Mizzou sophomore, Sydney Schaffer performs on the floor on Feb. 4, 2022 in Columbia, Mo.. The Tigers ended with a 197.650 points, setting a creating a new program record.
After a scheduled meet in Columbia was postponed due to COVID-19 related illnesses, the No. 11 Missouri gymnastics team was finally able to meet up against Louisiana State University. The Tigers faced off against No. 5 LSU and No. 16 Arkansas for a tri-meet on Sunday and came out victorious against both teams. This is a great look for Missouri, considering this is the first time it has defeated LSU since entering the SEC.
With the beams being the highest scoring event, the Tigers from Missouri placed in all four categories with a high of 49.275 points. Three Missouri event winners from the evening included junior Hollyn Patrick on bars, redshirt sophomore Helen Hu on beam and freshman Jocelyn Moore on the floor, each of whom scored 9.950 points in their respective events.
“It was a great atmosphere,” Missouri head coach Shannon Welker said. “It was a special night to pick up two SEC conference wins. We have been getting big scores, but we haven’t been able to pick up the wins with it. Putting the pieces together tonight was great.”
Going into their sixth season, Missouri remains in the top 20 for each event. They are currently ranked sixth out of eight teams this season. If Missouri wants to keep up its winning streak, the Tigers would need to defeat Alabama and Georgia in their final upcoming SEC meets before the SEC Championship.
This season, the Tigers average a score of 196.925 points per meet, compared to last year’s average of 195.783 points. The Tigers scored highest on Sunday against Arkansas and LSU, scoring 197.350 points. Missouri has been making strides to work its way into the top half of SEC gymnastics teams.
After this tri-meet, Missouri has three more meets left until the SEC Championship, and will need to strut harder than ever. Edited by Riley Gearhart | rgearhart@themaneater.com