Mizzou reflects on record-breaking 2025 season
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Mizzou Gymnastics enjoyed its best campaign in program history.
After making their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Championship Final, the Tigers ended the season as the No. 3-ranked team in the nation, clinching their program's best postseason finish and final ranking. MU's remarkable run from start-to-finish is a testament to the team's determination and the culture that head coach Shannon Welker has built.
"I feel like that just proves how much we can out-heart each team. Honestly, I feel like people have tended to sleep on Mizzou Gymnastics for whatever reason, and this year, that's just a testament to how hard we work and how we have just as much talent as any other team in the SEC and in the country, but we can really out-work and out-heart them," Mizzou gymnast Amari Celestine said.
"It's super rewarding to beat teams that have national team members on them, that have Olympians on them, right? I think that says a lot about the preparation that we did all the way from the summer. It says a lot about the buy-in and the commitment level from the young ladies on our team," Welker said. "It transforms what our expectations can realistically be moving forward."
You can watch the full press conference with Coach Welker and Celestine in the video player above.
Across all 16 of its competitions, Mizzou shattered numerous records:
- Highest Postseason Finish (3rd)
- Highest Final Ranking (No. 3)
- Highest NCAA Tournament National Seed (No. 7)
- Highest NCAA Regional Seed (No. 2)
- Highest Regular Season National Qualifying Score Ranking (No. 7)
- Highest Regular Season National Qualifying Score (197.510)
- Highest Single-Meet Team Score (198.100)
- Highest Floor Exercise Team Score (49.725)
- Highest Balance Beam Team Score (49.575)
The Tigers achieved that greatness under the leadership of an award-winning coaching staff. On Thursday, Welker was named the Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) National Coach of the Year and Whitney Snowden, Lacey Rubin and Jackie Terpak were announced as the WCGA's National Assistant Coaches of the Year.
Following this season's success, MU has turned its attention to next season. Coach Welker is aiming to maintain his recent success in the transfer portal, acquiring three straight All-American transfers over the last three offseasons. As Welker and his staff begin to build the roster, last year's team has already laid the foundation to replicate this season's success during the 2026 campaign.
"I heard a couple of [freshmen] say, 'oh, we got to do this again next year'. That was their comment. I heard that from them. I'm like, 'yeah, that's a good idea'," Welker said. "They had great examples, from Amari to Jocelyn to Helen, on what it takes on a daily basis, not only in the gym, but in the locker room, and the athletic training room, and nutritionally, conditioning-wise. They got to see all that firsthand and just what does it take to get to that level, and I think that is invaluable."
