Mizzou and Lindenwood kick off their 2016 season with a double-header weekend. They both competed Friday night, winning their first meets of the year against Illinois and SEMO respectively. They will match up at Lindenwood for a 3pm meet on Sunday, which FloGymnastics will be streaming LIVE. 

Head Coach Shannon Welker, in his third year with the Tigers, previews the competition via Mizzou Gymnastics Preview Show. 



Welker On Preseason Training And Season Opener
The preseason has gone really well so far. I’ve been pleased with the progress all the way back from the summer through the fall and right into the beginning of season right now. So we’re very happy with how clean our gymnastics is and we’ve been very consistent in a lot of areas. Just recently, even this week, I feel like we’ve really become united and started competing as a group.

Sophomore Becca Schugel On The Team’s Confidence:
I think preseason training has been very strong so far. We’ve gotten our numbers in and I think that’s going to help us in the long run. We are a very confident team this year and I think we’re all ready to show what we’ve been putting into preseason.

Sophomore Kennedi Harris On The Addition Of 8 Freshmen
We have eight freshmen who are bringing in a lot of depth to the team. Each girl is fighting for a spot, which makes us work even harder to get on the events.

Welker On Competing At Lindenwood
We’re excited about going to Lindenwood—they have such a nice venue and they’re an exciting team. They did really well last year and they bring a lot of energy.

The Tigers finished last season ranked 21st in the nation and are looking to improve upon that through clean, consistent performances—starting this weekend. 

Watch highlights from their December Black And Gold Intrasquad:

Lindenwood Continuing The Rise

This will be Lindenwold’s fourth year as a program and they have surely made their mark on the gymnastics community. Last season, Lindenwood won their first-ever national title at the USAG National Team Finals competition at University of Pennsylvania with an impressive 195.550. The Lady Lions are a Division II team competing in the MIC conference under head coach Jen Kesler, a former Oregon State gymnast. 

With it being the fourth year of Lindenwood’s program, the senior class this year is the inaugural one. They have a very impressive class of seasoned competitors—including Lauren Cartmell, Trystien Charles, Alicia Floyd, Daniela Fumagalli, Courtney Heise, Valeri Ingui, and Rachel Zabawa. Also, sophomore Kierstin Sokolowski was the MIC Co-Newcomer of the Year and the USA Gymnastics Individual National Champion in the all-around and on vault. She qualified for NCAA Regionals as an individual with Ingui and Heise.

The Lady Lions are ready to kick off a big 2016 and continue to grow their successful program.


Tune in on Sunday at 3pm for Mizzou vs. Lindenwood LIVE! Sign up for FloPRO here for full access.


Related:
Mizzou Gymnastics Black And Gold Highlights
Inside Their World - Lindenwood's Valeri Ingui
Inside Their World - Mizzou's Becca Schugel
Inside Their World - Lindenwood's Rachel Zabawa