Missouri Tigers gymnastics advances to national championships. Here’s when MU competes
Despite being pushed to the brink, the Missouri Tigers gymnastics team is headed to the national championships for the second time in four years.
This after finishing second in the NCAA Seattle Regional final on Sunday.
Mizzou’s placing went down to the wire, all depending on the last individual routine. With a 9.925 on beam, redshirt senior Helen Hu sealed the Tigers’ victory, giving Mizzou a tenth-of-a-point margin over Auburn in the runner-up spot behind Oklahoma.
Auburn’s last chance to pass Missouri came down to the final floor routine by Auburn senior Sophia Groth. Groth needed a 9.95 on the final floor routine to tie, any score higher to win. Groth finished with a 9.85, not enough for Auburn to stay alive.
No. 2 Oklahoma won the meet with a team score of 198.450, receiving multiple perfect 10s from Jordan Bowers. Mizzou ended with a team score of 197.425.
Missouri fought tooth and nail to pick up the second spot with Auburn right on its tail during the whole quad meet. Missouri started the meet on the floor exercise with a score of 49.55.
The opening routine gave the Tigers an edge over Auburn — by a tenth of a point — whose first routine came on vault. Sophomore Hannah Horton and senior Amari Celestine each scored 9.90s, while sophomore Kennedy Griffin added a 9.925 and Jocelyn Moore anchored the rotation with a 9.95.
The vault was the second rotation for Missouri. Hannah Horton’s 9.95 increased Missouri’s lead.
The Tigers from Alabama and Columbia were neck and neck heading into Mizzou’s third rotation on bars. MU graduate Mara Titarsolej began the final bars routine for Mizzou. Titarsolej came through once again with a 9.95, extending Mizzou’s lead to two-tenths.
Redshirt junior Amy Weir’s score to begin the final rotation for the Tigers was removed being the lowest. Her fall on the beam resulted in a score of 8.925, lowering MU’s margin for error. Freshman Olivia Kelly and Celestine each scored 9.825 while freshman Railey Jackson and junior Addison Lawrence — a Blue Valley Southwest grad — earned 9.85, setting up the graduate senior Hu.
Hu didn’t get a perfect score this time ... but once again showed why she’s the nation’s No. 2 individual performer on the beam. Her score of 9.925 clinched Missouri its spot in the next round.
The Tigers will compete in the first semifinal in the national championships April 17 in Fort Worth, Texas. Alongside Missouri in the four-team session that begins at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN2 will be No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 3 Florida and No. 11 Alabama. In the opposite semifinal quad meet at 8 p.m. on ESPN2 are No. 1 LSU, No. 4 Utah, No. 5 UCLA and No. 8 Michigan State.
The top two teams from each session will advance to the Final Four, which is set for 3 p.m. April 19 in Fort Worth. It will air on ABC.
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