Recruiting Breakdown: Four Gymnasts Join Missouri Squad
Recruiting Breakdown: Four Gymnasts Join Missouri Squad
Get to know the incoming class that will represent Missouri gymnastics in 2018.
The 2018 NCAA gymnastics season is still months away, but it's never too early to get to know the incoming freshman class for each team. Here's a breakdown of the new additions Missouri has made for next year.
Missouri entered the 2017 season with a young team -- 10 combined freshmen and sophomores. They lost Morgan Porter after she suffered a season-ending Achilles tear early in the season. The Tigers hit their stride at the end of the season when they eclipsed the 197 mark and hit season-highs against Auburn and Kentucky. Junior Kennedi Harris, freshman Aspen Tucker, and sophomore Britney Ward sparked the Tigers. Harris was a consistently dynamic performer on vault and floor while Tucker was a solid all-around performer. Ward earned scores of 9.800 or better on all 12 competitive vaults and on 11 beam routines.
Outgoing: Alyson Heimsath, Angie Kern
The Tigers lose up to two routines from their seniors. Kern was a steady and consistent performer on vault, where she scored a 9.700 or better in all 11 meets she competed. Heimsath appeared twice on balance beam before she suffered a season-ending injury. She did compete on beam, floor, and vault during her first two years at Missouri and could have added depth on both events.
Incoming: Gabrielle Gottula, Paige Kovnesky, Chelsey Christensen, Lauren Clevenger
Trains at AIM Athletics
Coached by Deana Parish and Debbie Kaitschuck
Gottula competed at the 2016 J.O. National Championships where she tied for 16th on vault. She was the Region 3 vault champion in 2016 where she also took bronze in the all-around, tied for sixth on uneven bars, and earned eighth on both beam and floor. She earned fourth in the all-around at the 2016 Texas state championships and picked up fifth place on vault, beam, and floor. She finished seventh on beam and eighth on vault at the 2017 Texas state championships.
Impact events: Vault and floor exercise
Trains at New Heights Gymnastics
Coached by Amy Nyman
Kovnesky was a five-time Region 5 qualifier and earned a trip to J.O. nationals in 2015 and trips to the J.O. NIT in 2013 and 2014. She earned bronze on uneven bars and finished eighth on vault and floor and ninth in the all-around at the 2017 Region 5 championships. She is a two-time Ohio state champion on vault (2016, 2017) and earned bronze in the all-around in 2017. She took fifth on bars and seventh on both beam and floor. She took bronze on both floor and in the all-around and silver on uneven bars at the 2016 state championships. Kovnesky took 14th on uneven bars at the 2015 J.O. National Championships. She finished 11th in the all-around and took silver on uneven bars at the J.O. NIT in 2014.
Video courtesy of Region 5 Insider
Impact events: Vault and uneven bars
Trains at Spearfish Gymnastics Academy
Christensen was a three-time Region 4 qualifier and earned back-to-back trips to the J.O. NIT in 2014 and 2015. She earned fourth in the all-around and on balance beam at the 2014 J.O. NIT where she finished fifth on floor and eighth on uneven bars. She earned bronze medals on all-around, balance beam, and floor exercise at the South Dakota state championships. Christensen earned eighth in the all-around at the 2015 Region 4 championships. She also earned fifth on bars, seventh on beam, and ninth on both vault and floor. Christensen picked up bronze in the all-around, on uneven bars, and on balance beam and silver medals on vault and floor at the 2013 state championships.
Video courtesy of Chelsey Christensen
Impact events: Vault and floor
Trains at Dynamo Gymnastics
Coached by John Lee and Karen Rush
Clevenger was the silver medalist on balance beam at the 2016 J.O. National Championships and was the Region 3 balance beam champion. She picked up bronze in the all-around and silver on floor at the regional championships in 2016. Clevenger grabbed silver in the all-around and on bars, beam, and floor at the 2016 Oklahoma state championships. She finished 11th on uneven bars at the 2017 Region 3 championships, and she was fourth on both bars and beam at the Oklahoma state championships.
Video courtesy of Lauren Clevenger
Impact event: Balance beam
Missouri entered the 2017 season with a young team -- 10 combined freshmen and sophomores. They lost Morgan Porter after she suffered a season-ending Achilles tear early in the season. The Tigers hit their stride at the end of the season when they eclipsed the 197 mark and hit season-highs against Auburn and Kentucky. Junior Kennedi Harris, freshman Aspen Tucker, and sophomore Britney Ward sparked the Tigers. Harris was a consistently dynamic performer on vault and floor while Tucker was a solid all-around performer. Ward earned scores of 9.800 or better on all 12 competitive vaults and on 11 beam routines.
Outgoing: Alyson Heimsath, Angie Kern
The Tigers lose up to two routines from their seniors. Kern was a steady and consistent performer on vault, where she scored a 9.700 or better in all 11 meets she competed. Heimsath appeared twice on balance beam before she suffered a season-ending injury. She did compete on beam, floor, and vault during her first two years at Missouri and could have added depth on both events.
Incoming: Gabrielle Gottula, Paige Kovnesky, Chelsey Christensen, Lauren Clevenger
Gabrielle Gottula
Spring, TexasTrains at AIM Athletics
Coached by Deana Parish and Debbie Kaitschuck
Gottula competed at the 2016 J.O. National Championships where she tied for 16th on vault. She was the Region 3 vault champion in 2016 where she also took bronze in the all-around, tied for sixth on uneven bars, and earned eighth on both beam and floor. She earned fourth in the all-around at the 2016 Texas state championships and picked up fifth place on vault, beam, and floor. She finished seventh on beam and eighth on vault at the 2017 Texas state championships.
Impact events: Vault and floor exercise
Paige Kovnesky
Archbold, OhioTrains at New Heights Gymnastics
Coached by Amy Nyman
Kovnesky was a five-time Region 5 qualifier and earned a trip to J.O. nationals in 2015 and trips to the J.O. NIT in 2013 and 2014. She earned bronze on uneven bars and finished eighth on vault and floor and ninth in the all-around at the 2017 Region 5 championships. She is a two-time Ohio state champion on vault (2016, 2017) and earned bronze in the all-around in 2017. She took fifth on bars and seventh on both beam and floor. She took bronze on both floor and in the all-around and silver on uneven bars at the 2016 state championships. Kovnesky took 14th on uneven bars at the 2015 J.O. National Championships. She finished 11th in the all-around and took silver on uneven bars at the J.O. NIT in 2014.
Video courtesy of Region 5 Insider
Impact events: Vault and uneven bars
Chelsey Christensen
Rapid City, South DakotaTrains at Spearfish Gymnastics Academy
Christensen was a three-time Region 4 qualifier and earned back-to-back trips to the J.O. NIT in 2014 and 2015. She earned fourth in the all-around and on balance beam at the 2014 J.O. NIT where she finished fifth on floor and eighth on uneven bars. She earned bronze medals on all-around, balance beam, and floor exercise at the South Dakota state championships. Christensen earned eighth in the all-around at the 2015 Region 4 championships. She also earned fifth on bars, seventh on beam, and ninth on both vault and floor. Christensen picked up bronze in the all-around, on uneven bars, and on balance beam and silver medals on vault and floor at the 2013 state championships.
Video courtesy of Chelsey Christensen
Impact events: Vault and floor
Lauren Clevenger
Catoosa, OklahomaTrains at Dynamo Gymnastics
Coached by John Lee and Karen Rush
Clevenger was the silver medalist on balance beam at the 2016 J.O. National Championships and was the Region 3 balance beam champion. She picked up bronze in the all-around and silver on floor at the regional championships in 2016. Clevenger grabbed silver in the all-around and on bars, beam, and floor at the 2016 Oklahoma state championships. She finished 11th on uneven bars at the 2017 Region 3 championships, and she was fourth on both bars and beam at the Oklahoma state championships.
Video courtesy of Lauren Clevenger
Impact event: Balance beam