HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The No. 23 Mizzou gymnastics team recorded its highest-ever Southeastern Conference Championships score and finish with a 196.125 to place sixth at the 2021 Championships on Saturday at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Ala. The sixth-place finish surpassed the three previous highs of seventh and the 196.125 bettered the 196.100 recorded at the 2018 SEC Championships.
Alabama won the team title with a score of 197.875 points. LSU took second with 197.775, ahead of Florida in third with 196.975 and Kentucky in fourth in 196.825. Auburn took home fifth-place with 196.825, Mizzou sixth with its 196.125 and Arkansas seventh with 195.600.
Sophomore Sienna Schreiber (Cumming, Ga.) tied for fifth on beam with a 9.925, which was the highest score of the afternoon session. She also totaled 39.375 in the all-around.
KEY PERFORMANCES
Mizzou opened the night with a 49.000 on floor, with three Tigers of scores of 9.8 or higher. Senior Gabrielle Gottula (Spring, Texas) and junior Hannah McCrary (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) each tallied 9.825s, while junior Alisa Sheremeta (Circleville, N.Y.) went 9.8. Schreiber and freshman Amaya Marshall (Kannapolis, N.C.) added 9.775s as well.
Schreiber paced the Tigers with a 9.85 on vault in the second rotation as the squad earned a 48.875. Marshall, McCrary and freshman Sydney Schaffer (Andover, Kan.) garnered scores of 9.775 and sophomore Hollyn Patrick (Lafayette, Colo.) went 9.7.
In the third rotation, Missouri totaled a 48.975 on bars. Marshall and Schreiber both tallied team-best 9.825s and sophomore Adalayna Hufendiek (Columbia, Mo.) closed the rotation with a career-best 9.8. Additionally, Patrick scored a 9.775 and Sheremeta a 9.75.
Mizzou closed the session with a strong performance on beam, earning a 49.275 on the apparatus as five Tigers went 9.8 or higher. Schreiber once again led the way with a 9.925, her fourth-consecutive score of 9.9 or higher and her fifth overall on the season. McCrary, Schaffer and Sheremeta all claimed scores of 9.85, and Marshall added a 9.8.
QUOTABLES
Mizzou Head Coach Shannon Welker
"I thought we did what we intended to do for the most part today. Most of the ladies on our team have never been to an SEC Championship, only two or three have competed in it before, so considering that we did a pretty good job. We had some small errors but we didn't let any of those get us off track. We finished strong on beam, which has been a good event for us this back half of the season. Overall it was a pretty solid performance and will give us a good stepping stone as we move into NCAA Regionals."
UP NEXT
Up for the Tigers are NCAA Regionals, which will be announced on Monday, March 22 at 4 p.m. CT on NCAA.com.
