Mizzou Central

Mizzou Gymnastics Defeats Iowa State in Season Opener

The Tigers hosted the Cyclones on Sunday, posting a 196.850.
Lilly Marshall|
United States; Missouri gymnast Hannah Horton poses during her floor routine.
United States; Missouri gymnast Hannah Horton poses during her floor routine. | Will Burris, Mizzou Athletics

Last season, Missouri gymnastics made history. The Tigers qualified for the NCAA Championship for the first time in program history. There, they finished third, scoring a 197.2500 to overcome Utah but fall to Oklahoma and UCLA.

It’s a new year and a new campaign, but the Tigers have the same goals. They want to get right back to where they were, competing at the highest level. Missouri enters the season ranked No. 7 in the Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) preseason poll.

Missouri lived up to its ranking, opening the season with a decisive 196.850-191.350 win against Iowa State on Sunday.

Missouri performed the best on bars and floor, scoring a 49.450 on each event.

Senior Addison Lawrence led the Tigers’ lineup on bars, impressing with a 9.900. Graduate Lauren Macpherson kept things rolling with a 9.875 before Missouri made its first real mistake of the meet. Junior Rayna Light fell, resulting in a 9.250 that the Tigers had to drop.

Missouri made up for the fall with two strong routines from junior Hannah Horton and freshman Kimarra Echols. Horton won the event with a 9.925, while Echols notched a 9.900.

On floor, the Tigers shot out to an electric start, with redshirt senior Elise Tisler and sophomore Ayla Acevedo posting back-to-back 9.900s. Horton’s 9.925 won her the floor title.

The Tigers competed on vault first, and five athletes scored a 9.800 or better en route to a total score of 49.200. 

Performing a handspring front pike half vault with a 10.0 start value, sophomore Kaia Tanskanen was one of two Tigers to earn a 9.800. Tisler was the other, hitting the mark with her Yurchenko 1.5.

Echols logged a 9.850, while sophomore Railey Jackson and Horton led the way with 9.875s. Both women performed a Yurchenko 1.5, and Jackson’s score marked a career best.

While the Tigers were all smiles, Iowa State looked dejected on the other side of the floor. The Cyclones got off to a disastrous start when three athletes fell on bars. Freshman Peyton Nock fell twice, once during the routine and once on the dismount, which gave her a 7.800.

Junior Paige Wills and freshman Kennedy Thomas fell, with Wills scoring a 9.050 and Thomas an 8.800. As Iowa State dropped Nock’s score, the Cyclones were forced to accept an 8.800, giving them a total score of 47.050.

That put Iowa State behind the Tigers immediately, forcing the visitors to play catch up.

Missouri’s worst event of the day was beam (48.775).

Beam was an event the Tigers felt confident with last season because they knew they had one of their best athletes there: Helen Hu. With her departure, the beam certainly feels different. While there’s no replacing Hu, Missouri is determined to prove it can hold its own without her.

The Tigers made an emphatic statement by opening the event with two 9.900s from redshirt senior Amy Wier and Macpherson.

There were two falls with Tanskanen and Echols, but Lawrence anchored the Tigers with a meet-high 9.950.

Opening the season with a win is always a good thing, but only time will tell if this is just a solid victory or the catalyst for another historic campaign.

Missouri next faces No. 27 Nebraska at 3 p.m. Saturday in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Read more Missouri Tigers news:

Published | Modified
Lilly Marshall
LILLY MARSHALL

Lilly Marshall covers gymnastics for Missouri Tigers On SI in addition to baseball, softball and football. Originally from the Tampa, Fla. area, she's contributed and/or volunteered with The Missourian, KOMU 8 News, the Tampa Bay Times and the The Maneater student paper before signing on as an intern with Missouri Tigers On SI.

Share on XFollow LillyMarshall23
Home/All Things Mizzou