COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Missouri gymnastics team celebrated its 2019 season with its annual awards banquet at the Clinton Club on Sunday, April 14. Numerous awards were given out at the event, including Gymnast of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year. 

The 2019 Tigers advanced to NCAA Regionals for the fifth-consecutive season and recorded their highest regional meet score in program history. Additionally, the team finished the year ranked 17th in the nation and notched wins over Southeastern Conference foes Kentucky and Arkansas. Missouri also scored 49 or better on floor in all 13 meets on the season for the first time in program history. 

Redshirt junior Morgan Porter took home Most Valuable Gymnast honors after hitting 40 of 42 routines on the year. She had season-best scores of 9.925 on floor, 9.9 on bars and beam, 9.875 on floor and 39.500 in the all-around. She also tallied an all-around tally of 39.475 at the NCAA Regional to just miss qualifing for the NCAA Championships. 

Junior Mary Nicholson and sophomore Gabrielle Gottula shared Most Improved Gymnast honors. Nicholson was in the beam and floor lineups 12 times in 2019 and tallied 18 scores of 9.8 or better in 24 routines, while Gottula was a mainstay in the vault, beam and floor lineups. The sophomore competed on vault and beam in every meet and the final 11 meets on floor this season, with 20 scores of 9.8 or better. 

Seniors Brooke Kelly and Michaelee Turner were named Co-Postseason Competitors of the Year. Kelly punched her ticket to the NCAA Championships with a 9.875 on beam at the NCAA Regional, and Turner had scores of 9.825 and 9.85 on floor in Mizzou's two postseason competitions. 

The Newcomer of the Year award went to freshman Frances Bidwill, who made the vault lineup the final eight meets of the year and competed on bars six times, with season-bests of 9.85 on vault and 9.8 on bars. 

Senior Allison Bower claimed the Most Consistent Competitor award, as she was a perfect 27-of-27 on hit routines in 2019. She hit all 30 of her routines as a junior in 2018 as well. 

Senior Madeleine Huber took home the Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the fourth year in a row, and senior Britney Ward won the Spirit Award, presented by the Missouri Gymnastics Booster Club.