Missouri gymnast Helen Hu was honored as the Southeastern Conference Specialist of the Week for the third week in a row. She is only the second gymnast to receive this award three straight times, with Florida's Trinity Thomas accomplishing the feat two years ago.
After retiring from the sport at the end of 2023, Hu decided to come back for a final year. She is certainly making the most of the opportunity.
Through five meets this year, the redshirt senior has notched three beam scores of 9.975 or higher. Hu is the only gymnast in the nation to achieve three 9.975s or higher on a single event this season.
Hu kicked off her season with a 9.800 on beam, following it up with a 9.875 in the next meet. Things peaked for Hu when the Tigers traveled to Oklahoma to take on the No. 1 Sooners. At that meet, Hu scored the first perfect 10 of her career. It was also the first 10 of the season and remains the only 10 on the beam after five weeks of competition.
After achieving the perfect score, Hu went on to record two consecutive 9.975s against Kentucky and LSU.
The most recent 9.975 in Baton Rouge, La. Gave Hu the title of SEC Specialist of the Week for this week. This marks the fifth time Hu has been given the recognition in her career.
"It is an honor to be recognized again among the many incredible athletes in this conference," Hu said in a press release. "It's an even greater honor to be a part of making history with Mizzou gymnastics, a program I owe so much. I would not be here without the unique opportunity and support from my coaches, team, and the entire support staff."
Currently, Hu's average beam score ranks fourth in the nation and second in the SEC.
The next time she will compete on beam is at 1p.M. Sunday in Champaign, Illinois, where Missouri will look for its seventh win against No. 29 Illinois.