No. 7 Mizzou Gymnastics Narrowly Falls to No. 3 Alabama

Despite two individual career-highs, Missouri suffered a second-straight loss to open its conference schedule.

Jan 23, 2026; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Missouri gymnast Kimarra Echols celebrates a career-best performance on bars during a meet against No. 3 Alabama. | Sarah Munzenmaier/OnSI

Missouri gymnastics' meet at No. 3 Alabama came down to the final routine, but the Tigers were put away by a standout floor routine from the Crimson Tide's Gabby Gladieux that earned a score of 9.975.

The performance put Alabama just above Missouri, handing the Tigers a 197.500-197.225 loss. The mark ties the Tigers' second-highest score of the season.

Floor had been the strength of both teams entering Friday night, with the Tigers ranking second in the country at the event. Gladieux's crucial routine was the best of the night for the event, while Kaia Tanskanen and Kennedy Griffin for Missouri both earned scores of 9.925, tying for the second-best marks in the event.

Jan. 23, 2026; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Missouri gymnast Elise Tisler performs her floor routine during a meet against No. 3 Alabama. | Sarah Munzenmaier/OnSI

Missouri also sent a strong closing argument, with its final two competitors on beam — Railey Jackson and Addison Lawrence — in the final rotation both scoring 9.95.

Beam was the only event where Missouri outscored Alabama, with the Tigers scoring 49.475 to the Crimson Tide's 49.300.

A highlight of the night for Missouri was two gymnasts notching career-highs, with freshman Kimarra Echols earning a score of 9.950 on bars, while Tanskanen's 9.925 score on floor was also a career-best.

Echols was the Tigers' highest placement in the all-around, finishing at No. 5 with a 29.675. In addition to her career highlight on bars, she posted scores of 9.900 on vault and 9.825 on floor.

“I thought we had a lot of great things tonight,” head coach Shannon Welker said in a press release. “We put a lot of corrections in that we've been working on, and I think we did a good job of  staying united as a team as we moved through the evening and finished out strong.”

Jan 23, 2026; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Missouri gymnast Kimarra Echols performs her bar routine during a meet against No. 3 Alabama. | Sarah Munzenmaier/OnSI

The loss puts Missouri at 4-2 on the season, losing its first two meets of conference play.

The Tigers will continue through a run of all four of the teams currently ranked inside the top four, next hosting No. 4 LSU at 6:45 p.m. on Jan. 30.