University of Missouri
No. 2 Oklahoma
Seventh-Ranked Gymnastics Hosts No. 2 Oklahoma
1/15/2026 10:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
Mizzou takes on reigning national champion Oklahoma in its first conference meet of the year.
Mizzou gymnastics competes in its first Southeastern Conference meet of the 2026 campaign as it hosts reigning champion No. 2 Oklahoma on Friday, Jan. 16 at 7:45 p.m. at Mizzou Arena. The meet will be nationally televised on SEC Network, with commentary provided by Alex Perlman and Anastasia Webb.
THE FIRST TOUCH
-The Tigers' meet against No. 2 Oklahoma marks the start of Mizzou's first stretch of four straight contests against the nation's top four teams.
-Missouri's team score of 197.275 on Saturday ranks as the fifth-highest nationally this season.
-Mizzou enters the contest having won its first two meets of the season for the 13th time in program history, including five such starts under head coach Shannon Welker.
-Across the first two meets, 24 of Missouri's 48 routines have earned a 9.900 or higher from at least one judge.
-Mizzou returns four Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) All-Americans from its 2025 NCAA third-place finishing team, including Elise Tisler (Fairfax Station, Va.) (first team, vault) Hannah Horton (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) (second team, bars), Olivia Kelly (Bronx, N.Y.) (second team, bars and beam) and Addison Lawrence (Olathe, Kan.) (second team, beam).
-Thirteen members of the 2025 squad return to this year's roster, accounting for 14 of 24 routines.
-Mizzou opened the season ranked seventh in the WCGA preseason poll, receiving two first-place votes.
PROMOTIONS
-Mizzou is hosting The Golden Show for its meet against Oklahoma in honor of the recent Golden Globes awards show, which took place on Sunday, Jan. 11.
-Fans are encouraged to wear their best gold outfits to the meet.
-The first 200 fans will receive a Mizzou rubber tote bag.
THE MATCHUP
-Mizzou is 12-61-1 all-time against Oklahoma.
-The Tigers' most recent dual-meet win over the Sooners came in 2004 in Columbia, a 197.000–196.750 victory over the then-No. 7 team in the country.
-MU and OU met five times during the 2025 season, including a dual meet in Norman (Jan. 17), the SEC Championship (Session II), the NCAA Championship Seattle Regional Final, the NCAA Championship Semifinal and the NCAA Championship Final.
KNOCKING ON THE DOOR OF HISTORY
-Missouri is seeking the highest-ranked win in program history in its contest against No. 2 Oklahoma.
-The Tigers' previous highest-ranked win came against No. 3 Florida in the NCAA Championship Semifinal on April 17, 2025.
-MU has defeated a No. 3-ranked team three times in program history: against Florida last season, at home against LSU on Jan. 26, 2024, and in the NCAA Championship Semifinal over Michigan on April 15, 2022.
OFF TO A HOT START
-After beating Iowa State to begin the season, Mizzou won its first meet of the season for the fifth-straight year.
-The Tigers' 49.450 on bars marked their best opening-meet score on the apparatus when they topped the Cyclones.
-Since Welker took over the program in 2014, the Tigers are 19-4 with a 42-30 mark overall in their season-opening meets.
-The highest score the team has scored in its opening meet was 197.150 on Jan. 6, 2024, against Northern Illinois, SEMO and Lindenwood.
AMONG THE BEST OF THE BEST
-Missouri is one of only five programs nationally to have multiple gymnasts score 9.950 or higher across numerous events this season.
-Horton delivered a 9.975 on vault, ranking among the nation's top performances through week two.
-Lawrence added a 9.950 on balance beam for the second straight week at the Ameritas Master's Classic.
-The Tigers join Auburn, Florida, LSU and Utah as the only programs with gymnasts posting 9.950+ scores across multiple events this season.
JUST HORTON THINGS
-Following the first meet of the season, Horton is among the nation's best in all three events she competed in.
-The Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, native ranks tied for second after a career-best 9.975 on vault in the team's most recent meet.
-Horton is also tied for sixth on floor after earning consecutive scores of 9.925.
-The junior won event titles on vault, bars and floor in the team's meet against Iowa State and on vault and floor at the Ameritas Master's Classic.
NO SHORTAGE OF ALL-AMERICANS BACK IN COMO
-Of the nation-leading nine WCGA All-America honors MU tallied following the 2025 NCAA Championship Semifinal meet, four return to Mizzou, tied for most in the country along with Alabama, Oklahoma and Florida.
-Tisler was named a WCGA Vault First Team member. On the WCGA Second Team, Horton earned recognition on uneven bars, while Kelly was recognized on uneven bars and balance beam, and Lawrence was also honored on balance beam.
TURNING HEADS IN THE PRESEASON
-Mizzou opened the 2026 season ranked No. 7 nationally in the WCGA preseason poll, marking its highest preseason ranking in program history.
-The Tigers earned multiple first-place votes, one of just five teams nationally to do so, and have appeared in the WCGA preseason top 10 in three of the last four seasons.
THE BEST SEASON IN MIZZOU WOMEN'S SPORTS HISTORY
-The 2025 Mizzou gymnastics season finished as the most successful season of any varsity women's team in school history, placing third at the NCAA Championship Final.
-It marked the first time the program advanced to the NCAA National Championship Final and the second time it had competed in the NCAA Championship Semifinals, having done so for the first time in 2022.
-Helen Hu captured the program's first individual national title after scoring 9.9875 on balance beam.
-The coaching staff was recognized for its outstanding season, as head coach Welker garnered 2025 WCGA National Coach of the Year and SEC Coach of the Year honors, while the staff was named the 2025 College Gym News Coaching Staff of the Year.
NO FLUKE
-The Tigers' best season in program history reflected sustained growth rather than a one-year breakthrough.
-Under Welker's leadership, Mizzou has consistently become one of the premier programs in the nation, finishing in the top 15 in each of the last six seasons after only doing so four times between 1998 and 2014.
-Both times the Tigers ranked among the top five to finish the season were under Welker - 2022 (fifth) and 2025 (third).
A NEW ERA
-Mizzou gymnastics announced it has changed its primary home venue to Mizzou Arena on Oct. 21, 2025.
-The Tigers compete in five of six regular-season home meets at Mizzou Arena during the 2025-26 season.
-Mizzou Arena previously hosted select gymnastics meets, with the most recent coming at the team's 2025 season opener, the Beauty and the Beast meet.
-Hearnes Center remains part of the schedule, hosting Senior Day vs. Arkansas for the team's last meet in Columbia for the season on March 1.
-Mizzou Arena opened in 2004 and is home to Mizzou men's and women's basketball, known as one of the nation's top home-court advantages, with both programs beating a No. 1-ranked opponent in the last four seasons.
ELITE COMPETITION COMING TO MIZZOU ARENA
-In the program's first season at Mizzou Arena, the Tigers welcome some of the best teams in the country.
-No. 1 Oklahoma (Jan. 16), No. 2 LSU (Jan. 30) and No. 3 Florida (Feb. 6) are all slated to compete in CoMo.
-This marks the first time since at least 1998 that Mizzou competed against multiple preseason top-three teams at home in the same season.
GODDESS WITH GLASSES
-Ayla Acevedo (Virginia Beach, Va.) caught media attention in her first routine as a Tiger.
-After not breaking into lineups as a freshman, she trained largely on her own during the summer, consistently attending voluntary morning practices, going to class and returning later in the day for conditioning while balancing a biochemistry major.
-Acevedo earned a new floor routine after approaching the staff and being told she could get one if she became competition-ready. She received the routine roughly one month before the season during Black & Gold exhibition meet week.
-The sophomore made her collegiate debut on floor at the team's season opener against Iowa State, scoring a 9.900.
-She performs to K-pop music from KATSEYE, the first known NCAA floor routine using that group according to program research.
ANOTHER CROP OF IMPRESSIVE FRESHMEN JOINS THE AMBUSH
-Mizzou's incoming freshman class, led by five-star and top-10 recruit Kimarra Echols (Henderson, Nev.), ranks No. 11 nationally and fifth in the SEC, according to College Gym News.
-Echols is joined by four-star Hayli Westerlind (Riverton, Utah), three-star Maiya Terry (Coeur D'Alene, Idaho) and Bryce Kupbens (Belmont, Calif.) in the 2025 freshman class.
-It marks the third time since 2021 the Tigers have welcomed a top-11 recruiting class.
KIMARRA ECHOLS - A NAME TO WATCH
-Echols was named to the College Gym News 2026 Freshman of the Year Watchlist on Dec. 22, 2025.
-She is the highest-ranked recruit to join Missouri gymnastics in history as the No. 7 prospect in her class and the latest top-tier addition to the Tigers' nationally-ranked roster.
-A five-star recruit, Echols has brought immediate lineup potential across all four events.
-Echols won the all-around at the Black & Gold exhibition (39.600) before making her collegiate debut against Iowa State with a 38.650 all-around, highlighted by a 9.900 on bars. She added a career-best 9.925 on bars at the Ameritas Master's Classic.
TRANSFER EXPERIENCE BOLSTERS 2026 ROSTER
-Mizzou continues to be a premier destination for transfers, as it brought in three talented gymnasts for 2026.
-Makayla Green (Mays Landing, N.J.) joins as a veteran uneven bars specialist and 2025 Illinois team captain after a breakout senior season that included multiple bars titles. The year was highlighted by a win at the NCAA Championship First Round, while posting a career-best score of 9.925 four times during the year.
-Dakota Essenpries (Adrian, Mo.) brings SEC and NCAA Championship experience to Columbia after competing in every vault lineup for Arkansas during the 2025 season. She recorded a career-high 9.900 at the NCAA Championship Second Round, adding depth and consistency to Mizzou's vault rotation.
-Sara Wabi (Chicago, Ill.) arrives as an experienced all-around contributor after earning three All-Midwest Independent Conference First Team honors. She helped lead Illinois State to MIC championships in 2023 and 2025 and qualified as an individual on uneven bars for the 2025 NCAA Regional.
TANSKANEN AMONG THE WORLD'S BEST
-Sophomore Kaia Tanskanen (Howell, Mich.) represented Finland internationally throughout the offseason, highlighted by a 15th-place finish in the all-around final at the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championship, marking the best all-around finish by a Finnish gymnast in history at the event.
-Tanskanen was the only active NCAA women's gymnast to compete in the World Championship all-around final and one of just two NCAA athletes to qualify, competing among the world's top 24 gymnasts.
-She advanced to the world final after placing 16th in qualifications, posting consistent routines across all four events and debuting upgraded difficulty on bars and floor as part of her elite development.
-Earlier in the summer, Tanskanen placed 11th all-around at the European Gymnastics Championships, recording a 50.799 total to qualify for the World Championships and finish as the top Finnish athlete in the field.
2026 SIGNING CLASS AMONG BEST IN MIZZOU HISTORY
-Mizzou welcomes the No. 6 recruiting class nationally for 2026-27, according to College Gym News, marking the second top-10 signing class in the past three years and the program's second-highest ranked class ever.
-The six-member class—Addison Anderson, Ashtyn Conley, Dakota "Coco" Haynes, Raegan McCarty, Kendall Morgan and Imani White—ranks fifth in the SEC and continues Mizzou's run of three consecutive top-20 classes.
-The group features two five-star recruits and multiple national, regional and state champions, bringing proven success across all four events and depth throughout the lineup.
-White headlines the class as the highest-rated signee in program history, ranking No. 5 nationally, with a decorated résumé that includes a career-high 10.0 on vault, multiple national team selections and extensive postseason experience.
FEATURE - THE GIRL WITH THE KOI FISH TATTOO: GROWTH COMES FROM WITHIN
-Lawrence's journey is defined by perseverance, symbolized by a koi fish tattoo inspired by Japanese folklore, reflecting her belief in growing through adversity rather than avoiding it.
-After starting gymnastics at age five, Lawrence navigated injuries, pressure, and a hip surgery that sidelined her for the entire 2024 season, strengthening her resolve as she leaned on her support system and long-term growth.
-She returned in 2025 as a WCGA All-American, crediting Mizzou's culture for reshaping her relationship with the sport, and now aspires to coach and mentor young gymnasts, emphasizing joy, communication, and confidence beyond results.
FEATURE - HORTON BOUNCES BACK
-Horton's freshman season tested her resilience as she navigated the twisties late in 2024, stepping back to reset mentally with support from her coaches and teammates.
-That approach fueled her 2025 breakout, highlighted by WCGA Uneven Bars Second Team All-America honors and an NCAA Seattle Regional bars title.
FEATURE - AN IMPACT IN AND OUT THE GYM
-Kelly arrived at Mizzou as one of the nation's top recruits and has consistently used gymnastics as a platform to uplift and serve others beyond competition.
-A native of Barbados, she is one of the few collegiate gymnasts representing the Caribbean and became the first Barbadian woman to compete at the Pan American Championships and qualify for the World Championships.
-Kelly has been open about competing with scoliosis, managing the condition through treatment and recovery while crediting gymnastics with building resilience and body awareness.
-She co-founded the Stronger Together Foundation and authored Am I Too Tall for Gymnastics?, while also earning 2025 WCGA Uneven Bars and Balance Beam Second Team All-America honors.
FEATURE - THE ART OF THE LEO
-Leotard design at Mizzou is a collaborative process, led by associate head coach Whitney Snowden with input from staff and direct feedback from student-athletes throughout the year.
-The Tigers try on and train in sample leotards so the staff can evaluate how designs move, fit and catch the light, while athletes share what feels best and what helps them compete confidently.
-Athlete comfort is the priority, as the design goal is to balance Mizzou pride with performance-ready fit, ensuring gymnasts can focus on routines rather than how a leo feels or moves.
-With multiple fabrics, stones and revisions involved, the team's GK partnership helps streamline the process and allows more testing and refinement—making the final look a true player-first, team-built product.
FOLLOW THE TIGERS
For all the latest on Mizzou gymnastics, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.
Players Mentioned
