Strong final two rotations propel Mizzou Gym to third place at National Championship

Ahhhh…. sweet revenge. And also, to ESPN/ABC… HOW DARE YOU?!

We have officially reached the end of the 2025 NCAA Gymastics season, and wow, what a season it’s been for the no. 3 — NUMBER THREE!!!!! — Missouri Tigers. From the return of the Beauty & The Beast meet (let’s forget about that score, though— yikes), to the team’s stellar 197.725 at Florida (that should have been a good 0.50 higher but… well…Florida). From the first 198 (a 198.10 to be precise) in school history at home vs. Auburn that preserved their first- ever undefeated home record to their 197.800 regular season finale win at Arkansas (who had knocked off both #2 LSU and #2 Florida in the weeks prior). From their first evening session and top four finish at the SEC Championships through the rest of the postseason, culminating in a third place finish at Sunday’s National Championships, it has been, without question, a historic season for Mizzou Gymnastics. The best in program history. The best finish by a women’s team in Mizzou Athletics history. HERSTORY?

“I’m so proud of our group, not just tonight but in the semifinal as well,” Mizzou head coach Shannon Welker said in the MUTigers recap. “This is a gritty group, a group that believed in themselves and just kept fighting all night long. I’m so impressed that even when small things go off track, they just do not let that deter them. They were just going to be undeniable at putting their best out there and fighting at every turn.”

It’s time to take that massive trophy on a tour through Columbia, Flat Stanley-style, cataloguing its every move. This was an epic season and as such, deserves an epic-er celebration.

Watching the team celebrate its record setting performance and do snow angels in the gold confetti that rained down from the rafters at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, I felt so many emotions. Joy. Pride. Gratefulness. Excitement. They belonged here. Underdogs no more. These Tigers were, as head coach Shannon Welker said, undeniable. And how lucky was I that I got to cover this team?!

Listen, y’all, I would love to write this like one of my traditional recaps, but the truth is, I can’t, as ESPN/ABC decided after Amari’s beam routine that the Tigers just weren’t good enough to be featured anymore, and they just disappeared them. Poof. Evanesco (Harry Potter disappearing spell). More on that later. I have MUCH to say.

So, since ESPN took away my ability to watch all four teams at once as I like to do, I’m not really going to write about them. Though I will say, hats off to the SEC’s new kids on the block, the Oklahoma Sooners, who took home their seventh national title with relative ease with a 198.0125, and to the runner-up UCLA Bruins (197.6125), who are just a fun as hell team to watch. Their personality and energy reminds me a lot of the Tigers, and we all know how much I love them.

With that being said, let’s do this.

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Choppy Landings: Vault & Bars Edition

Wow, did these judges just HATE to see a foot move, even if it was just a slight one. You’d have thought they’d fallen to their knees or something wild with the deductions in some cases. The Tigers did not stick a vault this time around (Elise stuck in semis), but there were some improved scores over Thursday’s Semis despite the unsticky feet, as Kaia (9.8125 total, 2x 9.85 scores), Hannah (9.8375), and Amari (9.90) helped to give Mizzou a 49.200 in the first rotation, which would go on to beat Utah’s vault score.

This was markedly higher than their score in the semis (49.125), and I rushed to twitter to calm the new masses of Mizzou gym fans that NO, this was a good score for the Tigers, yes it’s their weakest event, and that they will build from here (not knowing the scoring horrors that would await on bars, ha).

The landing issues persisted on bars as well, as I’d say the Tigers had 2.75 sticks. Yes, I know Olivia had a super low chest as she tried to stick that landing on bars, but she did actually stick the landing. Her reward for her sticky feet? A 9.775 (one judge gave her a 9.90, love you Judge 5). Seems a bit… harsh, but because of that I gave her a ³⁄₄ stick. Would she have been better off if she’d allowed herself to take a step? I don’t know, because the ONLY thing I could see “wrong” with Kyra’s great bars was a tiny hop on her landing, and she got a 9.825. Mara had a tiny hop, and perhaps didn’t hold her handstands as long as usual (??) and earned just a 9.85 in the anchor spot, which is super low for her. Jocelyn, who performed a gorgeous routine with no visible errors, earned a weirdly low scoring 9.85 despite sticking it (2x 9.90, including Judge 5— love you more), and Amari earned a team-high 9.8625 (2x 9.90) also with a stick. With just a 49.175 (3rd lowest of the season), it’s not surprising to learn that no Tiger got a higher score than in the Elite 8, and that this was the lowest score of the event. I’d love to see this re-scored, honestly.

Back Half Bonanza: Beam Edition

Each time I watch Mizzou kill it on beam this postseason, I think back to Amari’s interview after Regional Finals in which she called last year’s beam team… “something.”

“Our beam team last year was… yes, it was something…” Amari said, searching for a word. “No, but seriously, for lack of a better term, it was something, and the fact that we had a little stumble in there, and we were still able to pick it up. Us last year, we would not been able to do that. So that it alone says so much growth about our program and everybody in this lineup is new, except for me! I was the only one that was in this lineup last year! We are so strong as a team. I’m so proud of us. Okay, that’s all I have to say. I’m done now.”

This was definitely not last year’s beam team, a team that oftentimes made me break out sad Taylor Swift lyrics. This was a must-see tv, despite what the ESPN/ABC production team decided when they abruptly stopped showing the Tigers. I’ll gloss over Amy’s routine for now, as I’ll explain it more in a bit. She led off with a really nice routine (that would later receive a nice score and one 9.90!) and Amari followed what felt like years later with a super solid 9.8625, which, with six judges, was so close to her season high 9.875 (she got two 9.90s), and it was a great way to close out her last beam ever. Because ESPN/ABC cut out the footage of both Railey (9.8625) AND Addi (9.85), I had to see what the CGN Live Blog had to say.

Jackson: Front aerial BHS (back handspring) series, slight pause but nothing major. Switch leap switch half right at 180. Gainer pike with a stick! 9.8625

Lawrence: Side aerial BHS, little lean after the BHS. Beautiful flexibility and extension, RO 1.5 (round off) with a step forward and a dab to the camera. 9.8500

Railey’s 9.8625, like Amari, featured two 9.90s, and was very close to tying her season-high 9.875. This is remarkable for JUST a freshman. Also, shame on you, tv people, for not letting us see Addi’s dab. SHAME!!! Olivia followed Addi and I only got my ESPN+ up and running fast enough to see her dismount, and the CGN blogger was blocked by people standing in front of her, so yeah… no idea how that went. It did look like she again fought really hard for the stick and the judges didn’t like the leaning to hold onto it? Three judges gave her 9.85s, but two more gave 9.75s. Rude. Liv is another freshman who didn’t immediately start the season on beam (or bars!) and I just can’t wait to watch her in coming years. And finally came Helen, and since Mizzou’s rotation was slowed down by the aforementioned judging conference, there was not a competitor on the floor but her, just the way the Gym Gods intended it. For more on that routine, read below.

The Tigers’ 49.3875 was a bit lower than the semis, but Amari and Railey upped their scores, and the team rotation score was the second highest of the meet, behind only Oklahoma’s ridiculously good 49.6125.

A Moment for the Beam Queen

A moment for the Queen of the Beam, Helen Hu, who claimed her third event title in four postseason meets (Championships, Semis, Regionals Round 2). I’m just going to share the commentary about this from the CGN Live blog, as Savannah did it such justice.

And the whole arena will be watching nothing but Helen Hu’s final beam routine. You cannot convince me this wasn’t planned.

Hu: Ugh her toe point. Beautiful leg up turn. Front aerial front aerial series, nice and flowy. Split leap split 3/4, flexibility is gorgeous, Gainer pike off the end. That was probably better than her routine from Thursday, and I’m 95% sure she just did a death drop split on the mat after the dismount [she did!!], I couldn’t tell with the standing ovation she got from the people in front of me. 9.9625, the people are MAD MAD.

She only ended up with two 10s (to go along with an absolutely absurd 9.90 from Judge 6— whattt?!), which is a true injustice for the Queen, but at least she still took the event title.

In other news, most teams appreciated an exquisite Helen Hu routine. OU’s fans were holding up “10” signs and screaming. Utah was not “most teams” (more on them in a bit).

What happened there? Amy Wier Edition

Because it was one of the last routines that ESPN/ABC decided to show of the Missouri Tigers, everyone saw Amy’s leadoff beam routine and then they waited…and waited…and waited to see a score show up. A judge’s conference ensued. Amy’s 9.675 which made no sense to begin with was then changed to a 9.55 and the gymternet went into an uproar. How did this happen? What did we miss? But she redid her connection; she’s prepared for it on a whim. What gives?

Well, we can’t be entirely sure as we weren’t in the conference, but it appears they didn’t credit her leap series, which changed her start value from a 10.0 (all deductions come from that 10) to a 9.70, so she was awarded a 9.55. If it wasn’t that, it was also possible they misidentified one of her jumps from a straddle to a split (or vice versa, I can’t remember), and one is written in the code as easier than the other. Regardless, Missouri submitted an inquiry about the score— think USA & Jordan Chiles Olympics fiasco, which also works well as the “enemy” of the meet was clearly the Utes. And to not delay the meet, which was super delayed anyway and Amari was just hanging around forever, they reviewed the video evidence after the meet’s conclusion. They confirmed she did deserve her full start value, thus changing her score (out of 10) to 9.85. That meant that Mizzou would then drop Olivia’s 9.8125 instead, and the team’s rotation score was changed to a 49.3875, which accounted for Mizzou’s score moving up to 197.250 from 197.2125. Grace Ainger explained it really well here, assuming it was due to the leap series.

Floor Party: No RSVPs necessary

Though it did require a paid subscription to ESPN+ if you wanted to actually see 3-4/6 routines [angry mumbling]. everyone was invited to this floor party, and a party it was. Five out of six Tigers toppled their scores from semis! After a brief break in the Fab Floor scoring in semis, the Tigers were back with a vengeance to close this show out, and what a treat it was for everyone (who had ESPN+).

Do you know who, outside of Mizzou Nation, was having the best time watching this team? Commentator and former Gator, Trinity Thomas, also a noted friend of assistant coach Jackie Terpak. She was practically fangirling, and it was incredible (I should have been listening to her and Bridget Sloan all along.)

Rayna led off with a 9.7625, and was really good outside of the last pass, which she had a bittttt too much juice on and was a bit unwieldy on the landing. Hannah followed with an awesome, though underscored, 9.8375 (2x 9.90), and then came Kaia, who in just her fifth collegiate floor routine, earned a stunning 9.8875, which included three 9.90 and a 9.95 from Judge 1 (we love Judge 1!). Then, the main event— Mizzou’s true showstoppers in Amari, Kennedy and Joci. The floor trifecta. Trin called Amari’s floor routine “a party from start to finish” and she wasn’t wrong. Her tuck full-in was massive. Her last pass was stuck cold. It might have been the best routine I’ve seen her perform (Trin & Bridget said the same), and she earned a 9.9125, which included two 9.95s from the judges (and one super weird 9.85 from a judge allergic to fun). She headed off the stage with a burst of emotion, and it was captured by Mizzou’s creative team.

I heard they might have shown Amari’s (and Joci, as she was the final performer of the meet) on the main broadcast, but I wasn’t watching it at this point so I can’t be sure. I do know they didn’t show Kennedy’s astounding 9.95 (5x 9.95, one 9.85 from Judge 5— how?!), despite the fact that she ended up in third place in the event standings. It was so good; her double pike was huge and she had so much control in her last landing.

And finally, we witnessed Joci’s final routine as a Tiger, as she was the only one left to compete. Again, just as the Gym Gods intended it. Her first pass was humongous, and she danced right out of her last pass, earning a 9.90 in her final routine, which included a 9.95 from Judge 1 (and another 9.85 from Judge 5?!). The team’s 49.4875 was the third highest of the meet and should have been higher, frankly. Five Tigers achieved higher scores than the semis (all except Rayna, and hers was close), and they blew their semis rotation score of 49.225 out of the gym.

Revenge

So, how did Mizzou move from fourth to third and beat the Red Rocks in the end? It’s math time, my friends. You don’t have to do any; I figured it out myself. After rotation 1, the Utes held a 0.250 lead over the Tigers, and only increased a bit more in rotation 2, as both Mizzou and the Utes had sub-49.200 scores, putting the distance at 0.262. Utah had a strong third rotation, scoring a 49.475, but after Wier’s rescore, Mizzou’s score went up to a 49.3875 (from a 49.350), putting the Utah lead at 0.350 with one rotation to go. Whereas the Tigers shined on the last rotation, however, bringing in a 49.4875, the Red Rocks whimpered (can rocks whimper?), earning just a 49.125 score on beam, thereby erasing the deficit and giving the Tigers the win. Simply put, while Mizzou averaged 9.8975 in their last rotation, Utah averaged just 9.825, allowing the Tigers to creep up, catch them, and surpass them.

I must say, Missouri knocking off Utah felt glorious. GLORIOUS. Especially after suspect judging last year allowed a wholly undeserving Red Rocks team to advance to nationals so they wouldn’t be the ones to keep them from missing their first NCAA championship in 48 years. My other issue with Utah is well-documented amongst the gymnastics community. In late 2023, the university utilized an outside agency to review its gymnastics program after four parents, two staffers and five former gymnasts — one of whom ended up coming forward as Kara Eaker. beloved 2020 Olympics alternate — alleged that now-former head coach Tom Farden verbally and emotionally abused and physically intimidated members of the team. Eaker, a Kansas City native, initially retired from the sport in 2023, and un-retired this season and joined Cecile Landi at Georgia. Farden ultimately “mutually parted ways” with the university, and in his place, associate head coach Carly Dockendorf took the reins. She has previously publicly supported him — I simply can’t imagine an instance in which she didn’t realize this was going on — and several members of his teams remained supportive and on the roster through this season, which makes me feel icky. Anyway, so down goes Utah and I’m elated beyond belief, and so is most of the gymternet.

Can I Speak to the Manager?

If you follow me on twitter, you know that I went on a tirade mid-meet when they just disappeared Mizzou off the main feed with no warning. Crowd shots were shown, gymnasts talking to their teams, replays of mistakes, something about the NBA playoffs on the side of the screen… all while Mizzou was finishing up the last half of beam and going into floor. You could hear their floor music playing, and they just like… didn’t pan to them.

So I did what any self-respecting person would do. I tweeted at them that this was unacceptable and Mizzou earned its spot in its first national championship and deserved to be shown just like all the blue bloods. I was certainly not alone in my ire (this one is my fave, but has nsfw language so you’ll have to click on it).

THE UNIVERSITY HELD A FREAKING WATCH PARTY AT MIZZOU ARENA SO THAT FANS COULD WATCH THIS MOMENTOUS OCCASION AND THEY DID THIS?!? Somebody with far more pull than me needs to file a complaint, because this was complete BS. Mizzou earned the right to be there. They’re in the SEC. Isn’t it supposed “Just Mean More?” Or it just means more… coverage for teams with Olympians and national teamers? Would they have done this to Florida? (side note: Nate did tell me they skipped over one of Leanne’s routines last year, which is actually shocking because ESPN loves the Bow CEO)

Listen, I don’t pull the “Karen” card often; in fact, I pride myself on not being one of those Karens, but dammit if this didn’t turn me into a rage-a-holic. It’s simply NOT RIGHT. What is the point of a double dual format with a lovely split screen designed to NOT MISS ANY ROUTINES when you’re just going to willfully ignore it?

And THEN they posted this, patting themselves on the backs for their “amazing” coverage. Amazing coverage of who? The teams you’ve deemed most important? Preposterous. And again, I was not the only one to call attention to this hypocrisy.

What’s Next?

Exit meetings will likely take place in the next couple weeks, and we’ll start to see some retirement posts, hopefully some “I’m coming back!” posts, as well as possible transfer posts (like this one) come through, And then they’ll get some new incoming transfers, which Shannon & Co. has shown to excel at. Because honestly, WHO WOULDN’T WANT TO BE ON THIS TEAM?!? (Naya Howard, you ARE a Tiger in my mind). But for now, we should just enjoy the season that it was and count the days til the next one. I will be turning my focus back to the end of softball season and to grading for my class, as I’ve fallen a bit behind with all the Gym postseason x softball madness.

If you learned anything throughout this postseason, it is this. EVERYONE WATCHES WOMEN’S SPORTS. In person. On tv and streaming. The popularity of this so-called “non-revenue” sport is sky high, and athletes like these tremendous Tigers help take it to the next level.

Just for Funsies

Enjoy these tweets I found. I really love the Gymternet sometimes.

I’ll be back when there’s more news and I’ll have a season wrap up of sorts. Til then, M-I-Z!