The University of Missouri women’s gymnastics program completed the most successful season of any women’s team from Mizzou by finishing third at the NCAA Championship Final on Saturday, April 19 in Fort Worth.

The Tigers pipped Utah for third place, relying on strong floor exercise scores from Kennedy Griffin (9.9500) and Amari Celestine (9.9125). The senior Celestine also had Mizzou’s top scores in the vault (9.9000) and uneven bars (9.8625). Mizzou was in fourth throughout the afternoon, as UCLA and Oklahoma quickly jumped in front after their the first rotation. The Tigers fell behind further when Amy Wier’s leadoff routine on the balance beam was scored at only a (9.5500); however, a successful appeal on her routine’s difficulty increased her score by three-tenths of a point, ultimately lifting Mizzou past Utah. National balance beam champion Helen Hu posted a near-perfect (9.9625) on her final collegiate performance to position Mizzou for a podium finish.

Mizzou entered Saturday’s championship final with a rare opportunity to become the first Tigers team to win an NCAA national championship since men’s indoor track in 1965. The third place trophy is the strongest team finish for any program at Mizzzou since wrestling’s third-place finish in 2007.