Missouri gymnastics opened its season with a strong intrasquad exhibition Dec. 12, showcasing depth and consistency across all four events inside Mizzou Arena. The Gold squad edged out the Black squad, 158.050-157.650, in a meet that featured multiple stuck landings and instilled early-season confidence in the Tigers’ roster.
Freshman Kimarra Echols led Team Gold with a 39.600 all-around score. Echols shared the balance beam title with sophomores Railey Jackson and Kaia Tanskanen, scoring 9.950, while also tying for second in the meet on floor (9.900), uneven bars (9.900) and vault (9.850).
The night opened on vault, where the Gold team posted a 39.400 score behind a 9.900 from Jackson and 9.850 from both Echols and junior Dakota Essenpries. Sophomore Ayla Acevedo added a 9.800 to round out the counting scores.
The Black team totaled 39.500, led by junior Hannah Horton and graduate student Makayla Green, who both earned 9.900s. Senior Addison Lawrence, graduate student Lauren Macpherson and junior Rayna Light each contributed 9.850s.
Uneven bars stayed tight in Rotation 2. Black finished with a 39.300 total score, paced by 9.850s from Horton and redshirt senior Elise Tisler. Gold answered with a 39.500 total score, highlighted by Tanskanen’s team-high 9.950. Echols followed closely with a 9.900, while Jackson and Acevedo added solid routines in the mid-to-high 9.8 range.
The balance beam proved to be one of the strongest events of the night. Black posted a 39.500 team score in Rotation 3, led by junior Kennedy Griffin’s 9.900 and Macpherson’s matching score. Gold slightly topped that mark with a 39.550 team score, as Echols and Tanskanen both went for 9.900s, while Acevedo and Jackson each recorded 9.850s.
The exhibition closed on the floor, where Gold delivered its best event total of the meet with a 39.700. Jackson, Tanskanen and Echols tied for the event lead with 9.950s, while redshirt senior Amy Wier, freshman Hayli Westerlind, graduate student Grace Anne Davis and sophomore Lisa Szeibert all posted 9.850s. Black finished floor with a 39.350 total score, highlighted by 9.950s from Griffin and Horton.
The exhibition offered an encouraging preview of Missouri’s potential, with multiple athletes capable of producing lineup-ready scores. The Tigers will return to Mizzou Arena for their first regular season meet at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, where they’ll host Iowa State.
