Missouri junior gymnast Amy Wier high-fives teammate Olivia Kelly on Sunday, Oct. 12, 2024, at the Tiger Performance Complex in Columbia, Mo. The Tigers finished the national championship in third place, the best result in program history. (Hannah Henderson/Maneater)
Missouri gymnastics catapulted to a third-place finish at the 2025 NCAA Gymnastics Championship on Saturday, marking its best finish in program history.
Missouri had a historic performance in the semi-final, edging Florida for a spot in the final. Senior Helen Hu clinched the qualification to the final with a massive 9.9875 beam score, which simultaneously won her the beam title. For the first time in program history, Missouri gymnastics qualified for the Final Four at the National Championship — better known as “Four on the Floor.”
Missouri’s historic finish was highlighted by controversy on balance beam. Junior Amy Wier completed a strong routine, but was initially given a 9.550 due to missing a connection. The routine was followed by a judging conference, forcing Senior Amari Celestine to a lengthy wait to compete. However, Celestine prevailed, earning a 9.8625. Freshman Railey Jackson matched Celestine’s score. It was Hu who once again anchored the rotation, earning a massive 9.9625. Initially, Missouri wrapped up a fourth-place finish, but after the meet, Wier’s routine was evaluated and given a 10.0 start value and a 9.850 total score. This bumped Missouri to third place, earning the Tigers a 197.2500 to Utah’s 197.2375. Oklahoma won the team title, with UCLA following behind.
Missouri began its meet on vault. Freshman Kaia Tanskanen took a step on her Tsuk full for a 9.8125, while sophomore Hannah Horton earned a 9.8375 on her Yurchenko 1.5 that she shuffled back on. Senior Jocelyn Moore took a hop forward on her Yurchenko 1.5 for a 9.850 and senior Amari Celestine wrapped the rotation with a solid 9.9 for a 49.200 team score.
Missouri moved to bars in Rotation 2. Graduate student Kyra Burns brought in a 9.825 for her final career routine, and Moore displayed high-flying releases and a stuck dismount for a 9.850. Celestine stuck her signature “Celestine” dismount one final time to bring in a 9.8625. Graduate student Mara Titarsolej finished her career with a 9.850 for a 49.175 total.
In the final rotation, Missouri did what Missouri tends to do on the floor: it brought the party to the mat. Tanskanen executed two solid tumbling passes for a 9.8875, setting up the last three athletes perfectly. Celestine performed her energetic floor routine one last time with a 9.9125, while sophomore Kennedy Griffin performed a perfect punch-front-plus-double-tuck combination for a near perfect score of 9.950. Moore anchored the rotation with a 9.9 for a 49.4875 total.
Missouri completed the 2025 season as a season of firsts. It logged the first score of 198, first qualification to the night session at the SEC Championship, first qualification to the Final Four and first top-three finish at the national championship. If such success continues, the Tigers will bring a heavy head of momentum from their historic season into 2026.
Edited by Killian Wright | kwright@themaneater.com
Copyedited by Ava Mohror | amohror@themaneater.com
Edited by Annie Goodykoontz | agoodykoontz@themaneater.com