Who’s ready to vote on some super awesome Mizzou sports performances?!
WELCOME!
It’s awards season at Rock M Nation, and what a year the 2024-25 sports season was! Let’s look at this season by the numbers**:
- .291: Mizzou baseball’s paltry win percentage this season— its worst since 1901 — which perhaps made AD Laird Veatch realize that additional investment in the program is necessary
- .857: Marina Crownover’s hitting percentage against her former team, the Texas Longhorns, in the Tigers’ improbable win in Austin.
- 1: Court stormings, after Mizzou knocked off kU for the first time since 2012 | Head coaches new Mizzou AD Laird Veatch has hired in one year on the job— he hired former Tennessee Lady Vol head coach Kellie Harper to take over the women’s basketball program
- 2: WCGA All-American honors earned by freshman Olivia Kelly at the national semifinals, after earning twin 9.8875 scores on both beam and bars, helping the Tigers reach its first Four on the Floor in program history
- 3: Individual national champions crowned this year— Jonathan Seremes (indoor triple jump), Valentina Barrios (javelin) & Helen Hu (balance beam) | No. 1 teams Mizzou sports teams knocked off this season, including kansas (men’s hoops), Oklahoma (softball) & Texas A&M (softball) | Final ranking of Mizzou Gym by season’s end, their highest in program history | Perfect 10s Helen Hu collected on beam this season | Goals scored by Milena Fischer — a Hat Trick! — in the Tigers’ 5-0 win over Mississippi State
- 5: AP ranking of Florida Gators men’s hoops team when Mizzou beat the eventual national champions on the road at The Swamp for their only home loss all season
- 6: WCGA Regular Season All-Americans (a record number): First Teamers Helen Hu (beam) & Mara Titarsolej (bars); Second Teamers Amari Celestine (floor, all-around), Jocelyn Moore (Floor), Kennedy Griffin (floor)
- 7: Points the Oklahoma Sooners led Mizzou football by with under two minutes left in regulation… before losing by seven to the Tigers… also in regulation.
- 8: Consecutive Top 15 finishes women’s golfer Ffion Tynan earned this season
- 10: Games Eli Drinkwitz & Co. won this season for the second year in a row
- 11: SEC wins Dawn Sullivan’s crew earned this year to finish third in the conference; it was the team’s best finish in five seasons
- 15: Years Robin Pingeton was head coach of women’s hoops before announcing she was stepping down in February at season’s end
- 18: Home runs smashed by sophomore Madison Walker this season, the third most in program history
- 22: Wins Dennis Gates & Co. amassed this season, a dramatic comeback after last year’s winless SEC season and dismal 8-24 record
- 29: Points scored by Kansas native Tamar Bates against the Jayhawks in early December
- 31: Points Grace Slaughter scored in the Tigers’ come-from-behind last second victory over Mississippi State | The crooked number of points Mississippi State scored in a 31-0 scoring run over Mizzou, which gave them a 20-point in the SEC Tourney to end Robin Pingeton’s season and time in the black & gold | Points scored by Mark Mitchell against no. 4 Alabama, which eclipsed his previous career-high of 23 points
- 42: Total points that Caleb Grill put up on the road this season in crucial victories over Florida and Mississippi State (22pts, 6/10 3pt vs. UF; 20pts, 6/11 3pt vs. MSU)
- 56: Yards redshirt freshman Blake Craig kicked in the Music City Bowl that ultimately won the Tigers the game
- 68: The minute marker in which LSU’s Ida Hermannsdottir broke the team’s tie and ending Mizzou soccer’s season so close to earning an SEC Tournament slot for the first time in Stefanie Golan’s tenure
- 81: Team-leading number of tackles transfer Corey Flagg, Jr. totaled this season, proving Eli Drinkwitz’s transfer portal prowess
- 95: Total yards in the 17-play touchdown drive that Brady Cook led for a Homecoming victory
- 110: Points the Tigers amassed when they knocked off no. 4 Alabama 110-98 on a wintry February evening in CoMo
- 198.10: Program high score Mizzou Gym attained in its finale vs. Auburn in March, cementing an undefeated record at home
- 504: Kills racked up by Oregon State transfer Mychael Vernon, which ended up third in the SEC, undoubtedly helping to earn her SEC Newcomer of the Year honors
- 894.70: Points earned by All-American diver Collier Dyer at the USA Diving National Championships in May, which won him a silver medal and a spot at Worlds
- 2006: Last time Mizzou Softball missed out on the NCAA tournament, which they did this season after not achieving the necessary .500 record
- 250 million: The cost of Memorial Stadium’s new facelift
[**HINT: many of these numbers you will see again]
For some publications, this would be the end of the year-end post. But not here, as we always strive to do things a bit differently around here. And so, two years ago, we created our own award, the Rock M’my. Consider it to be part Emmy, part Espy, and all parts love of Mizzou Athletics. (pronounced Rock Emmy)
Our staff was encouraged to not just consider the major sports and the top dogs, but to dig below the surface and select worthy nominees from all the teams. Luckily, Rock M Nation represents a diverse group of writers with knowledge about a variety of Mizzou sports, so this wasn’t too much of an ask and 15 Mizzou sport teams were represented. Here’s how the distribution shook out.
I highly encourage you to keep your eyes peeled to this site for all the awards fun over the next few weeks. Here’s the schedule!
- Monday, July 14: Best Photo
- Wednesday, July 16: Newcomer of the Year
- Friday, July 18: I’m Him/I’m Her (Best Performance)
- Sunday, July 20: Best Performance in a Supporting Role
- Monday, July 21: Most Euphoric Moment
- Wednesday, July 23: Most Gut-Wrenching Moment
- Friday, July 25: Best Team
- Sunday, July 27: THE WINNERS!
With each nomination, you’ll also find a bit of backstory, so you, the fans, can make an informed decision, because at the end of each post, you’ll vote. Forget to cast your ballot one day? No big deal. Links will be provided to the other awards as well.
Once all the votes for each award have been tabulated over the next few weeks, the winners will be announced, and that student-athlete/team will win our completely serious award that will undoubtedly be the greatest triumph of their lives thus far.
Voting closes Friday, July 25 at 11pm CST.