Gymnast Earns Near-Perfect Score en Route to Mizzou's Season-High 197.425

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri gymnastics faced No. 12 Georgia at home, winning 197.425-197.350. The team's performance was highlighted by redshirt senior Helen Hu's 9.975 on beam, which tied for the meet-high score and beam title.

No. 8 Missouri and Georgia are no strangers on the gymnastics floor, as the two teams have already met once this season. The Tigers and Bulldogs competed on Jan. 12 in the Denver Quad, where Missouri defeated Georgia 196.125-195.975.

With that meet occurring over a month ago, both teams have improved. The Tigers and Bulldogs both hold season-best scores of 197.200, indicating that Friday’s contest could be competitive.

The meet certainly was competitive throughout. Georgia took an early 49.475-49.125 lead after the first rotation, but Missouri took control during the very next event. The Tigers went on to grab a statement win, and they did it under difficult circumstances.

Many of Missouri's gymnasts were battling illness, resulting in some last-minute changes to the lineups.

"We wouldn't have been able to compete on Wednesday," head coach Shannon Welker said. "We just had so much sickness and flu... I think I changed three lineups tonight. I think (the team) managed that well for a lot of changes, just being adaptable."

Aside from the exciting antics on the floor, there was excitement provided by various giveaways at the Hearnes Center. The first 500 fans received Missouri gymnastics drinking glasses, while students could also pick up Crumbl cookies at the A concourse.

Moreover, it was “cause night" for cancer, and FSL night. The meet also took on a Hawaiian theme, with cheerleaders and fans decked out in leis while Truman the Tiger sported a hula skirt.

Despite all of the fun outside of the sport, the gymnastics itself was not forgotten.

The event that helped Missouri gain control of the competition was bars. There, two Tigers posted career-bests. Junior Addison Lawrence did it with a 9.900, while freshman Olivia Kelly did it with a 9.850.

Senior Amari Celestine and graduate student Mara Titarsolej have been a dynamic duo on bars this season, and their success carried over to Friday’s contest with the Bulldogs.

Fans went wild after Celestine logged a 9.925, her second score of at least 9.900 of the meet up to that point. Titarsolej chipped in a 9.900.

The Tigers and Bulldogs competed very tightly on the third rotation. A costly mistake for the Bulldogs, where junior Csenge Bácskay lost her balance during a tumble on floor, resulted in a 9.075. That helped Missouri out, as the score had to be dropped, giving Georgia a smaller margin for error.

It wasn’t just the Bulldogs’ errors that helped Missouri while it was on beam, but also Missouri’s performance. The Tigers were led on the event by Hu's 9.975.

Missouri's final event of the night was floor, which it headed to while holding a narrow 147.875-147.800 advantage.

Transfer Elise Tisler kicked things off by recording a 9.925, but across the floor, Georgia was nailing its beam routines. Georgia sophomore Anya Turner hit a 9.975, tying with Hu for the title and increasing her team's hopes of a late comeback.

The Bulldogs were fighting their way back into the meet when Celestine stepped up big time. The arena was about the loudest it had been all night after Celestine crushed her floor routine, resulting in a 9.950 and event title.

At one point in the final rotation, the score was deadlocked at 197.350. The last gymnast in Missouri's lineup, sophomore Kennedy Griffin, was tasked with clinching the win for the Tigers. She was up for the challenge, as she had just earned a perfect 10 in the last meet.

The score to beat was 9.850, as that is what Georgia anchor Lily Smith accomplished, and Griffin surpassed it with a 9.925. The fans erupted as Missouri won by earning a season-high 197.425.

"Every weekend, we go out and get better," Celestine said. "Capitalizing (on) what we have, maximizing all of our potential that we're putting out on the mat- that's what I'm most excited for."

Missouri performed well on three events, but the Tigers' troubles with vault continued to plague them.

Last week, the Tigers scored their lowest vault score of the year (48.850), and they looked to clean that up on Friday.

Freshman Railey Jackson earned a 9.100 in her vault debut, which had to be dropped. This time around, she improved to 9.650.

Sophomore Hannah Horton stepped up to deliver a big performance, winning the vault crown. Her 9.925, paired with Celestine’s 9.900, boosted the team’s vault score to 49.125.

With the win, the Tigers moved to 5-0 at home and 11-3 on the season.

Missouri will compete again on the road against No. 5 Florida. The meet will begin at 5 p.m. Friday in Gainesville, Florida. Fans can watch the top-10 matchup on SEC Network.