aided the DMR team in a third-place finish. His 50.68 400-meter hurdles time from Drake was enough to qualify him for his third NCAA Regional meet, where he set a collegiate personal best of 50.33. That time also sits at third place in Mizzou Track & Field team history. —Dan Murphy
Jayden Stone, Men’s Basketball
Heading into the season, expectations for Stone were mixed, to say the least. He’d featured in a starring role at Detroit Mercy as a high volume scorer, but he lacked power conference experience after missing the 2024-25 season at West Virginia due to injury, so it was difficult to project his impact. It turned out to be greater than just about anyone expected as he contributed 13.5 points and 5.1 rebounds a night. His return from injury, alongside Trent Pierce, helped the Tigers turn their season around and reach the tournament. He also was a really good interview. —Matthew Gustafson
Kam Durnin, Baseball
A transfer from Wichita State, Camdenton, Missouri native came home and had a productive year for Mizzou baseball. In his 43 games with the Tigers, Durnin hit 9 home runs and 25 RBI with a team-leading .329 batting average. Durnin also homered in back-to-back games at the SEC Baseball Tournament against Ole Miss and Mississippi State to finish the season strong. It may very well be his lone season as a Tiger, however, as he got drafted by the Astros in the 4th Round of the MLB Draft and appears to be headed to the Pros. — Sammy Stava
