Mizzou Earns Second Place in Session I of SEC Championship

TULSA, Okla. — Missouri competed in the Southeastern Conference Championship on Saturday at the BOK Center.

The Tigers earned the No. 7 seed for the contest, putting them in Session I with fifth-seeded Georgia, No. 6 seed Arkansas, eighth-seeded Auburn and No. 9 seed Kentucky.

Missouri logged a 197.075 to secure second place in the session and sixth overall. Georgia won with a 197.450, Arkansas placed third with a 196.975, Kentucky earned fourth (196.925) and Auburn came in fifth (195.300).

Since five teams were competing, each squad took to one of the four apparatuses while the fifth received a bye. They would then rotate. Missouri began on bars, immediately taking the lead after a strong start.

Freshman Kimarra Echols headlined the Tigers, notching a 9.900. Sophomore Olivia Kelly recorded a 9.875, while graduate Makayla Green and freshman Maiya Terry each recorded a 9.850. Missouri logged a 49.275 on the event, with the next closest team being Kentucky (49.175 on floor).

Auburn brought up the rear, though Georgia had not yet competed, after struggling on beam. Its first two gymnasts logged scores of 9.775 and 9.725 before the third fell off the beam in the middle of her routine. The 8.975 from Julianne Huff put Auburn in a difficult position early, and Alex Irvine’s 9.225 certainly did not help.

With the lead, Missouri headed to beam. Redshirt senior Amy Wier fell off in the leadoff spot, resulting in an 8.950. Sophomore Railey Jackson seemed to feed off the energy, teetering on the beam multiple times. The wobbly routine brought in a 9.600.

Kelly got things back on track with a 9.875, and senior Addison Lawrence stood out with a 9.925, but the damage had been done. Missouri lost its lead after scoring a 49 even on beam, falling behind Kentucky (98.450-98.275).

"We just (have) to be a little more consistent across the board," Missouri coach Shannon Welker said. "We can't have a 49 on beam like we did. We'll have some time to work on that between now and regionals."

Georgia competed on bars after its bye. The Bulldogs impressed, recording a 49.375. That set the tone, as Georgia went on to win Session I. The Bulldogs finished fifth overall.

After the shaky performance on beam, Missouri picked it up on floor. Four gymnasts earned 9.900s: redshirt senior Elise Tisler, sophomore Kaia Tanskanen, junior Kennedy Griffin and junior Hannah Horton.

The solid scores carried the Tigers to a 49.450 on the event, lifting them back to first, though Kentucky had just been on its bye.

On vault, Missouri earned a season-high 49.350. Horton logged a huge 9.950, winning the event in Session I. Echols added her second 9.900 of the day as the Tigers finished up their meet.

"She's starting to dial it in over there," Welker said of Horton. "I feel like the last two weeks have been better for her, and it was nice to see her continue that in this environment too."

Missouri’s bye occurred in the fifth rotation. All the Tigers could do was sit and wait to see if Georgia, Kentucky, Arkansas or all three passed them.

Kentucky competed on beam, an event that had given multiple teams trouble. The Wildcats posted a 49.250, but it wasn’t enough to overtake Missouri. Arkansas also fell short, but Georgia took first.

Missouri next competes in the NCAA Regional Championships on April 1. The location and opponents will be revealed at 11 a.m. Monday.

Read more Missouri Tigers news: