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COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Gymnastics puts pen to paper with four signees announced by Head Coach Shannon Welker on Wednesday, Nov. 8. Railey Jackson (Park Forest, Illinois), Olivia Kelly (Bronx, N.Y.), Lisa Szeibert (Wyoming, Michigan) and Kaia Tanskanen (Howell, Michigan) will join Mizzou as a part of the 2024 recruiting class.
“Our coaching staff is so impressed with this group of young women and their desire to maximize their potential. Missouri Gymnastics has achieved great success, and the accolades that Kaia, Olivia, Lisa and Railey bring to Tiger Nation are impressive. The balance of the 10.0 vaults, artistry, power, beautiful lines and competitive confidence makes this class not only one of the most touted in school history, but also the country! Hopefully, Tiger Gym fans can tell how ecstatic we are, and they should be as well!” said Welker.
Railey Jackson | Park Forest, Ill. | GymNasti
Railey Jackson joins the Tigers from Park Forest, Illinois, where she trained with Ron Nasti and GymNasti. Jackson has much experience, earning state championships in all-around, vault and beam in 2021, followed by a regional and national title on beam. In 2022, she defended her all-around and beam state titles and added regional championships in all-around, beam and floor, and a bars national title. During the 2023 season, she added three more Illinois State Titles in all-around, vault and bars. Additionally, the Illinois native is a three-time Region 5 All-Star Team member, a four-time Top 100 Gymnast and a member of the National Honor Society. Her goal at Mizzou is to leave a lasting mark on the program.
Coach Welker on Jackson
“Railey is a clean and consistent gymnast with a high skill level. She has been a D.P. National Team member in 2022 and 2023, along with multiple D.P. National event titles. She will be a great Tiger and most certainly keep us competing for a return trip to NCAA’s!”
Olivia Kelly | Bronx, NY | North Stars Gymnastics
The Tigers are adding Olivia Kelly to the 2025 roster, a two-time World Championship Qualifier and a four-time Level 10 USAG National Qualifier. Kelly was the first Barbadian woman to compete at the Pan American Championships in gymnastics and the first to qualify and compete at Worlds. The New York native was awarded the Chalk Warrior Gymnast of the Year and SO Top 5 Gymnast of the Year. Her dream as a college athlete is to win a NCAA Championship.
Coach Welker on Kelly
“Olivia brings some beautiful gymnastics coupled with extensive international experience. She has shown such growth in her competitive confidence and skill level. Beyond the gymnastics, Olivia will certainly be a leader in and out of the gym for our program.”
Lisa Szeibert | Wyoming, Mich. | Jayce Phelps Athletic Center
Recently making it official, three-star gymnast Lisa Szeibert joins the Tigers with many accomplishments. She is a three-time National Qualifier and competed at the Romanian Nationals. As a Level 9 gymnast, she was a Top 100 Gymnast on bars in 2019. Szeibert holds personal records of 9.675 on vault, 9.800 on bars, 9.675 on beam, 9.600 on the floor and an all-around score of 38.225, all as a level 10 gymnast. Her dream as a college athlete is to help Mizzou to a National Championship.
Coach Welker on Szeibert
“Lisa is a hard-working, determined young lady. She is a ‘sleeper’ in this class and will definitely turn some heads in the SEC. Tiger fans should be on the lookout for this young lady’s impact!”
Kaia Tanskanen | Howell, Mich. | Michigan Elite Gymnastics Academy
Kaia Tanskanen is a very accomplished gymnast at the national and international level. In 2022, she was the Finnish Floor Champion, as well as vault and all-around runner-up. Additionally, she became the floor and all-around Northern European Champion and took silver on beam.
The Michigan native also took silver in all-around at the state competition and the Development Program National Championships. Following that, in 2023, Tanskanen was an all-around finalist at the European Championships. Her goals are to succeed both athletically and academically, as well as to help the team to a National Championship. Furthermore, she is looking to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Coach Welker on Tanskanen
“We are tremendously excited to have Kaia join us in the 2024-25 year. She brings a wealth of competitive experience at the world level, having just competed in her second consecutive World Championships. We are ecstatic to have her as a Missouri Tiger.”
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