Gymnastics
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Hometown:
- Tenth Season
- Year at Mizzou:
- Eugene, Ore.
- Alma Mater:
- Arkansas, 2011
- Email:
- macphersonc@missouri.edu
Casey Jo MacPherson, who spent her first six seasons with the Tigers as an assistant coach, is in her third year as associate head coach. She serves as Mizzou’s beam coach while assisting on floor exercise.
In her ten years with the Tigers, MacPherson has helped bring Mizzou gymnastics to national prominence. Missouri’s top eight all-time beam scores, and nine of the top 12, have all come under her direction. She also coached three Tigers to WCGA Regular Season All-America honors on the apparatus: Britney Ward (second team in 2016 and 2017), Helen Hu (first team in 2020 and second team in 2023) and Sienna Schreiber (first team in 2021).
During her run in the 2023 season, MacPherson’s beam team dominated, setting a new beam program-high score of 49.550 against Arkansas. Over the season, Mizzou earned at least a 49.200 on the apparatus seven times, with three of them being 49.500 or better. At the NCAA Regional Second Round, the Tigers posted a 49.475 on the balance beam, pushing the team to a new regional program high. Alisa Sheremeta confirmed a spot as an individual competitor on the beam based on her 9.950 performance in the NCAA Regional Final. With two scores of 9.975 from Addison Lawrence and Helen Hu and seven postings of 9.95 over the course of the season, MacPherson’s leadership pushed the Tigers to new heights on the beam.
In 2021, MacPherson's beam squad finished the regular season ranked 10th nationally with a national qualifying score of 49.369. Over the course of the season, the Tigers scored at least 49.250 on the event six times, including three times of 49.400 or better. At the NCAA Tuscaloosa second round, Mizzou totaled 49.450 on beam, which shattered the postseason team beam record and marked the team's second-highest beam score in program history.
Three different individual Tigers, junior Alisa Sheremeta, sophomore Sienna Schreiber and freshman Sydney Schaffer, all scored at least a 9.95 on beam in 2021, the most in one season in team history. Schreiber tallied seven scores of 9.9 or higher on the year, including six-straight at the end of the season, en route to WCGA Regular Season All-America second team honors. Additionally, Schaffer qualified for the NCAA Championships as an individual competitor on beam based on her performance at the NCAA Tuscaloosa second round.
In a shortened 2020 campaign, MacPherson's beam lineup went over the 49.000 mark six times, including three scores of 49.300 or better. At Auburn, the Tigers went for a 49.425, the second-highest beam total in program history. She helped Hu emerge as one of the nation's top beam workers, as the freshman finished the season ranked fifth nationally on the event, thanks to six scores of 9.95 or better and nine of 9.9 or higher.
The 2019 Tigers finished 17th in the national rankings, which tied the team's best finish since 2010. Mizzou knocked off four top 25 teams during the season, including a win over No. 10 Kentucky and a tie with No. 7 Michigan. At the 2019 NCAA Athens Regional, Missouri tallied both the highest regional score (196.625) and the top regional beam total (49.200) in program history.
In 2018, the Tigers went 9-7 in the regular season, including conference wins over No. 5 Florida and No. 10 Arkansas. The squad also concluded the year ranked 20th in the nation, the third-straight season Mizzou ended the year in the top 20. MacPherson led the Tigers to a 49.375 on beam at the Mardi Gras Invite on Feb. 16, the second-best team score on the event in program history.
MacPherson helped Mizzou go 3-4 in Southeastern Conference dual meet action in 2017, with wins over No. 12 Arkansas, No. 12 Kentucky and No. 18 Auburn. Under her direction, the the Tigers broke or tied the team beam record twice during the season. First, the squad scored a 49.325 against Auburn on March 3 to tie Missouri's record. One week later against Kentucky, the team erupted for a 49.500 on the event to smash the previous mark.
Under her direction in 2015, the Tiger beam lineup scored at least a 49.000 on three different occasions. At the NCAA Regional, Mizzou scored its highest beam score in Regional history with a 49.075.
MacPherson came to Mizzou after spending two years as the assistant coach at Western Michigan University, where she helped lead the Broncos to the 2013 Mid-American Conference championship. With Western Michigan, MacPherson was responsible for beam and floor workouts, and also choreography and routine construction. She also organized team travel during the competitive season and assisted with budget management.
While competing for the Arkansas Razorbacks, MacPherson won 71 individual event titles on her way to eight All-America honors. She led Arkansas to a fifth-place national finish in 2009, 10th-place national finish in 2008 and a No. 11 finish in 2010. Additionally, she was the 2010 NCAA all-around runner-up, won the SEC Championship beam title, was a two-time NCAA Regional Beam Champion and a NCAA Regional Floor Champion. As a junior in 2009, MacPherson broke the Razorback all-round record with a 39.675 and tied that mark three more times during her senior season.
She was a two-time All-SEC first team honoree and a four-time Academic All-SEC honoree, and Magee was twice named the team's most outstanding gymnast.
Following her competitive career at Arkansas, MacPherson joined the Razorback gymnastics staff as a student-assistant in 2011, helping the team to a ninth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. She also went on to compete at the senior international elite level as she qualified for and competed in the 2011 and 2012 American Classic, the 2011 and 2012 Covergirl Classic and the 2011 Visa Championships.
MacPherson is a graduate of the 2019 NCAA Women Coaches Academy class #47. The NCAA Women Coaches Academy, hosted in partnership between WeCOACH and the NCAA, is a four-day educational training available to NCAA coaches of all experience levels, and is designed for women coaches who are ready to increase their individual effectiveness by learning advanced skills and strategies that directly affect their personal and team success.
The former Casey Jo Magee, MacPherson married Scott MacPherson in August 2014.
