Mizzou Gymnastics Reflects on Historic Season

Missouri gymnastics recently wrapped up a season that will be remembered for years to come.

The team had so many achievements in 2025, from recording a program-high 198.100 to earning five perfect 10s to finishing third at the NCAA Championship Final.

Head coach Shannon Welker, who was named the Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association National Coach of the Year, and senior Amari Celestine reflected on the season.

Maintaining an "Undeniable" Mindset, Defying Expectations

A phrase the Tigers adopted and have used as a mantra is "undeniable." Their goal has been to perform at a high level so that their talent is undeniable to all.

Missouri believes it needs to compete so well that there's no question in the judges' minds that the Tigers deserve high scores.

"I feel like people have tended to sleep on Mizzou gymnastics for whatever reason," Celestine said in a press conference Thursday. "That's just a testament to how hard we work and how we have just as much talent as any other team in the SEC, in the country, but we can really outwork and out-heart them."

If people were sleeping on Missouri gymnastics before, they're certainly wide awake now. The Tigers have opened the nation's eyes to what they are capable of, and that's something Welker is very proud of.

"It's super rewarding to beat teams that have national team members on them, that have Olympians on them," Welker said. "I think that says a lot about the preparation that we did. It says a lot about the buy-in and commitment level from the young ladies on our team."

Historic Success

Missouri's biggest achievement of the year may seem obvious: its third-place finish in the NCAA Final. The team certainly views that as a monumental accomplishment, but Welker also praises the way the Tigers got there.

“Obviously, really excited about how we closed out the season," Welker said. " I think winning by such close margins all the way from that regional championship through was really rewarding. (It) speaks to the character and the grittiness and the toughness of our team.”

Missouri qualified for the NCAA Final after edging out the Florida Gators by a 197.3000-197.2000 margin in a shocking upset in the NCAA Semifinal. In the Championship, the Tigers earned third place, finishing behind Oklahoma and UCLA while defeating Utah 197.2500-197.2375.

The Tigers accomplished other feats, such a earning five perfect scores. Three of them came from beam specialist Helen Hu, while graduate student Mara Titarsolej earned a 10 on bars, and sophomore Kennedy Griffin earned a 10 on floor.

Missouri also recorded a program-high 198.100 against Auburn on March 9.

Looking toward the Future, Raising the Bar

After experiencing such a successful season, Missouri is excited for what the future holds.

“It transforms what our expectations can realistically be moving forward," Welker said. "This year's goals are next year's opportunities. It's easy to talk about stuff, but until you do it, it's not a reality. And so I think that's really what it does- it makes that a reality and a feasible goal that the next team can do and the next team can do."

Next year's team will look a bit different, as several notable athletes are moving on from college gymnastics. One of those athletes is Celestine herself, but she will still be present to cheer the Tigers on from the sidelines.

"I'm excited to see what they do when I'm not there, because I know this team is great," Celestine said. "I'm excited for my little guys to get into lineups. There's a lot of open spots, so it's anybody's game right now. I'm very excited to see what they do with these opportunities and how they decide to grow."

This season's team included several freshmen who made an impact. Kaia Tanskanen, Railey Jackson and Olivia Kelly all competed in the NCAA Championship Final, with each of them recording at least one score that surpassed a 9.8000.

Welker is eager to work with the younger athletes to get the Tigers right back to the same level next season.

"I heard a couple of them say, ‘Oh, we gotta do this again next year,’" Welker said. "I'm like, ‘Yeah, that's a good idea. We should do this again next year.’ But you don't have that drive sometimes, until you really, truly are a part of it. And I think that is going to make it easier for them to just have that daily drive."