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It’s awards play astatine Rock M Nation, and we’ve sewage a batch to observe from nan 2025-26 schoolhouse year. New hires, postseason highs, unthinkable individual and squad performances... There’s a batch of bully things going connected successful CoMo, and we intend to talk astir it.
And because we ever strive to do things a spot otherwise astir here, we created our ain award, nan Rock M’my, 3 years ago. Consider it to beryllium portion Emmy, portion Espy, and each parts emotion of Mizzou Athletics. (pronounced Rock Emmy)
I encouraged nan unit to not conscionable see nan awesome sports and nan apical dogs, but to excavation beneath nan aboveground and prime worthy nominees from each nan teams. Luckily, Rock M Nation represents a divers group of writers pinch knowledge astir a assortment of Mizzou sports, truthful this wasn’t excessively overmuch of an ask. With each nomination, you’ll besides find a spot of backstory, truthful you, nan fans, tin make an informed decision, because astatine nan extremity of each post, you’ll vote. Forget to formed your ballot 1 day? No large deal. I’ll supply links to nan different awards from nan preceding posts.
Once each nan votes for each grant person been tabulated complete nan adjacent fewer weeks, I’ll coming a winners list, and that student-athlete will triumph our wholly superior grant that will undoubtedly beryllium nan top triumph of their lives frankincense far.
Voting closes Friday, July 31 astatine 10pm CST.
In lawsuit you missed nan different votes:
What a year! Mizzou Athletics welcomed successful a ton of caller talent connected nan court, connected nan field, successful nan gym... everywhere, done some precocious schoolhouse recruiting and done nan transportation portal. The Rock M unit was encouraged to make selections from an innumerable number of possibilities and came up pinch a database of 9 freshmen and transfers who fresh nan measure for nan champion summation to nan team.
We will apt grant 1 antheral and 1 female jock successful this category.
Here are nan nominees for Newcomer of nan Year:
Kimarra Echols, Gymnastics
There’s simply nary measurement to look astatine what Kimarra Echols accomplished her freshman play and not beryllium ridiculously impressed. She besides was conscionable an absolute joyousness to watch, afloat of exuberance and confidence.
The 5-foot-tall Henderson, Nev. autochthonal earned a trio of 9.90-plus scores connected vault, a feat considered moreover much unthinkable erstwhile you recognize she competed a Yurchenko Full, which has only a 9.95 commencement worth (max score). One of those 9.90 scores was astatine nan SEC Championships… and should person been higher.
Here are my notes from that meet: “As for Kimarra, here’s what I wrote successful my notes successful superior letters — SHE STUCK THAT SHIT. For nan instrumentality connected her YF? Just a 9.90. She was robbed. ROBBED, I show you.”
Seriously… watch it.
Ki besides put up 7 (7!!) scores of 9.90-plus connected bars (including a 9.90 astatine SECs) performing nan second-ever Khorkina successful squad history, a difficult azygous barroom merchandise move that (Nate & I think) only 2 different SEC gymnasts competed this season— LSU’s Courtney Blackson and Kailin Chio. Debuting arsenic nan anchor connected January 24 astatine Alabama, Kimarra closed retired nan Tiger bars rotation successful a stunning 11 consecutive meets.
Kimarra took 4 arena titles this past season, earning All-SEC honors connected vault (third spot successful first convention of SECs) and bars (second spot successful first convention of SECs) and was selected arsenic personnel of nan SEC All-Freshman Team, an unthinkable grant fixed nan ridiculous powerfulness of nan Southeastern Conference. Additionally, she earned WCGA Regular Season Second Team All-American honors connected bars, ranking no. 15 nationally (tied for 4th highest among different freshmen).
I cannot hold to spot what’s successful shop for nan high-flying gymnast her sophomore season! —Karen Steger
A erstwhile five-star enlistee and 1 of nan nation’s top-ranked prospects, Alex Ackman arrived astatine Missouri pinch a dressed up inferior résumé that included a nationalist singles title and a top-60 recruiting ranking. As a freshman, she posted an 11-13 singles grounds while chiefly competing astatine nan No. 2 and No. 3 positions, highlighted by a five-match winning streak and an SEC triumph complete Ole Miss. Ackman besides gained valuable acquisition successful doubles, playing mostly astatine nan No. 1 spot and uncovering occurrence alongside Korina Roso pinch a 6-3 grounds arsenic partners. —Aaron Segal
A 1,000+ gait freshman rusher from nan Sun Belt came to an SEC squad against an SEC schedule and performed amended than he did nan erstwhile year. It’s difficult to travel up pinch caller accolades for specified a family phenom astatine this point, but Ahmad Hardy - successful his first twelvemonth connected nan squad - vanished pinch nan second-most single-season rushing yards successful schoolhouse history (because I admit Devin West’s 1,703 marker, ahem), nan second-ever 300+ gait rushing crippled successful schoolhouse history, and an All-SEC and All-American nod. Not bad for a no-name, unranked kid from Oma, Mississippi. —Nate Edwards
Zoey Matias-Lopez, Volleyball
Zoey Matias-Lopez wasted small clip proving she belonged successful nan SEC, emerging arsenic 1 of Missouri’s astir dependable freshmen during nan 2025 season. Appearing successful 26 matches and 100 sets, nan libero vanished 2nd connected nan squad pinch 265 digs (2.64 per set), while adding 48 assists and 25 work aces, reaching double-digit digs 14 times and posting a season-high 22 digs against Auburn. With an awesome freshman run already nether her belt, Matias-Lopez enters her sophomore play poised to return connected an moreover bigger domiciled arsenic 1 of nan anchors of Missouri this play —Aaron Segal
Shannon Dowell, Women’s Hoops
While Shannon Dowell’s clip successful Columbia was short, she made speedy astatine effect pinch 1 twelvemonth connected nan Mizzou women’s hoops team. After transferring successful from Illinois State, Dowell quickly cemented herself arsenic nan 2nd action connected nan Tigers’ roster. This past play she averaged 14.9 points and 6.1 rebounds pinch shooting splits of 47/30/79 (rounded up). She had respective memorable moments astatine Mizzou, tying her career-high pinch a 33-point double-double successful a Senior Night nonaccomplishment to Oklahoma. However, Dowell will champion beryllium remembered for scoring 20 points and nan game-winning bucket against Cal —an arena that will person a later information — which is wherever she will play adjacent season. While her clip astatine Mizzou was shorter than primitively anticipated, Shannon Dowell added immoderate much-needed prima powerfulness successful twelvemonth 1 of Kellie Harper’s tenure. —Dylan Heinrich
Abby Carr delivered 1 of nan champion freshman seasons successful caller Missouri softball history, making an contiguous effect arsenic some a hitter and a pitcher successful 2026. The two-way standout led nan Tigers successful ERA (2.92), saves (5), location runs (12) and RBIs (44), while batting .293 and posting a 6-5 grounds pinch 69 strikeouts complete 74.1 innings successful nan circle. Her breakout play earned her Softball America Freshman All-America honors, NFCA Midwest All-Region nickname and SEC Freshman of nan Week accolades, establishing Carr arsenic 1 of nan cornerstones of Missouri’s future. —Aaron Segal
Dillon Leacock, Track & Field
A two-time NCAA Regional Qualifier astatine Houston, Dillon Leacock made nan astir of his last twelvemonth of eligibility astatine Mizzou. A triumph successful nan 600-meter astatine nan Show-Me Showdown and nan DMR astatine nan Dr. Rick McGuire Invitational group nan shape for different promising season. He group indoor programme top-1o marks pinch #5 successful nan 60-meter hurdles astatine nan Dr. Rick McGuire Invitational, and #9 successful nan 400-meter dash astatine nan Tyson Invitational. Outdoors, Leacock won an individual title successful nan 400-meter hurdles astatine nan Drake Relays, and aided nan DMR squad successful a third-place finish. His 50.68 400-meter hurdles clip from Drake was capable to suffice him for his 3rd NCAA Regional meet, wherever he group a collegiate individual champion of 50.33. That clip besides sits astatine 3rd spot successful Mizzou Track & Field squad history. —Dan Murphy
Jayden Stone, Men’s Basketball
Heading into nan season, expectations for Stone were mixed, to opportunity nan least. He’d featured successful a starring domiciled astatine Detroit Mercy arsenic a precocious measurement scorer, but he lacked powerfulness convention acquisition aft missing nan 2024-25 play astatine West Virginia owed to injury, truthful it was difficult to task his impact. It turned retired to beryllium greater than conscionable astir anyone expected arsenic he contributed 13.5 points and 5.1 rebounds a night. His return from injury, alongside Trent Pierce, helped nan Tigers move their play astir and scope nan tournament. He besides was a really bully interview. —Matthew Gustafson
A transportation from Wichita State, Camdenton, Missouri autochthonal came location and had a productive twelvemonth for Mizzou baseball. In his 43 games pinch nan Tigers, Durnin deed 9 location runs and 25 RBI pinch a team-leading .329 batting average. Durnin besides homered successful back-to-back games astatine nan SEC Baseball Tournament against Ole Miss and Mississippi State to decorativeness nan play strong. It whitethorn very good beryllium his lone play arsenic a Tiger, however, arsenic he sewage drafted by nan Astros successful nan 4th Round of nan MLB Draft and appears to beryllium headed to nan Pros. — Sammy Stava
