Missouri went all in in 2025, pushing hard in the transfer market to stack the roster as much as possible during the senior season of a program-defining class. Now with that group graduated, it’s time to figure out what’s next. A lot of key routines from last year are gone, but some intriguing transfers and strong injury returners will join a great freshman class. Expect more from the sophomores, too—athletes like Olivia Kelly and Kaia Tanskanen can excel now that competition for lineup spots is a little less stiff.
2025 Rewind
No. 3 overall | No. 4 at SEC | No. 7 in regular season | NCAA final
2025 couldn’t have gone much better for Missouri. The Tigers peaked at the right time, soaring through the second half of the season to earn a program record and a memorable upset in the nationals semifinal. Even if there is a little bit of a rebuild process now, Mizzou fans will rightfully be holding onto the memories from 2025 for a long time.
Losses & Gains
| RETURNING |
| Sixth Years: Lauren Macpherson |
| Fifth Years: Grace Anne Davis |
| Seniors: Addison Lawrence, Elise Tisler, Amy Wier |
| Juniors: Kennedy Griffin, Hannah Horton, Rayna Light |
| Sophomores: Ayla Acevedo, Railey Jackson, Olivia Kelly, Lisa Szeibert, Kaia Tanskanen |
| IN |
| Freshmen: Kimarra Echols, Bryce Kupbens, Maiya Terry, Hayli Westerlind |
| Transfers: Dakota Essenpries (Arkansas), Makayla Green (Illinois), Sara Wabi (Illinois State) |
| OUT |
| Graduated: Kyra Burns (UB), Amari Celestine (AA), Helen Hu (BB), Jocelyn Moore (VT/UB/FX), Abby Mueller (BB), Mara Titarsolej (UB) |
| Transferred: Kylie Minard (TWU), Courtney Woods (Illinois State) |
| Retired: Jessa Conedera |
| INJURY UPDATE |
| Grace Anne Davis and Lauren Macpherson missed the 2025 season due to injury, but are now looking great in intrasquad footage. |
Fresh Faces
This year’s batch of transfers is likely role-player types. Echols is the top name to know among the freshmen—he looks like a threat for the all-around and could be among the Tigers’ best on multiple events.
Apparatus Deep Dive
Vault
2025 Event Ranking: No. 11 | NQS: 49.285 | Average: 49.166 | High: 49.375
| Event Overview: Missouri typically has a pretty strong crop of 10.0 vaults with slightly inconsistent landings. The same is likely to be true this year, but look for improved landings among some of the returners. | ||
| Locks: Hannah Horton, Kaia Tanskanen Horton is the only returner with a NQS higher than 9.850 and is the likely anchor, and Tanskanen is Missouri’s other returning 10.0 SV vault but has been training an alternative option—a front pike half rather than the Tsuk full she competed in 2025. Either option would be an important factor in the Tigers’ lineup. | ||
| Contenders: Grace Anne Davis, Kimarra Echols, Dakota Essenpries, Kennedy Griffin, Elise Tisler Tisler is capable of a 10.0 start value but may choose a safer Yurchenko full. Freshman Echols does a huge one and a half that is easy to imagine next to Horton in the back half of the lineup. Transfer Essenpries also does a solid one and a half that is slightly less precise, but will be an attractive mid-lineup option. | ||
| Wildcards: Ayla Acevedo, Grace Anne Davis, Railey Jackson, Olivia Kelly, Bryce Kupbens, Rayna Light, Lauren Macpherson, Lisa Szeibert, Hayli Westerlind There’s a solid crew of backup Yurchenko fulls available on this roster. Kelly has shown a one and a half in training this year, though its readiness is slightly uncertain, while Davis has shown a 10.0 SV in the past but has not been seen training vault since her injury. |
Bars
2025 Event Ranking: No. 4 | NQS: 49.470 | Average: 49.367 | High: 49.575
| Event Overview: Bars is the event with the most routines to replace. Luckily, this is a great event for the freshmen, but it’s unlikely to quite reach last year’s heights. Titarsolej will be missed; there might not be anyone who can frequently score above 9.900. | ||
| Locks: Kimarra Echols, Makayla Green, Hannah Horton Transfer Green is a great addition for a lineup that will need not just talent, but stability. Bars is an area of particular strength for freshman Echols, who has gorgeous lines and could find herself near the end of the lineup quite early. | ||
| Contenders: Olivia Kelly, Addison Lawrence, Lauren Macpherson, Maiya Terry, Hayli Westerlind There are some great single-bar release options in this crew, including a Church from Kelly, an astoundingly airy Gienger from Terry, and a Deltchev from Westerlind. | ||
| Wildcards: Ayla Acevedo, Kennedy Griffin, Railey Jackson, Bryce Kupbens, Rayna Light, Lisa Szeibert, Kaia Tanskanen, Sara Wabi Wabi has the upside to be a lineup regular here, and the combination of coaching and SEC scores might get her there. Tanskanen’s prospects of making lineups outside of vault remain a bit mysterious, but her elite routine contains lots of viable skills for college. |
Beam
2025 Event Ranking: No. 11 | NQS: 49.370 | Average: 49.299 | High: 49.575
| Event Overview: Beam is the event on which Missouri has the most solid returning routines, but the newcomers are nothing to sneeze at either. This event might develop into a strength for the Tigers. | ||
| Locks: Olivia Kelly, Addison Lawrence, Lauren Macpherson This event is Macpherson’s signature, and seeing her finally shine in Columbia after missing her first season due to injury will be wonderful. | ||
| Contenders: Grace Anne Davis, Kimarra Echols, Railey Jackson, Lisa Szeibert, Hayli Westerlind, Amy Wier There are some excellent freshman options on beam, as well as a solid supporting cast of returners with a strong track record of handling pressure on this event. | ||
| Wildcards: Kennedy Griffin, Hannah Horton, Bryce Kupbens, Rayna Light, Kaia Tanskanen, Maiya Terry, Sara Wabi Horton is an intriguing prospect—Missouri’s top specialists tend to add events as their careers progress, and she seems to be trying to complete her all-around set. Tanskanen once again has the fundamentals to make this lineup, but hasn’t been seen much in training. |
Floor
2025 Event Ranking: No. 4 | NQS: 49.575 | Average: 49.441 | High: 49.725
| Event Overview: Floor is Missouri’s signature event, and will need to stay that way if the Tigers want to remain a contender. Luckily, there are plenty of flashy options here. | ||
| Locks: Kennedy Griffin, Hannah Horton These two aren’t the only phenomenal floor routines on offer, but they’re the ones with the ability to carry the identity of Missouri’s floor team forward in a post-Celestine/Moore world. | ||
| Contenders: Kimarra Echols, Rayna Light, Kaia Tanskanen, Elise Tisler, Sara Wabi Echols is extraordinarily talented on floor and might join Griffin as a genuine 10.0 threat. Tanskanen, who has made headlines with the success of her double-double on the international stage this year, should become a more prominent presence in this lineup. | ||
| Wildcards: Ayla Acevedo, Dakota Essenpries, Railey Jackson, Olivia Kelly, Lauren Macpherson, Maiya Terry, Hayli Westerlind Even the outside contenders for this floor lineup would be the envy of most teams. Any of these could make the lineup regularly and score 9.900+. |
Records Watch
Team: 198.100 | AA: 39.725 (Sarah Shire) | VT: 49.500/10.0 (Jocelyn Moore) | UB: 49.600/10.0 (Mara Titarsolej) | BB: 49.575/10.0 (Helen Hu) | FX: 49.725/10.0 (Kennedy Griffin)
The Big Picture
Missouri was extremely strategic about maximizing the potential of its 2025 team and should be extremely pleased with the results. Moving forward without last year’s senior class was always going to be a little bit tough, but there’s still plenty of talent here, and some injuries to athletes who were projected to graduate last year will smooth the transition. This team might take a step back in 2026, but don’t expect a catastrophe.
Likely 2026 finish: Regional final, with realistic aspirations to nationals
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Article by Rebecca Scally
