With the Tigers holding national title aspirations once again, here are a few players that’ll be key in getting them there
Missouri gymnastics is set to make their season debut on Jan. 6, where they will look to continue their two-year ascent. In 2022, they competed at the National Championships, and in 2023 they had a winning record of 10-3.
Three gymnasts will be key to the Tigers’ success this upcoming season: freshman Hannah Horton, junior Amari Celestine and junior Jocelyn Moore. Horton will be a massive addition to the lineups. She is set to compete in a 10.0 start value vault and will also compete in the bar and floor lineups. Horton is currently an alternate for the beam lineup and will look to be added to that event as the season begins. Her scoring potential is high across all four events due her top-tier level of difficulty and clean execution.
Over the last two seasons, Celestine has been one of the top scorers for the Tigers. Her career highs include a 9.95 on vault, 9.925 on bars and a 9.975 on floor. This season, Celestine plans to compete on beam, making her an all-around gymnast. Her experience as well as adding beam to her repertoire will position her to have her best season of her college career.
Last season, Moore not only led the Tigers to success, but also made Missouri gymnastics history. She became the first Missouri gymnast to score a perfect 10 on vault and just the second gymnast in program history to score a perfect 10. She has a career-high of 9.925 on bars and 9.975 on floor. Her expertise in these three events add an immense amount to the team’s scoring potential. She is currently set to anchor both the vault and floor lineup.
Other Missouri gymnasts to watch for are graduate senior Sienna Schreiber and Long Island University transfer Mara Titarsolej. Schreiber is the Tigers’ top returning all-around scorer from last season and will hope to continue that in her final season. At LIU, Titarsolej scored a perfect 10 on bars in 2022. She is set to anchor the bars lineup this season.
The Tigers have made one thing clear coming into this season: they want to return to the National Championship. On paper, the team’s likelihood of returning appears to be very attainable.
Edited by Quentin Corpuel | qcorpuel@themaneater.com
Copy edited by Jae Green and Sterling Sewell | ssewell@themaneater.com