University of Missouri Athletics

At the helm of the Mizzou gymnastics program, two-time SEC Coach of the Year, 2025 WCGA National Coach of the Year and leader of the College Gym News Coaching Staff of the Year head coach Shannon Welker continues to make the Tigers a rising power nationally. 

2025

The 12th season of Welker's tenure at Mizzou marked the best in program history, leading the Tigers to the NCAA Championship Final for the first time ever and a third-place finish, the highest final ranking of any Mizzou women's team.

Missouri gymnastics achieved many program firsts along the way - its first individual national champion (Helen Hu on the balance beam), its first score of 198, the best balance beam (49.575) and floor exercise (49.725) scores in program history, the most 10s in a single season (five) among a number of others.

In the postseason, the Tigers earned their first appearance in Session II of the Southeastern Conference Championship, where they finished fourth with a score of 197.400 - tying for the best finish in the conference championship since joining the SEC. The team went on to win its NCAA Championship Second Round meet over No. 10 Georgia, No. 21 Arizona and No. 26 Arizona State with a postseason-best score of 197.650 and earned a spot at nationals after taking second with a 197.425 in the Regional Final in Seattle.

With its appearance in the NCAA Championship Regional Final, Mizzou became one of seven schools to reach the round in the last five seasons. At the NCAA Championship Semifinal, Missouri advanced to its first national title meet in dramatic fashion, trading sticks with Florida as the Tigers finished the meet on beam before Hu stepped up and earned 9.9875 to clinch the win over UF and earn the national title on the apparatus. MU then finished in third place over Utah for its best final ranking ever.

With success comes awards, and the 2025 squad collected a number of them. Coach Welker earned SEC Coach of the Year for the second time of his carrer and Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association South Central Coach of the Year. The gymnasts' accolades were numerous, with the Tigers accounting for nine WCGA All-America honors and six WCGA Regular Season All-Americans - both of which were program bests.

Under Welker's development, Hu was named both a WCGA First Team All-American and a WCGA Regular Season First Team All-American, an All-SEC Team Member, SEC Specialist of the Year, SEC Balance Beam Champion, NCAA Seattle Regional Balance Beam Champion and a record-setting five SEC Specialist of the Week awards. Mara Titarsolej claimed her second-consecutive SEC Uneven Bars Champion while also being named both a  both a WCGA First Team All-American and a WCGA Regular Season First Team All-American, while Amari Celestine was named WCGA South Central Gymnast of the Year and a Second Team WCGA Second Team All-Around Member and a Second Team WCGA Regular Season Second Team All-Around and Floor Member.

2024

In Welker’s 11th season, Missouri reached new heights, finishing with a 13-6 record and a program-record 197.420 NQS that ranked No. 13 in the country. The Tigers posted a score of 197 or higher in 12 of their 14 meets, the most in team history.

In postseason competition, the Tigers finished fifth at the SEC Championship meet, posting a school-record 197.275 to win the afternoon session. Missouri reached the NCAA Regional Final for a fourth consecutive season and finished the country ranked 11th in the nation, the team’s second-best year-end ranking in program history.

Welker’s squad started off its season with a bang, peaking at No. 3 in the first rankings of the year for the team’s highest ranking ever. Three weeks later, the Tigers earned their biggest upset in program history, knocking off the eventual NCAA champion No. 3 LSU on Jan. 26 inside Hearnes Center.

As a team, Missouri set program records on three different events. The Tigers posted a 49.600 on bars at the Mizzou Quad on March 10, then scored a 49.500 on vault and a 49.700 on floor at the Illinois Quad on March 17 to end the regular season strong.

The Tigers racked up several accolades over the course of the season. Three Missouri gymnasts — Jocelyn Moore, Sienna Schreiber and Mara Titarsolej — each earned WCGA Regular Season All-America honors, marking the most gymnasts to earn the honor in a single season for the Tigers.

At the conference level, Missouri’s awards were headlined by Jocelyn Moore winning 2024 SEC Event Specialist of the Year and Mara Titarsolej claiming a share of the SEC bars title to become Missouri’s first bars conference champion. Additionally Missouri earned a conference-best and program-record seven All-SEC selections at the SEC Championship.

2023

Another record-breaking season for the Tigers led by Welker, ending with the highest regional score in program history with 197.600 and a 3rd place finish at the NCAA Regional Final. Mizzou’s score of 49.450 also earned them the highest vault score in regional competition. The Tigers set a new program-high championships score, beating both Arkansas and Georgia at the SEC Championships, along with a 2nd place finish at the NCAA Regional Second Round. Under Welker’s coaching, the Tigers secured the 14th rank nationally and a 10-3 record, including wins over five nationally-ranked opponents.

Five gymnasts earned All-SEC Honors for the second year in a row: Amari Celestine, Helen Hu, Jocelyn Moore, Alisa Sheremeta and Sienna Schreiber. Moore and Hu were also named Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) Regular Season All-Americans for the season. Claiming first-team honors on vault, Moore posted this accolade for the second consecutive time and Hu claimed second-team honors on beam.

2022

In a remarkable 2022 season, Welker led the Tigers to a fifth-place finish in NCAA National Championships in April — the best finish in program history. The Tigers ranked 11th nationally, defeating LSU and Iowa in the NCAA Regional Second Round. Missouri grabbed hold of a top-two finish, topping UCLA and Iowa State, at the Raleigh Regional to secure a spot at the NCAA Championships for only the second time ever. Under Welker’s leadership, the Tigers also won on the road against Georgia for the first time.

Two gymnasts received Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WGCA) Regular Season All-America honors — Jocelyn Moore and Sienna Schreiber. Moore claimed first team honors on vault, while Schreiber took second team honors on the beam and all-around. Welker received SEC Coach of the Year for his performance.

2021

Mizzou concluded the 2021 campaign ranked 14th nationally for the second year in a row, the first time since the 2009 and 2010 seasons the Tigers posted back-to-back top 14 finishes. Competing in a Southeastern Conference-only regular season, Welker led Missouri to wins over No. 15 Georgia and No. 19 Auburn, while also finishing ahead of No. 9 Arkansas at the 2021 SEC Championship. In the NCAA Tuscaloosa second round, the Tigers erupted with a 197.325, the third-highest score in program history, to advance to the NCAA Regional Final. It marked the first time Mizzou competed in a regional final in the revamped postseason format. 

Individually, the Tigers had a WCGA Regular Season All-American for the second year in a row, as sophomore Sienna Schreiber nabbed second team accolades on beam. Schreiber and freshman Amaya Marshall also claimed All-SEC honors, with Schreiber earning a spot on the All-SEC Team and Marshall on the SEC All-Freshman Team. 

2020

In 2020, Welker’s Tigers vaulted up the rankings as the season progressed, reaching 14th in late March when the season was abruptly cut short prior to the regular season finale. Over the course of the season, Mizzou defeated No. 11 Minnesota and No. 19 Nebraska and twice posted team scores among the top 10 in program history. Additionally, Welker’s vault squad notched two scores that ranked in the program’s top 10 on the event. 

The Tigers’ National Qualifying Score (NQS) of 196.635 at the time the season ended was the third-best such score in program history and the team’s highest since 2004. Freshman Helen Hu emerged as one of the nation’s top gymnasts, claiming NACGC/W All-America first team (beam) and second team (bars) honors, as well as SEC Event Specialist of the Year accolades. 

2019

The 2019 Tigers finished 17th in the national rankings, which tied the team’s best finish since 2010. At the 2019 NCAA Athens Regional, Missouri tallied both the highest regional score (196.625) and the top regional beam total (49.200) in program history. Senior Brooke Kelly Senior Brooke Kelly became the 10th Tiger to earn an individual berth to the NCAA Championships after she qualified on beam. 

Mizzou knocked off four top 25 teams during the 2019 season, including a win over No. 10 Kentucky and a tie with No. 7 Michigan. 

The Tigers also recorded the second-highest beam score in program history (49.425), the sixth (49.425) and seventh (49.400) best floor scores and the ninth-best vault total (49.275) over the course of the campaign. 

2018

Welker’s fifth season at Mizzou saw the Tigers knock off three top 10 teams during the regular season. On March 2, Missouri defeated No. 5 Florida, 196-925-196.925, for the first victory over the Gators in program history. Mizzou also defeated Arkansas twice this year while the Razorbacks were ranked in the top 10. Overall, the Tigers went 9-7 in the regular season, including conference wins over No. 5 Florida and No. 10 Arkansas. The squad also concluded the year ranked 20th in the nation, the third-straight season Mizzou ended the year in the top 20. 

2017

In his fourth year with Missouri, Welker’s Tigers finished 17th in the national rankings and a third-place finish at the NCAA Gainesville Regional, only one spot shy of qualifying for the NCAA Championships. The 2017 season also saw Mizzou go 3-4 in Southeastern Conference dual meet action, with wins over No. 12 Arkansas, No. 12 Kentucky and No. 18 Auburn. The Tigers entered the season with just one SEC dual win in program history. Additionally, Missouri recorded the third and fourth-highest scores in program history in 2017, with a 197.200 against Auburn and a 197.150 one week later against Kentucky. 

2016

During the 2016 season, Welker led Mizzou to its highest NCAA Regional (third) finish since 2010. Overall, the Tigers finished the year ranked 19th in the national rankings, the team’s highest since 2010, and ahead of Southeastern Conference foes Arkansas and Kentucky. Missouri recorded three scores of at least 196.625 or higher during the year in 2016, only the second time Mizzou accomplished that in the 37 year history of the program.         

Additionally, the Tigers defeated No. 9 Georgia 195.800-195.350 for the team’s first top-10 win since 2012. Under Welker’s tutelage, freshman Morgan Porter earned SEC Freshman of the Year honors and was the first Tiger gymnast to qualify for the NCAA Championships since 2012. 

2015

Under Welker’s direction, the Tigers were the nation’s most improved program in 2015. Mizzou finished the season ranked 21st, a full 20-spot increase from the previous year and the biggest jump in the country. The 2015 Tigers also qualified for their first NCAA Regional since 2012, where they scored a 196.100, the second-best Regional score in program history. Additionally, Mizzou entered the top-25 for the first time since 2012 and scored at least 195 10 times in 13 meets. The Tigers also topped 196 twice during the season for the first time since 2012 as well. 

2014

In his first year in Columbia in 2014, Welker quickly installed his Championship Culture to the squad. Over the season, the Tigers went 6-7 in the regular season and scored the sixth-best bars score (49.300) in program history against George Washington. 

Welker brought a wealth of experience to Columbia after five years as an assistant coach at the University of Michigan and nine years as the head coach and program director at the St. Louis Gymnastic Center.

Prior to Mizzou

During his time at Michigan, Welker was primarily responsible for coaching the vault and floor squads in addition to serving as the recruiting coordinator. Welker guided his vault squads to three top ten finishes during his time at Michigan, and his 2012 vault team finished at No. 11 in the nation. Under his direction, the Michigan floor squads also finished among the nation’s top-10 four times, while the team earned top-15 finishes in each of his seasons in Ann Arbor.

Welker coached five gymnasts to 12 All-American honors while at Michigan including the 2013 NCAA National Floor Champion, Joanna Sampson. He also produced three NCAA Regional Championship floor title winners and back-to-back NCAA Regional Champions on vault. Four of his gymnasts won event titles at the Big Ten Championships, and Welker assisted the Wolverines to three NCAA National Championships as well.

Before coaching at Michigan, Welker spent one year as an assistant coach at Bowling Green, where he coached two gymnasts to the NCAA Regional Championships for the first time in program history. Before working with the Falcons, Welker served as the head women’s gymnastics coach and program director at the St. Louis Gymnastic Center for nine years.

About Welker

A four-year competitor on the University of Illinois at Chicago men’s gymnastics team, Welker served as a team captain for three years and earned NCAA All-American honors in 1996. He was also awarded UIC Athlete of the Year honors that season. Welker spent eight years as head coach at St. Louis Gym Centre in Webster Groves, Missouri, where he trained in high school, as an assistant men’s gymnastics coach for UIC and was also inducted into the University of Illinois at Chicago Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005.

Welker earned his undergraduate degree in kinesiology from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1998, and also received his master’s degree in sports management from Eastern Michigan University in 2012. Welker and his wife, Molly, hail from the St. Louis metropolitan area, having attended Vianney High School and grew up in Webster Groves, Missouri. They have two sons, Ian and Brendan.