Lexington, KY: Missouri Gymnastics earned a spot in the NCAA Lexington Regional Final after a 196.875 score in the semifinals on Friday.

Missouri finished two-tenths behind Arkansas, who posted 197.175. The Razorbacks and Tigers were the top two finishers in their field which included North Carolina State and Maryland.

In a similar showing to the SEC Championships two weekends ago, the Tigers had a slow start to their first two events but showed out strong in the back half of the session.

In typical away meet fashion, Missouri started on the bars. Maiya Terry’s 9.900 and Hannah Horton’s 9.925 highlighted the event, but the rotation as a whole posted 49.200, its second lowest on the year.

“Clearly, (the judges) were putting a precedent on landings today, and we were two for six,” Welker said.

“We just need to be a little more aggressive to open up the meet and we’ll be fine,” he added.

Although counting two scores of 9.800 and one 9.775 brought down the team average, the back half of the lineup had some promising moments.

Maiya Terry scored the first 9.900 of the session, her fifth score of that number or higher out of nine routines.

“Being able to do that week after week has been such a confidence booster,” Terry said about staying consistent.

The freshman, who earned All-SEC honors on bars, competed in her first NCAA regional on Friday.

“Most people told me to trust my training and that they trust me to do what we do every single day,” Terry said about her teammates’ advice headed into the session.

Hannah Horton followed Terry with a 9.925, but it proved to not be enough against an outstanding Arkansas floor rotation.

The team’s struggles continued on the beam, their lowest-scoring event at the SEC Championships.

Having to count three scores below 9.800, Missouri totaled 48.950 for the event, its lowest since facing off against Iowa State on Jan. 4.

Amy Wier, who has led off the rotation for most of the year, made an appearance in the second spot but still appeared to be recovering from an injury she suffered almost a month ago.

Addison Lawrence, who saved the lineup from falling below 49.000 in Tulsa, fell after a pass and Missouri was forced to drop her score.

The All-American has six scores of 9.925 or higher proving her value as a strong, consistent piece in the lineup. Her only two falls this season have occurred inside Memorial Coliseum.

“Addi’s been excellent for us. I mean, whatever, four, five 9.950 plus routines in a row? So, it was bound that she was gonna have an off night,” Welker said after the dual meet with Kentucky on Feb. 13. Another rare “off-night,” coincidentally occurred in the same place.

When asked about the first two event scores, Welker had a simple, but promising, outlook.

“At the end of the day, it’s survive and advance…You don’t always have to be perfect, as we just showed,” Welker said.

Missouri not only survived, but mounted a comeback that ultimately fell just short after the final routine.

Before Joscelyn Roberson mounted the beam in Rotation Four, the Tigers and Razorbacks were tied at 196.875. Roberson, however, posted her eighth 9.950 of the season in the event, pushing the Razorbacks above 197 and securing first place.

The near-comeback for the Tigers came to fruition with a standout floor rotation and multiple 9.900s on vault.

The Tigers notably earned four 9.900s during their floor rotation in Tulsa. On Friday, Kaia Tanskanen, Kennedy Griffin and Horton all matched or exceeded that score.

“It’s just amazing going out there to be able to have fun and also perform that routine. I feel like this routine actually brought me out of my shell,” Horton said. Her 9.925 was one of seven scores above 9.900 over Missouri’s last two competitions.

Horton also had a 9.900 the following rotation, alongside Kimarra Echols, whose Yurchenko full has impressed the gymnastics community throughout the year.

Scores of 49.450 and 49.275 on floor and vault, respectively, secured a spot in the top two for the Tigers, qualifying them for Sunday’s regional final.

“We’re excited to advance to our (sixth) regional final in a row, one of only seven teams in the country to do that,” Welker said.

Missouri and Arkansas await their competitors, as the top two finishers in Friday’s evening session will determine the field. Oklahoma, Kentucky, Ohio State and Rutgers will hit the mats on Friday at 6 p.m. CST.