In front of a really nice crowd of 2,342 — I honestly thought there were more fans on hand than that — on Sunday afternoon at Mizzou Arena, the no. 7 Missouri Tigers started their season off impressively strong against the (RV) Iowa State Cyclones, showcasing depth up and down the lineup in the 196.850—191.325 victory. If not for an unfortunate couple of oopsies on beam the Tigers would have been well on their way to beating the program high season opening score of 197.150 set in 2024. Alas, they
settled for the second highest score in the country in Week 0/1** and beat last year’s 196.700. **Just 20 teams took part in traditional meets this week; we’ll see a full slate starting week 2
“I think what’s so cool is that we have so much depth in our lineups,” senior Addi Lawrence said post-meet. “Even in the alternate position or in the outside training positions, everyone has a shot to be in the lineup, and whoever’s day is that day. So it is just so cool that we have so much depth that we’re able to put up great competition routines.”
Great routines indeed. I know the tiny media contingent on hand, as well as camera man (and fellow Rock M’er) Dylan Heinrich, came away thoroughly impressed with what we witnessed on Sunday.
“I was really pleased,” head coach Shannon Welker said of his team’s performance. “I thought we did a nice job tonight, especially opening weekend… Really proud of a lot of the things we were trying to accomplish, things we were trying to start with this year.”
An important thing to remember before we kick off this recap is that in the new NQS formula, having an off week can be extremely detrimental to your season. As I wrote in this December 27 piece, all away scores count in the new system, which potentially spells trouble for teams like Iowa State, who had an… um… less than ideal start to the season, and will be something to monitor as Mizzou heads on the road in week 2 to Lincoln.
“Obviously, as you saw, not our best performance today. That’s definitely not the way you want to open your season,” Iowa State head coach Ashley Miles Greig said post-meet. “It is super early, right? And after a performance like that, in a really big environment for this, like, new staff, new team, it could easily be something that becomes like a negative and a challenge, but I think as a staff my goal is just to get back in there, talk about it, attack it head on, and just be like, Hey, we know that’s not who we are. We’re not going to put ourselves in a hole. We’re going to reset and just, I think, come out next week, because the season goes, bam, bam, bam, bam.”
Let’s get into it.
Rotation 1: Mizzou VLT | Iowa State UB
For a team who spent 2025 struggling for real consistency on vault, Sunday’s opening rotation presented a really nice starting point and featured four 10.0 start value vaults, and going into the second week of the season, the Tigers are tied with Utah for the top vault score in the country(!!!).
“We wanted to start stronger on vault this year, and I think we definitely did that,” Shannon said. “I think we had four 10.0s in there. I think we’ll probably bounce around between four or five [each meet].”
Kennedy Griffin kicked things off with a dynamic Yurchenko Full, earning a 9.775 (started out as a 9.85 score and was changed) with just a small hop on the landing. Kaia Tanskanen followed with her new Pike Front Half (10.0 SV) — I LOVE THIS VAULT! — earning a 9.80 with just a small hop in place on the landing before Railey Jackson, performing her new Yurchenko 1.5, earned a massive 9.875, which gave her a share of the vault title.
“She’s been working on that vault for three years, and so we finally debuted that this year,” Shannon said.
Freshman Kimarra Echols followed with a super solid 9.85 on her Yurchenko Full, taking just a small hop back while showing off great height and distance.
When asked after the meet about Kimarra transitioning to a Yurchenko 1.5 — we saw her compete in an earlier intrasquad and she made that YF look easy peasy— Shannon said, “I think she’s physically capable, but we have a lot on her plate there too, and I think you have to balance that. It’s not just about that when she’s in three or four events. It’s not just one event, right? We have to control how much we put on her plate at a time, too.”
Hannah Horton’s Yurchenko 1.5 looked fabulous in the air— her body positioning is so, so good — and earned her the other half of the vault title with a 9.875. And to close out the rotation, Elise Tisler earned a solid 9.80 on her Y 1.5, taking just a small hop forward and maybe (per the CGN Live Blog) was a bit piked in the air. After seeing ET do a Yurchenko Full for much of last year, it was great to see her transition back to the more difficult 10.0 SV vault, which she scored a 9.975 on her sophomore season (at Towson).
On the Iowa State side, the Cyclones recorded three falls in a row (yikes), but finished with two solid routines on bars— a 9.725 from Kaia Bochow and a 9.750 in the anchor spot from Frederique Sgarbossa.
After One: Mizzou takes a commanding lead, 49.200 to 47.050.
Rotation 2: Mizzou UB | Iowa State VLT
Having a need to replace four of six bars competitors from a year ago, people seemed to think that it may be a “down” year for the Tigers. Well, doubters be damned, the Tigers (likely) screamed triumphantly after this rotation, as they sit atop the national rankings (no. 2 Cal had a 49.275) after Week 1.
The coolest thing about the bars rotation, aside from coach Whitney Snowden’s outsized reactions and scoring a top-10 program mark IN THE FIRST MEET, is actually how it came together. Addi Lawrence was added in in place of Kaia during the two-minute touch period, and she shined so bright, earning a magnificent 9.90, tying her career high. That double back dismount was *chef’s kiss* and favorite fellow gym colleague Nate Salsman noticed that the last time she scored a 9.90 she ALSO was added to the lineup last minute. Can you say CLUTCH?!?
When Nate asked about this, Addi referenced the aforementioned depth of the team that I quoted up top, while also stating how thankful she was for the coaches trusting her. “I’m very thankful that the coaches trust me, and I trust the coaches to be able to make those switches around, and to ultimately do what’s best for the day. So yeah, I was very happy to be able to compete today, but also, if it wasn’t my day, then I’d be supporting everyone else.”
Aside from Addi’s killer leadoff, here’s how it went. Graduate student Lauren Macpherson, competing in her first meet for the Tigers after an injury year, earned an incredible 9.875, before Rayna Light was a big overly aggressive on one of her last handstands and came off the high bar. Outside of that, from my vantage point 10 miles away (lol), I thought she looked really solid, though the CGN Live Blog did note she had a bit of leg separation on her Maloney to Pak salto. Needing to be rid of that 9.25 score, H2 delivered, as her legs were GLUED together throughout her routine, and that double layout was stick straight, earning her the event title and a superb 9.925. Kimarra was next, officially showcasing Mizzou’s first Markolov/Khorkina high bar release — it was fabulous — and earning an incredible 9.90. In the anchor spot, competing in her first meet in the black & gold, Illinois transfer Makayla Green had a really nice 9.85, complete with a stuck double layout (CGN again reported some leg separation on that Maloney to Pak salto). Competing exhibition, Maiya Terry earned a 9.80 in her first collegiate routine. Her full-in dismount was a bit low in the chest and she took a small step forward, but great work overall from the freshman in her first of two events on the day.
Iowa State rebounded on vault, earning a 48.525 rotation score, with Aubree Guinee earning the Cyclone’s best score with a 9.775 on her Yurchenko Full. Sgarbossa and Haylee Hardin also earned 9.725 scores, on a Yurchenko Full and Yurchenko Half-On Front Pike, respectively.
After 2: Mizzou leads 98.650 to 95.575.
Rotation 3: Mizzou BB | Iowa State FX
While the “Beam Dream Team” TM wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows on Sunday afternoon, it has the potential to be an absolutely masterful lineup, and started out crazy good, with a career-high tying 9.90 from Amy Wier in the leadoff spot, followed by a 9.90 from L-Mac, competing in her first beam routine for the Tigers. Kaia had some trouble, popping off the beam on her back handspring-layout stepout and had a large wobble on her front toss, earning just a 9.00 that would be dropped, but RJ rebounded nicely with a solid 9.875 (the CGN blog noted her good split positions). Kimarra honestly looked shaky from the get-go coming out of her full turn, and then came off the beam on her BHS BHS LOSO triple series. She finished the rest of the routine, however, without issue, just a small hop back on her double full dismount, earning a 9.15.
After going all of last year without counting a miss, it was a bit sad to have it come to an end so early on this season, but I have zero doubts about this beam rotation moving forward, as Addi shined in the anchor position and stuck her 1.5 dismount cold, earning an incredible 9.95, tying her best score from last year. In the exhibition spot, Olivia Kelly was a bit off the mark, almost coming off the beam after her side aerial, but nailed both her double wolf turn and a 1.5 twist dismount, earning a 9.725 (more on her at the end; she’s not 100% currently).
On the Cyclone side, Hardin, the anchor, and Ella Schell, the leadoff, led the scoring, bringing in a 9.90 and 9.825, respectively, on floor.
After 3: Mizzou leads 147.400 to Iowa State’s 143.550.
Rotation 4: Mizzou FX | Iowa State BB
I didn’t think I’d tear up at the first meet of the year — I’m such a sap, y’all — but my god, watching Ayla Acevedo, my favorite bespectacled Mizzou gymnast, finally get a shot at a collegiate routine after a year of working hard behind the scenes and see her knock it out of the f’ing park with that 9.90? It made me all sorts of teary-eyed. When her teammates rushed the floor when she finished her routine? SO SWEET.
“It made my heard so happy,” Addi said when asked about the team’s reaction to her performance. “Because I know how much work she has put in, and how much work we put in as a team every day. Like, she was here all last year and in the summer, she worked her butt off and so for her to be in lineups, and then potential for lineups and other events too, oh my gosh.”
Hannah echoed this sentiment, saying, “Let me just say you can see the growth from her freshman year to now, and it’s like, wow, you have been putting in the work and you’ve been trusting everything. I’m so proud of her. My heart was literally like, ‘Oh, Ayla!’”
Aside from Ayla’s awesomeness, ET reclaimed her leadoff spot in the Fab Floor from a year ago and earned a much deserved 9.90 (she was low-balled so much last year in the leadoff spot, you guys). Up third was Kaia with her super fun Hamilton-themed routine, earning a 9.85 (she got one 9.90). There are so many fun elements to this routine that you just need to watch it yourself. I love the taking the crown off to start, and I LOVE the little crawling bit before laying down and shushing everyone at the very end. So fun. Hannah followed with a showstopping 9.925 on her Tyler, the Creator themed routine, and her double layout was talked about all over the gymternet. Here are my notes for this routine: “Holy shit. So good.” That’s all.
When asked about the new routine, which features a brand new E-skill DLO, she said, “Tyler, the Creator really has been a top five for me since 2020 so I think being able to express myself, and like listening to something I actually really love, it’s just kind of easy to get grooving, and Jackie’s an amazing choreographer and coach and all of the above. So it was just really fun to hear her ideas and like, bounce off each other.”
Kimarra was up next, and her showmanship is really awesome; you can tell she loves performing. While there were some issues in the routine and she earned just a 9.75, there’s no doubt this will be an amazing performance once she settles in a bit and gets the landings. To close out the rotation, we were treated to Queen Bey KG, who showed off her signature flair and high-flying tumbling with a nice 9.875 in the anchor spot (she was a bit short on the double back). In the exhibition slot, Maiya again earned a 9.800, and I just I love her routine. The team’s 49.450 was a nice start to the season, and matched the bars score. It also places the Tigers atop the national rankings, ahead of Rutgers’ 49.175 going in week 2.
On the Cyclone side, Guinee, who performed in exhibition, actually earned the highest score with a 9.775, but of the counting scores, both Hardin and Lauren O’Brochta earned 9.70 scores.
After 4: Mizzou takes this one emphatically, 196.85 to 191.325.
Most Valuable Gymnast(s)
Hannah Horton
The junior is off to a phenomenal start, taking the title (co-title on vault) in all three of her events, earning a 9.875 on vault, 9.925 on bars and 9.925 on floor. Her performance was a thing of beauty, and I cannot wait to see how this season goes for H2. Amari chimed in on twitter that she’s on 10 watch for multiple events, and I wholeheartedly agree.
Of her performance, Hannah said, “I of course was a little nervous, but honestly, you just have to trust in the practice, like leading up to this week feels quite good, consistent. I just trusted in my work, and honestly, I just remembered how I did leading up to this preseason and last week, I got this. So really just glad and grateful that I was able to compete on it today and contribute to the team and stuff.
Lauren Macpherson
It’s hard to believe that this was technically LMac’s first official meet in the black & gold, as she spent last season rehabbing her achilles. She had a fantastic meet, earning a 9.875 on bars and a 9.90 on beam.
“It was so great to see Lauren Macpherson, right?” Shannon said afterwards. “I mean, that it’s been at least a year, right? Or a year and a half… She lit it up tonight… She was solid on two events right there.”
Addi Lawrence
We’ve already talked about her last-minute addition to the bars rotation, stepping in last minute and tying a career high 9.90, but what about that incredible 9.95 to close out the beam rotation on a strong note?
“This shows the potential for what the rest of the season can have, and not just for me, but for the team as well,” Addi said. “We started like, three leadoffs with 9.90 scores, so we’re all hitting up that score level, and it just makes me so excited… I’m so excited for this senior year for myself, and then also just the potential we have for the team as well.”
This & That
Talking with my most trusted fellow gymthusiasts, Nate and Claire, we noticed that not enough people are talking about this fact— Mizzou sits no. 2 in the country after Week 1, just 0.125 behind the no. 1 team, UCLA, who scored a 196.975 on Saturday. That’s cool enough in itself and their highest ever ranking in any week; but consider this. They were that close to taking the top spot for the week WHILE COUNTING A FALL That is just insane, y’all.
Eight of the Tigers’ 24 routines, or 33%, were 9.90 scores or higher, which is just an incredible way to start the season. If you factor in the 9.875 scores, which means that at least one judge awarded a 9.90, that’s four more, 0r 12/24. THAT’S HALF THEIR ROUTINES.
“There are always things you can work on as you go through, you know, a little bit of consistency, obviously, on being right there, when you do a little better job on that end,” Shannon said. “As we move onto Nebraska, I think we’ll see Olivia Kelly will be back on maybe some more events moving forward. She just wasn’t quite feeling 100% so we’ll get her back there…”
On the plan moving onto Nebraska, which — SURPRISE! — is now a quad meet with UW-Stout and UW-LaCrosse, “We’ll watch the video tomorrow [Monday], and then kind of go from there and just figure out where we can get a little bit better… We’ve got a couple of solid practices, and then we’ve got to get on the road over to the Cornhuskers.”
Who’s excited for this season? Stay tuned for much, much more from me this season. It’s going to be another one for the history books, I just know it.
