SEATTLE – No. 7 University of Missouri gymnastics won its NCAA Championship Second Round quad meet, scoring 197.650 to move onto its fifth-consecutive Regional Final on Friday at Alaska Airlines Arena, with redshirt senior Helen Hu (Chicago, Ill.) scoring the first 10 in an NCAA meet in program history.
The Tigers (20-7, 5-3 SEC) earned victories over No. 10 Georgia (196.175), No. 21 Arizona (196.250) and No. 26 Arizona State (196.050) with their best postseason score ever. Hu's 10 marked Mizzou's third-straight meet scoring perfection in its final routine of the contest.
SHOW STOPPERS
All three gymnasts to receive a 10 from one of four judges in their routine were Tigers: Amari Celestine (Wildomar, Calif.), Hu and Olivia Kelly (Bronx, N.Y.). Celestine, who won Session I's all-around title after scoring 39.450, notched a 10 on her vault routine, which earned 9.950. Hu's 10 was the third unanimous score of her career. Kelly's bars routine, which averaged 9.925, also received a 10 from a judge for the first time in her career.
RECAP
Floor
-The Tigers posted 49.300 in their first rotation to open the meet in first place.
-Three Mizzou gymnasts scored 9.875 or higher on the floor exercise.
-Jocelyn Moore (Hillsborough, N.J.) anchored the rotation and earned 9.900, leading the team.
-Freshman Kaia Tanskanen (Howell, Mich.) performed her second-career routine on floor, scoring 9.875.
Vault
-Mizzou notched 49.225 on vault.
-Celestine's 9.950 marked the best score on the team, earning the meet's event title from the anchor position.
-Both Hannah Horton (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) and Moore received scores of 9.850.
Uneven Bars
-On bars, Missouri earned 49.550, the fourth-best score in program history and second-best of the season.
-The mark was the best on the apparatus during Session I.
-Horton earned a career-best 9.950, which earned her the meet's event title.
-Five Tigers scored 9.850 or better for their efforts on uneven bars.
-Kelly and Mara Titarsolej (Zutphen, Netherlands) received scores of 9.925, with the mark setting a new best for Kelly.
-Graduate student Kyra Burns (Blue Springs, Mo.) opened the rotation for Mizzou, scoring 9.900 for the third-consecutive meet.
Beam
-The team's 49.575 tied for its best score on balance beam in program history and was the highest of the session.
-Hu anchored the rotation and became the first Mizzou gymnast to score three 10s in the same season in any event.
-Three Tigers scored 9.900 on beam – Amy Wier (St. Louis, Mo.), which tied her career best, Addison Lawrence (Olathe, Kan.) and Kelly.
-With four scores better than 9.900, Mizzou was the lone school to have more than two gymnasts reach the threshold.
UP NEXT
Mizzou moves onto the NCAA Championship Regional Final on Sunday at 7 p.m. CT and compete against No. 21 Arizona and the top two finishers from the Session II meet between No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 15 Auburn, No. 20 Nebraska and No. 29 Illinois. The first- and second-place teams at the Regional Final earn spots in the NCAA Championship Semifinal on Thursday, April 17 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.
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