Heading into its fourth NCAA semifinal, Missouri had grown tired of hearing the word “underdogs” associated with its team. This time, the Tigers weren’t underdogs—they were undeniable when it mattered most.
Missouri advanced to its first national final in program history with a 197.300 in the afternoon semifinal of the NCAA national championships. The score trailed only Oklahoma and edged out Florida by a tenth, ending the Gators’ streak of national final appearances that dated back to 2019.
The Tigers and Gators traded spots throughout the meet, but Missouri moved into second heading into the final rotation—beam—while Florida headed to bars. Even then, the Tigers didn’t fully grasp how close the race was. It wasn’t until a couple of routines into the rotation that fifth-year Mara Titarsolej noticed the tension rising in the corral as the teams went tenth for tenth.
That’s when Missouri turned to its not-so-secret weapon: Helen Hu. Just a year ago, Hu thought her gymnastics career was over. On Thursday, she delivered a 9.9875—good enough for the individual beam title—and gave Missouri the margin it needed to clinch its historic finals berth.
“[Hu] gives us a lot of confidence. She’s going to hit it every time,” Titarsolej said.
For Hu, the…
