Progress has been the name of the game under Missouri gymnastics coach Shannon Welker.
In his short tenure as coach, the team has gone from finishing the 2014 season unranked to finishing No. 19 last season.
And it appears this trend will continue. Welker told the Mizzou Gymnastics News Network in September that “this is probably the strongest we’ve ever started a season.”
Not only does Missouri return a solid group of sophomores and juniors, but the team was also able to reload with a freshman class that could make some noise.
Alyssa Johnson, Mary Nicholson, Rachel Ley and Aspen Tucker are the four new faces on the team. Look for Tucker and Johnson to have an immediate impact, as both already boast impressive resumes.
Tucker, daughter of former Kansas City Royals player Michael Tucker, won beam at the Florida State Championships this year in the highest amateur level of gymnastics.
Last year, Johnson placed 10th on vault and 18th in all-around at the Junior Olympic Nationals. Tucker should help Missouri’s beam attack, joining Britney Ward, a second-team All-American last year on beam.
Along with the new freshmen, juniors Becca Schugel and Kennedi Harris will look to improve on notable 2016 campaigns.
Schugel won the overall bars title against Lindenwood and Southeast Missouri in the State of Missouri meet with a career best 9.900. Her most remarkable performance, however, may have come during the Southeastern Conference Championships. She rose to the occasion on beam, scoring a career-best 9.875 and landing a spot on the all-SEC team.
Harris competed on vault and floor in every meet last season, and she had the highest average vault score for Missouri. Harris also showed a propensity to step her routine up when needed, placing second on floor at the NCAA regional meet.
Britney Ward figures to be an integral part of the team, as she comes off a remarkable 2016 season, where she garnered all-SEC and SEC All-Freshman honors. She won six event titles in both vault and beam, and finished the season ranked No. 15 nationally on beam.
All eyes should be on Morgan Porter, a sophomore recently cleared from suspension. She is coming off a phenomenal season in which she captured the SEC Freshman of the Year award and qualified for the NCAA Championships in all-around.
Porter owns three of the four best all-around scores by a freshman at Mizzou, and she already has the second highest all-around score in school history.
She looks to garner more records while leading a potent Missouri squad into the 2017 season, a year in which the team attempts to continue their ascent in college gymnastics.
_Edited by Peter Baugh | pbaugh@themaneater.com_