Mizzou Gymnastics Earns Four Event Titles in Upset Over Kentucky at Home

The Tigers log a season-high 197.200 in their sixth win of the year.

Apr 14, 2022; Fort Worth, TX, USA; University of Missouri gymnast Amari Celestine during the session two semi finals at Dickies Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Missouri earned its biggest gymnastics win of the season on Sunday.

In their second dual meet of the year, the No. 11 Tigers upset No. 6 Kentucky 197.200-196.800. In addition to Missouri's score being its highest of the year, the Tigers won all four events.

"That was our best complete performance thus far," head coach Shannon Welker said. "I was really pleased."

After earning a perfect 10 on the beam in the Tigers' last meet, Helen Hu recorded a 9.975 this time around to claim the event title. She made her difficult routine look effortless, moonwalking across the beam in an out-of-this-world performance. 

Not only was Hu’s 9.975 enough to win the beam, but it was also a meet-high score.

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Moore, who currently holds the highest vault score in the country with a 9.975, led the Tigers on the apparatus with a 9.900 to win it.

Additionally, Amari Celestine won the bars with a 9.900. Her success was reassuring for Tigers fans who witnessed her fall against Oklahoma in Missouri’s last meet. After she fell during the floor routine, she reached for her ankle. However, she seemed to be ok as she continued to compete.

Celestine shook off the fall from just over a week ago and had a great showing against the Wildcats. Aside from her 9.900 on the bars, she posted a 9.925 on the floor to tie Moore and co-own the floor title.

Missouri started the meet on a positive note when the team competed on the vault. In its most recent meet against Oklahoma, Missouri scored a season-high vault score of 49.300. The team looked to replicate that performance against the Wildcats. Missouri was close to replicating it exactly, as the team scored 49.200 for its second-highest vault score of the year.

Four scores of at least 9.825 by Elise Tisler, Celestine, Moore and Kennedy Griffin contributed to Missouri’s vault success. 

On the other side of the arena, Kentucky was competing on the bars. A rocky performance by Isabella Rivelli resulted in a 9.350, creating some breathing room for Missouri. The Wildcats bounced back by posting five straight scores of 9.750 or higher. Nevertheless, Missouri was in the lead by the end of the first rotation 49.200-49.025.

The Tigers' second rotation of bars created some separation for Missouri. The Tigers had some standouts on the bars, for instance with Moore who launched into a twist when leaving the high bar. Her impressive dismount marked her second solid landing of the night and gave her a 9.825.

Hannah Horton followed Moore’s impressive routine with one of her own, posting a 9.850. It was Celestine who stole the show on the bars when she won it with a 9.900.

Following the second rotation, Missouri led by a 98.425-98.200 margin. The lead wasn’t huge, and Missouri was heading into its worst event of 2024 in the beam.

Sure enough, the Tigers started to slip on their third apparatus.

Addison Lawrence was the first Tiger to compete on the beam. Her routine was looking solid until she fell off mid-routine. She was able to redeem herself and finish strong, but the score of 9.200 still had to be dropped and created a smaller margin of error for the Tigers.

Luckily, some of her Lawrence's teammates bailed her out, one being Hu with her 9.975.

Aside from Hu, freshman Olivia Kelly had a strong showing. This was the first meet that featured Kelly in the beam lineup, but her inexperience didn't show. The freshman earned a 9.900 in her beam debut to tie for second place in the event.

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Fellow freshman Railey Jackson has been having a solid collegiate debut season, and she continued to roll through her routines by earning a 9.800 on the beam.

"Hit[ting] a beam routine after a fall is not easy," Moore said. "I was really proud of those Tigers. They got up there and they fought."

The Tigers headed to their fourth and final rotation looking to put the meet away, and Missouri's "Fab Floor" got the job done.

All six of Missouri's gymnasts scored 9.850s or higher to notch a floor score of 49.425.

The Tigers found themselves thriving on the floor again after posting a season-low floor performance of 49.100 against the Sooners.

Moore and Celestine paved the way for Missouri on the floor, both recording 9.925s. Tisler followed with a 9.875. The fans were loving the floor routines, cheering just about the loudest they had all night.

"We're putting on a show and just having fun with it," Welker said. "I think when they're having fun, they do better."

The strong effort sealed the win for Missouri, advancing the team to 6-2.

Missouri’s next meet will be on Friday, with the team taking on No. 2 LSU. This will be another challenging competition, as LSU is the reigning NCAA Champion. The battle of the Tigers will begin at 7:30 p.m. and fans can watch on SEC Network.