Missouri Gymnastics has had an up-and-down season thus far. They have had great success such as a win over LSU, and multiple gymnasts earn perfect 10.0 scores: junior Jocelyn Moore on floor, senior Mara Titarsolej on bars and graduate Sienna Schreiber on beam. 

The Tigers have also experienced disappointment. They were on the heels of defeating both Kentucky and Auburn, but lackluster beam rotations including a 48.400 and a 48.975 kept them from taking the win. With all that behind them, is there a path for them to qualify to NCAA National Championships? 

In order to qualify, Missouri needs to finish top-two in their regional final. Before their regional final, the Tigers will compete against Florida, Georgia and one of Clemson or Iowa State. Qualifying to their regional final should be a simple task, entering as the No. 2 team in the semi final. The real challenge comes in the regional final. 

There are three teams ranked above No.13 Missouri that the Tigers would have to potentially matchup against: No. 4 Florida, No.5 Utah and No.10 Michigan State. 

Each of these teams have produced higher scores than Missouri throughout the season, as the Tigers have struggled to put together a flawless meet. How does Missouri compare against each of these teams?

Florida

Looking at the rankings, it may seem that Florida is a hard team for  Missouri to defeat. However, the Gators are coming off a rough SEC Championships where they only scored a 197.300, barely edging out the Tigers’ 197.275. 

Florida is a team that relies on their usual consistency, but have struggled with losing many of their top gymnasts from last season. In order to score high, they need junior and World Champion Leanne Wong and freshman standout Anya Pilgrim to be at their best. In February, the Gators found their rhythm; earning 198.150 and 198.250 at the beginning of March. They have been on more of a down swing, failing to surpass the 198 mark since. 

Many will have the Gators as a lock to qualify for nationals as a top-four seed, but they will have to return to their typical form. One of Florida’s advantages at regionals is the fact that they compete in front of a home audience in Gainesville. A home crowd encourages gymnasts and encourages the judges to give high scores based on a fan reaction. 

Utah

Utah has shown signs of greatness, earning a season-high 198.300 during a home meet against Stanford and Utah State.  

Despite those season highs, the Utes have also seen many downs, including a 197.300 against UCLA on Feb. 19. Their scores average around the 197.500-197.700 range, which is quite similar to Missouri’s scores of 197.600 and 197.525. 

The question for Utah is whether the 197.300 or the 198.300 will appear at regionals. They seem to be peaking now and could easily qualify for Nationals. The Utes will be riding a wave of momentum after winning the PAC-12 Championships. 

Michigan State

Michigan State has been on the rise in recent years, taking it to new heights this season. This year they won their first Big Ten Championships. Coming into the season, the Spartans were ranked outside the top 10 in the collegiate preseason rankings. 

The Spartans managed to find themselves in the top ten in the Road to Nationals rankings and could use the momentum to sneak right into nationals. They have achieved scores such as a 198.150 on March 9 and 198.050 against Michigan on March 4. 

Despite these high scores, Michigan State is not normally a 198 scoring team. They have an average of 197.380. If the Spartans can compete similar to when they scored their 198s, they can be in contention for a nationals bid. 

No matter how strong the opposing team is, the only thing Missouri can control is the way they compete. The Tigers have hit a high score of 197.600, and they have yet to put together meets without major mistakes. Their biggest issue has been continuing struggles in the beam rotation, which is the event that leaves them low in the standings, ranking No. 22 in their nationwide beam rotation. 

The Tigers need to rely on the strength of their floor and bar rotations, with season highs of 49.700 and 49.600 respectively. If they can go through the meet without mistakes, they will put up a fight for a potential nationals berth. The Tigers will compete at the Regional Championships semifinal in Gainesville, Florida on April 5, and should they advance to the Regional final they will compete on April 7. 

Edited by Dylan Heinrich

Edited by Grace Knight

Edited by Scout Hudson