2022-23 Rock M’mys: I’m Him/I’m Her

It’s awards season at Rock M Nation, and we’ve got a lot to celebrate from the 2022-23 school year. New hires, postseason highs, incredible individual and team performances... There’s a lot of good things going on in CoMo, and we intend to talk about it.

And because we always strive to do things a bit differently around here, and because — let’s face it — I’m a bit extra, we’ve created our own award, the Rock M’my. Consider it to be part Emmy, part Espy, and all parts love of Mizzou Athletics. (pronounced Rock Emmy)

With the help of our team, we brainstormed award names and threw out some nominations. I encouraged them to not just consider the major sports and the top dogs, but to dig below the surface and select worthy nominees from all the teams. Luckily, our staff represents a diverse group of writers with knowledge about a variety of Mizzou sports, so this wasn’t too much of an ask. With each nomination, you’ll also find a bit of backstory, so you, the fans, can make an informed decision, because at the end of each post, you’ll vote.

Once all the votes for each award have been tabulated, I’ll present a winners list, and that student-athlete will win our completely serious award that will undoubtedly be the greatest triumph of their lives thus far.

In case you missed the vote (which is open til July 4 at 7pm CST):

• Newcomer of the Year

Let’s begin.

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Sometimes we as sports fans have the pleasure of witnessing greatness. A moment that leaves you astonished, proclaiming, “HE IS HIM. SHE IS HER.” (I never say this because I find it weird, but that’s just me). Believe it or not, we aren’t always Mizzou’d, and in the past year, there were a helluva lot of great performances that left fans excited and jumping up and down screaming and wanting more.

In fact, there were so many awesome performances we couldn’t write about them all. So congrats, Disc Golf (men AND women), on your Natty, and major props to you, Mizzou Cheer, on your national title. Flowers for you, the javelin duo of Sophia Rivera and Skylar Ciccolini, both First Team All-Americans after finishing 5th and 7th in the NCAA Track & Field Championships that just wrapped up. And some to you as well, Claudina Diaz, on your 5th place high jump — your personal best! — at the same event (I’m a T&F fangirl now). And who could forget Kara Daly’s back to back walk offs against rival Arkansas to get softball its first series win (I did, thanks for the reminder, Dad)?! Y’all are VERY honorable mention-worthy in my book and deserve some votes.

So who was included? Let’s find out.

Here are the nominees for I’m Him / I’m Her (Best Performance)

Luke Mann’s Three-Homer Game

After their SEC opening series sweep over Tennessee, Mizzou Baseball headed into a difficult road series at South Carolina. Looking to improve to 4-0 in SEC play, the Tigers fell behind 4-0 early to the Gamecocks, but Luke Mann started to mount a comeback with a two-run shot in the top of the 3rd inning and a three-run shot in the top of the 4th inning. In the top of the 8th, Mann homered one more time for the Tigers to take a 7-5 lead.

It was at this moment I thought this Mizzou Baseball team was for real, but South Carolina had other plans, and a four run bottom of the 9th put them on top 9-8. It was a crushing loss that ultimately changed the momentum of the season but it doesn’t diminish his performance. The three homers help lead to his record-breaking year, as he tied Jacob Priday on Mizzou’s all-time career HR list in his final season in Columbia. — Sammy Stava

Hayley Frank 26 Points vs Tennessee

Mizzou was in the midst of a multi-game skid and in need of a win. The Tigers just suffered a horrific 81-50 loss to South Carolina and returned home to face Tennessee. Hayley Frank played all 40 minutes in the heartbreaking loss, leading the Tigers with 26 points with 15 of them coming from beyond-the-arc. -Lauren Rosenberg

Kobe’s 2nd Half vs. Utah State

Missouri, who was seeking their first tournament win since March of 2010, found themselves trailing a trendy first round pick in Utah State. A Dan Akin bucket put the Aggies on top with 10:44 remaining. On the other side of a stressful commercial break, Kobe Brown emerged. Over the next four minutes, Brown led an individual siege on the Mountain West, outscoring the opposition personally 12-4. When the dust settled, Mizzou held a six point lead they would never relinquish, handing the Tigers their highest profile win in a decade. -Matt Watkins

Anna Dixon 19 Kills vs. Auburn

Not a whole lot went right for Missouri volleyball in 2022, but a lone star that consistently shined bright for the Tigers was Anna Dixon. While her 27-kill rampage against Auburn in 2021 will forever remain Dixon’s best single-game performance, her 2022 outing against the other SEC Tigers was also incredibly impressive. She tied a season-best with 19 kills and set new season-high of seven digs. Despite Auburn coming back from two sets down to stun Missouri, Dixon put together yet another smashing performance that is certainly deserving of recognition. -Quentin Corpuel

Jocelyn Moore’s Perfect Ten

After what seemed like a full season of being screwed over by suspect judging — even the former Olympian announcers were astonished in the Florida meet the week before that Joci didn’t get one when they were literally handing them out like candy — sophomore Jocelyn Moore finally did it. She got the 10 that she so rightly deserved. AND it was in front of a record-setting crowd. AND it was against the mighty, mighty Auburn Tigers who featured all-around Olympic gold medalist, Sunisa Lee.

The magic happened on the Tigers’ first rotation and with Moore performing in the 5-spot (there’s 6 total on each rotation), as she executed a PERFECT vault and was rewarded with a PERFECT score, the first 10 of her young career. I was on hand for the meet, and I tell ya, that place EXPLODED when it was announced. What a scene. And it undoubtedly fired the team up to beat the leos right off of the other Tigers.

Her vault was so amazing, it needs a video... from SportsCenter, where she was awarded no. 10 on the day’s best plays. Am I pandering to the masses to get votes for my girl with an ESPN VIDEO? Who’s to say? Is it working? -Karen Steger

Harrison Mevis 5/5 field goals vs. Georgia

“Money” Mevis wasn’t exactly feeling like a million bucks heading into the Georgia game, as he’d missed one of the most soul-crushing kicks in Missouri history the week prior at Auburn. Not only that, he’d already missed more kicks in the first four games of 2022 (3) than he had in all of 2021 (2).

But on that almost-magical October evening against the top-ranked Bulldogs, Mevis looked like his 2021 self again, drilling field goals from 41, 49, 22, 52 and 56 yards away to help Missouri maintain their improbable lead over the eventual national champions for most of the game. When Missouri’s offense continuously stalled in Georgia territory, Mevis kept on coming through.

It was just the second instance of a Missouri kicker going at least 5/5 in a game since the turn of the century (Andrew Baggett went 5/5 against Florida in 2013). Mevis’ silly lil’ strut after his fifth make properly summed up his evening; the Thiccer Kicker had his swagger back. — Quentin Corpuel

DeAndre Gholston’s Half-Court Game Winner vs. Tennessee

Prior to the Tennessee game, DeAndre Gholston had already cemented himself as a connoisseur in the clutch. A miraculous buzzer-beating bank shot against UCF earlier in the season was the third game-winner of his collegiate career. Gholston was the Joe Johnson of college basketball.

But Gholston’s game-winning, buzzer-beating swish from just inside halfcourt to shock Tennessee in Knoxville was different. It was one of those moments where you remember exactly where you were when it happened, a moment where you can perfectly recall how your emotions went from nervous suspense to boundless joy in half a second.

This moment is the epitome of sports euphoria. There’s a liminal space where something amazing might happen (i.e. the ball careening towards the rim), then BANG! AAAH! AAAAHHHHH!!! And Gholston provided exactly that with one of the most exhilarating moments in recent Missouri basketball history. – Quentin Corpuel

Charlie Crockett shooting 18-under at Old Hawthorne

This performance might’ve flown under the radar for many Mizzou fans, but as someone who watched a majority of Crockett’s tournament, he was spectacular. His score of 18-under 198 was the second lowest in program history, and while it wasn’t enough to secure the win over Illinois’ Jackson Buchannan, it was the best performance by a Tiger since current PGA Tour player Hayden Buckley. He also powered Missouri to equal their lowest team score in program history at 40-under 824. -Kortay Vincent

Brady Cooks Barry

Two dudes who took way more flak than they should have as a Tiger squared off against each other on Black Friday 2022. One of them was a 20-year coaching vet, a dude who had been scheming excellent defenses for years and was playing with a big-boy SEC West roster. The other, was a first-year starting quarterback with a torn labrum.

The first 30 minutes of the contest went like this:

And, of course, Mizzou won the game. -Nate Edwards

Laurin Krings’ No-Hitter vs. North Texas

Taking a rare weekend off against SEC opponents to welcome in a tough North Texas squad, Laurin Krings got it DONE. Coming into the game just three strikeouts away from her third consecutive 100 strikeout season, it’s suffice to say she surpassed that mark. Hell, she tied her career-high in 5 innings with 14 K. On top of all those aforementioned strikeouts, Specs also threw a perfect game into the 6th, until it was thwarted by Jenna Laird’s rare miscue at short. Alas, it didn’t stop her, and after two flyouts in the 7th, she sealed the deal with one final strikeout blow — no. 17 (WOW) — to end the game in a complete game shutout AND no-hitter. It was *chef’s kiss* perfection (and probably needed to be as the Tigers managed just three hits off Ashley Peters, but that’s besides the fact). - Karen Steger

Keegan O’Toole’s Second National Title

Wrestling at the 165lbs weight class, Keegan O’Toole defeated 3x All-American and 1x National Champ David Carr of Iowa State putting his Tiger Style career record at 64-3. O’Toole now joins an elite company, Ben Askren and Jden Cox, as the third multi-individual national champion. -Matthew Smith

Roberto Vilches High Jumps to SEC Title

It was a great final season for the Mexico City native high jumper, Roberto Vilches, who cleared a season-best 2.21m (7-3.00) to take home Mizzou’s lone SEC title over Auburn’s Dontavious Hill (2.18m). In the process, Vilches earned First Team All-American honors, and for the second consecutive year, a Missouri Tiger won a field event at the SEC Championships, joining Mitch Weber’s discus title in 2022.

Vilches, a senior and in his final year for the black & gold, would also go on to be Mizzou’s highest place finisher at the NCAA Track & Field National Championships in June, recording another season high (2.24m) to take a bronze medal. -Karen Steger

Jack Dahlgren Breaks 200 Freestyle School & Pool Record

Something wild happened at the SEC Championships. Leading off the first leg of the 800 Freestyle Relay, fifth year Tiger Jack Dahlgren set a new school (and pool!) record in the the 200 free, breaking Mikel Schreuder’s 2019 record with a 1:31.17. Yes, you read that right. He broke a school record… leading off in a relay. As a former swimmer myself, this is an absolutely bad ass way to break a record, putting it all on the line for your team.

That time, by the way, was fast enough to earn him the 2-seed in the NCAA Championships, of which he placed 5th overall. -Karen Steger

Time to Vote!