Hu Returns to Gymnastics Roster for 2025 Season
10/7/2024 9:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
Helen Hu ranks second-highest bars, third-highest beam score in program history
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Helen Hu, a two-time NCAA All-American and three-time All-Southeastern Conference gymnast, has returned to the University of Missouri gymnastic program and will use her final year of eligibility to compete in the upcoming 2025 season, head coach Shannon Welker announced on Monday morning.
The redshirt senior holds career highs of 9.975 three times on the balance beam and 9.950 twice on bars, placing her tied for third and second in the program's record books for the respective competitions. Hu has earned a 9.900 or better 36 times between the two events.
"When weighing my options, I couldn't shake the feeling that I have more to give, and that belief that I could do more," Hu said. "I wanted to continue helping the program grow and be a part of this really special sport. It felt like I would be missing out on a special opportunity that people don't get or can't achieve. So, I felt like I owe it to myself, the sport and the team to come back for a year because I knew that I could."
Hu spent the past year backpacking in European, South American and Asian countries.
"We are so honored to welcome back Helen as a member of our program," Coach Welker said. "She is an exemplary student-athlete and a joy to be around. Helen is scattered in our record books for a reason – she's a hard worker and a very skilled leader. This team is already incredibly special and adding her onto the roster will only make us better."
In her most recent season of competition, the 2023 campaign, Hu competed in all 13 meets and posted a 9.900 or better on beam in 10 of them. She earned her Second Team All-American status in the event and was on the end-of-season All-SEC team. Notably, she reached a 9.975 on beam for the third time in her collegiate career during the team's quad meet on March 10 and added another near-perfect performance at 9.950 on the bars at the SEC Conference on March 18. The Chicago native tied for the highest team bars score of the 2023 season of 9.950 and tied for the highest team balance beam score of the season with 9.975.
As a redshirt sophomore, Hu scored a 9.9 or better on beam in seven of 12 events on the season, posting a season-best 9.95 four times to claim the second-high event score on the team. She also earned a 9.9 on bars to help the Tigers post an NCAA Regional program-high score of 197.425, ultimately punching their ticket to the NCAA Championship. Hu tied for third in the SEC and fourth nationally on beam and was recognized as both a member of the competition's Post-Season All-American and the All-SEC Team in 2022.
Prior to her sophomore season in 2021, Hu sustained a preseason injury that kept her sidelined for the year and forced her to redshirt. This was following a successful freshman year, where she notched a plethora of awards - All-SEC Team, Second Team All-American on bars, SEC Event Specialist of the Year, a two-time SEC Event Specialist of the Week, SEC All-Freshman team and a four-time SEC Freshman of the Week. She competed in the all-around, posting a score of 39.525 at No. 19 Nebraska on March 7, 2020, and set the mark for her personal bests in her main two events of bars and beam.
Hu also was a stellar student-athlete academically. She was placed on the 2022-23 and 2021-22 SEC Academic Honor Roll and the 2019-20 First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll.
Ahead of the 2025 season, Welker landed four transfers, welcoming Lauren Macpherson from San Jose State, Abby Mueller from Illinois, Elise Tisler from Towson and Amy Weir from Oklahoma. The Tigers also brought in a star-studded freshman class of Ayla Acevedo, Railey Jackson, Olivia Kelly, Lisa Szeibert and Kaia Tanskanen.
Mizzou concluded the 2024 gymnastics season with a final national ranking of No. 11 according to RoadToNationals.com. The team finished its season in the NCAA Gainesville Regional Final, marking the fourth-straight season the Tigers appeared in a regional final. MU returns 12 members of the 2024 squad – Kyra Burns, Amari Celestine, Jessa Conedera, Grace Anne Davis, Kennedy Griffin, Hannah Horton, Addison Lawerence, Rayna Light, Kylie Minard, Jocelyn Moore, Mara Titarsolej and Courtney Woods.
Season ticket renewals for the 2025 Mizzou gymnastics season are on sale now on MUTigers.com/Tickets. The Tigers will compete in eight conference meets, hosting Kentucky, Alabama, Georgia and Auburn and will travel to Oklahoma, LSU, Florida and Arkansas. The full schedule with dates will be announced at a later date.
FOLLOW THE TIGERS
For all the latest on Mizzou gymnastics, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
