The Missouri gymnastics team hit the road this weekend and headed to Athens, Georgia, where they took on the No. 14 Georgia Bulldogs.
Georgia hosted the team’s annual pink meet, while Mizzou wore teal ribbons to support the It’s On Us movement against sexual assault. Both teams entered the meet coming off of losses: Missouri to then-No. 7 Alabama and Georgia to then-No.10 Arkansas. However, Georgia came into the meet ready for a win and outscored Mizzou in every rotation.
The Tigers opened the meet on bars in the first rotation. Sophomore Aspen Tucker scored a 9.825, which was a team best for Missouri. The score was a key contributor to Tucker’s season-high 39.225 in the all-around. Senior Kennedi Harris followed with a solid floor routine, earning a team-best of 9.825. Harris, who consistently scores high on the floor, has earned a 9.825 or higher on for every floor routine she has performed this season.
To end the meet, junior Britney Ward earned a team-best and season-high of 9.900 points on beam. Redshirt sophomore Morgan Porter and Tucker earned season-bests as well, as Porter scored a 9.850 and Tucker scored a 9.800 on the beam. With these top scores, Missouri earned a season-high 49.050 on beam to end the meet.
Although Missouri came up short in a 197-195.85 loss, the team posted its highest road score of the season. Head coach Shannon Welker said in a press release that he was happy with the teams step in the right direction but is eager to see the team’s progress.
“Today was quite a bit less than we’re capable of but in comparison to last weekend it was a nice step,” head coach Shannon Welker said in a press release. “I’m certainly happy with that part. But we have to be better. We have to transfer the quality better from the gym to the competition. We certainly see it on a weekly basis, now we just have to get comfortable doing it in the meet.”
Next up, the Tigers will host No. 2 LSU on Friday, Feb. 9 at 7:15 p.m. CT. The meet will be televised on the SEC Network. Mizzou will partner with The Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri to “Stick it to Hunger,” where fans who bring an unopened jar of peanut butter will receive $4 admission, according to a press release.
_Edited by Joe Noser | jnoser@themaneater.com_
