2024 was filled with records for Missouri gymnastics; here’s a look at their season
After finishing third in the Gainesville regional final, Missouri gymnastics failed to qualify for the national semifinals. The season was far from a failure, with senior Mara Titarsolej qualifying to nationals as an individual on bars and multiple broken records throughout the season as a team. Let’s recap the season and how Missouri can look towards the future:
The season in a flash
Missouri opened the season with a bang at the Mizzou Invitational scoring 197.150 and jumping from No. 12 in the rankings to No. 3. The team followed it up with two SEC road meets that had two very different outcomes. Missouri struggled against Alabama on Jan. 12, scoring a season-low 196.475 and two events scores below 49. They bounced back against Georgia, posting a 197.400 and picking up their first SEC win with the help of their highest beam score of the season: 49.400.
The highlight of the season came next as Missouri returned home to the Hearnes Center to face No. 3 LSU. The Missouri Tigers upset the eventual national champions with a score of 197.325 off the strength of the Fab Floor’s 49.600 score. Missouri also saw the highest attendance of the season against LSU with 7,336 people.
The crowd at the meet against LSU dances with the gymnasts before the floor rotation began.
Missouri’s momentum slowed with two straight disappointing scores. The Tigers defeated Texas Woman’s with a score of only 197.025 before falling to Kentucky on the road with a score of 196.600. The Kentucky meet on Feb. 9 included the lowest beam score of the season: 48.400.
Missouri headed to St. Louis next in a quad meet including SEC foe Florida, earning the highest score of the season up to that point at 197.475 and a second-place finish. The next two SEC meets saw two more losses to Auburn and Arkansas. Against Auburn, Missouri cracked an even 197 and earned another sub-49 score on beam. The Arkansas meet saw a new season-high score of 197.525, a perfect 10 from graduate Sienna Schreiber on beam and another 49.600 score on floor despite the loss.
The final two meets of the season saw contrasting results once again. In the Missouri Quad, the Tigers placed second under Denver after posting only a 197.375. In the Illinois Quad, Missouri posted their true highest score of the season in 197.600 and multiple broken records.
One for the record books
Junior Amari Celestine holds up a Tiger claw as she finishes her floor routine.
This season for the Tigers featured many program-best scores and routines. Most notably, Missouri finally earned a program gym slam, or a perfect 10 on every event. Titarsolej earned a perfect 10 on bars in the Zou to the Lou meet against Florida on Feb. 16. Junior Jocelyn Moore closed out the regular season with a perfect 10 on floor against Illinois on March 17. Moore is now the only gymnast in Missouri history to have a 10 on multiple events after she earned a 10 on vault in 2023.
The Tigers broke many records regarding their team score as well. The team earned a 197 score or higher in 12 meets, the most in one season ever. The team’s regional semifinal’s score of 197.525 is the second-highest in program history at a regional. MU’s National Qualifying Score of 197.420 is the highest NQS in program history. The floor NQS of 49.575 is also the highest in history.
During the Illinois Quad, the floor score of 49.700 and vault score of 49.500 were the highest in program history on both events. The team score of 197.600 was the highest of the season.
The Tigers finished the season at No. 13 and with three individual events ranked in the top 12. The floor rotation’s No. 8 final ranking is the highest final ranking of an individual event.
Graduate Sienna Schreiber performs her gainer-full beam dismount.
The gymnasts to count on
Titarsolej capped off her stellar season as the bars anchor by qualifying to nationals with a score of 9.950 in the regional semifinals. In addition to the perfect 10 on bars, she finished with a bars NQS of 9.950. Titarsolej scored a 9.9 or better in eight of 14 meets competed. We won’t see Titarsolej depart anytime soon, as she announced she’ll be taking a fifth year with the Missouri Tigers. She will be imperative in maintaining the strength of the Missouri bars rotation moving forward.
Senior Mara Titarsolej salutes to the judges after sticking her double full dismount.
The Fab Floor was seemingly unstoppable thanks to two key gymnasts: Moore and freshman Kennedy Griffin. Moore was practically automatic, scoring a 9.9 or better in 13 of the 14 meets including her perfect 10 on floor. Her confidence and skill set is integral to Missouri not only on floor, but bars and vault as well. Moore earned the SEC Event Specialist of the Year award as well as being named as a second-team All-American on floor at the end of the season.
Griffin was also dynamic on the floor, earning 10 scores of 9.9 or above. She earned the highest floor score with a 9.950 in the regional final. As a freshman, Griffin established herself as a confident leader for the Tigers moving forward.
Junior Amari Celestine was another integral gymnast to the floor, vault and beam lineups. She earned multiple career-high scores throughout the season, including a 9.925 on beam and two 9.950s on vault.
Not all Tigers will be returning next season. Senior Kyra Burns has been an integral bars worker in the leadoff position. She’s scored 10 routines of 9.825 or better and a career-high 9.9 in three meets. Pending Burns’ decision to take a fifth year, her spot in the bars lineup will need to be filled.
A fan cheers after Senior Kyra Burns stuck her bars dismount.
Likely the greatest impact will be felt with Schreiber. Schreiber was Missouri’s only gymnast to compete in the all-around in every meet and anchored the ever-challenging beam rotation. Schreiber finished with a beam NQS of 9.950 which earned her a first-team All-American nod. She earned her first perfect 10 against Arkansas and her highest all-around score of 39.650. Other Tigers will need to step up in Schreiber’s places if Missouri plans to maintain its success.
Looking forward
The gymnasts returning to the squad are essential to Missouri’s success next season. Based on their challenges of 2024, the offseason should focus on building up the beam lineup in order to produce more consistent results. Leaders like Celestine and junior Grace Anne Davis will be gymnasts to fall back on in order to build confidence on the beam.
A gymnast warms up on the Tiger branded balance beam.
The team should also aim to have four or five gymnasts in the vault lineup performing 10.0 start value vaults. This year, only Celestine, Moore and freshman Hannah Horton performed 10.0 vaults of Yurchenko 1.5’s. The top teams in the rankings such as Oklahoma and LSU normally have four to five gymnasts performing those vaults. These vaults increase scoring potential and minimizes the impact of a small step on the landing which Missouri normally falls victim to.
Freshman Hannah Horton performs her Yurchencko 1.5 vault. The vault starts out of a 10.0 and Horton is one of three Missouri gymnasts who performs the vault.
Lastly, Missouri came out of the season with only two regular season SEC wins and four total. While rankings are not determined by the opponent beaten, beating SEC teams normally equates to higher average scores. With top-ten Oklahoma joining the SEC, putting up higher average scores is even more essential for performing well in the postseason.
One of Missouri’s goals at the start of the season was to make it to the NCAA championships. While that goal did not become a reality, Missouri gymnastics is in the right place to make it there for the first time since 2022.
Edited by Dylan Heinrich
Copy edited by Grace Knight | gknight@themaneater.com Edited by Genevieve Smith | gsmith@themaneater.com