Ball State Tri Meet
vs. Ball State and Illinois State
Meet Information 
Date: Sunday, Feb. 24, 2019
Time: 12 p.m., CT
Location: Muncie, Ind. 
Venue: Worthen Arena
Series: Southeast leads the All-Time Series with Ball State, 19-10, 0-1 in 2018;
Southeast leads the All-Time Series with Illinois State, 61-32, 0-1 in 2019
Coaches: Ashley Lawson (First Season at SEMO);
Joanna Saleem (Sixth Season at Ball State);
Bob Conkling (13th Season at Illinois State)
 
Media Coverage
Live Stats: SIDEARM Sports
 
Follow the Redhawks on Twitter @SEMOGymnastics for in-meet updates.
 
Meet Notes: Southeast Missouri (PDF)
 
Southeast Hits the Road for Tri Meet at Ball State with Illinois State Sunday 
Southeast Missouri women's gymnastics travels to Muncie, Indiana, for a tri meet Sunday at noon, CT, with Ball State and Illinois State at the Worthen Arena. 
 
GymQuarters Mardi Gras Invitational Recap
Anna Kaziska won the beam and floor titles last Friday at the GymQuarters Mardi Gras Invitational at the Family Arena as Southeast totaled 188.500 courtesy of a season-best vault score of 48.200. Kaziska posted a career-best beam score of 9.875 in the final rotation and opened the quad meet with a mark of 9.850 on floor to achieve both titles.
 
Kaziska was also third overall in the all-around competition with a 38.800. Alana Fischer was fourth with a career high 38.225 and Mackenzie Slee was sixth (37.375).
 
Southeast opened the quad meet on floor with a 47.500. Kaziska recorded a 9.850 to lead the Redhawks in the first rotation. Slee was second on the team with a 9.750. Fischer added a 9.550 and Allyson Bell had a 9.350. 
 
SEMO then notched a season best 48.200 on vault in the second rotation. Slee hit a career best 9.800 in the fifth position in the Redhawks lineup. Gabrielle Adams chipped in a 9.725 and Kaziska scored a 9.625. Fischer (9.550) and Michael Sanders (9.500) rounded out SEMO on the event.
 
The Redhawks then compiled a 45.350 on bars in the third rotation. Fischer led SEMO on the event with a season best 9.475 and Kaziska tallied a 9.450.
 
In the final rotation, Southeast achieved 47.450 on beam. Kaziska registered a personal record of 9.875 in the anchor position. Fischer posted a season high 9.650 and Sanders had a 9.450.
 
UIC Dual Recap
Southeast totaled a team score of 185.550 last Sunday against Illinois-Chicago at the UIC Dorin Forum. Anna Kaziska placed second in both the beam (9.800) and floor (9.850) and finished third in the all-around competition with 38.250.
 
Mackenzie Slee placed fourth in the all-around with 37.300 and Alana Fischer was fifth (37.275).
 
Southeast started the dual meet with a 44.925 on bars in the opening rotation. Fischer improved on her season-best bars score set at the GymQuarters Mardi Gras Invitational with a 9.500 last Sunday to pace SEMO. 
 
The Redhawks then posted a 47.825 on vault in the second rotation. Slee led Southeast for the second straight meet on the event with a 9.675. Kaziska and Gabrielle Adams tied for second on the team with identical scores of 9.650 in the third and fourth SEMO lineup positions. Fischer added a 9.475 and Maya Tran tallied a career best 9.375. 
 
On floor in the third rotation, SEMO notched a 46.175. Kaziska led the way for the Redhawks with a 9.850 which took second overall at the dual. Slee tallied a score of 9.625 and Allyson Bell hit a routine of 9.500. 
 
The Redhawks concluded the dual on beam with a 46.625. Kaziska registered a 9.800 in the anchor position to finish second in the event at the meet. Fischer added a 9.450 and Slee chipped in a 9.375. Maya Tran made her Redhawks debut on the event and recorded an 8.875.
 
Kaziska Named MIC Newcomer of the Week for Fourth Time in 2019
Anna Kaziska was named Midwest Independent Conference Newcomer of the Week for the fourth time this season, the league announced Wednesday after her performances at the GymQuarters Mardi Gras Invitational last Friday and at Illinois-Chicago last Sunday. 
 
Looking at the Opponents
Ball State
The Cardinals most recently faced Northern Illinois in a dual last Sunday. The Huskies won the meet 195.700-194.700. Arden Hudson and Maddie MacDonald tied for first on vault with identical 9.850s. MacDonald and Jordyn Penny both had scores of 9.875 to capture the bars title. Penny then won beam with a 9.800. Kaitlyn Menzione led the Cardinals on floor with a 9.925 for second overall at the meet.

Illinois State
The Redbirds fell to No. 6 Denver, 197.625-193.275, in front of a sold-out crowd last Saturday at Hamilton Gymnasium in Denver, Colorado. Illinois State's highest score of the night was on floor with a 48.675. Gabrielle Cooke tied for fifth on floor with a score of 9.825. She also placed fifth in the all-around with a score of 37.975. ISU started the meet with a 48.600 on bars and added a 48.125 on vault. 
 
2018-2019 Signees
Southeast Head Coach Ashley Lawson announced on Wednesday the addition of signee Molly Maxwell to the 2020 team. Maxwell, a Milton, Wisconsin native, will graduate from Milton High School in 2019. She won the all-around at the Wisconsin State Championships and was the first alternate for JO (Junior Olympic) Nationals in 2018.
 
Maxwell is the fourth Redhawks signee in 2019 and will join Catherine Costantini, Lindsey Moffitt and Taylor Fishkin as well as early signing period signees Dahlia Solorzano-Caruso, Jordan Jones and Mallory Desch this upcoming fall ahead of the 2020 season. 
 
Costantini, a Centerton, Arkansas native, will graduate from Seton Home Study School in 2019 and signed with SEMO on Feb. 14. Moffitt, a Ferris, Texas native, will graduate from Laurel Springs School Online in May 2019 and signed with the Redhawks on Jan. 29. Fishkin, a Manlius, New York native, will graduate from Fayetteville-Manlius High School in 2019 and signed with SEMO on Jan. 21.
 
New Coach, New Era
Ashley Lawson returns to Southeast after competing for the Redhawks from 2001-2004 and holds the school record in four (bars, beam, floor, all-around) of the five individual event titles. Lawson coaches beam as well as co-coaches the vault and floor teams with assistant coach Chris Licameli.
 
Lawson was previously an assistant coach at Lindenwood University in 2018. There, she was the balance beam coach, helping lead the Lions to their fourth-straight Midwest Independent Conference title. Lindenwood also finished second in the team finals of the 2018 USA Gymnastics Women's Collegiate National Championships.
 
Lawson also served as a member of the Southeast Missouri women's gymnastics coaching staff for one year in 2009-10. As an assistant coach at SEMO, Lawson was the head balance beam coach that helped coach three gymnasts to qualify for the 2010 NCAA Regionals. Also, while acting as the head balance beam coach, Lawson turned Southeast's weakest event into its second-best event in just six months.
 
From 2001-2004, Lawson competed on the Redhawks gymnastics squad at Southeast Missouri. She holds the school record in four of the five individual event titles. She holds the bars (9.925), beam (9.975), floor (10.000), and all-around (39.550) records. She is one of just three gymnasts in school history to record a perfect ten in an individual event.
 
Roster Breakdown
Southeast returns 10 athletes from 2018 but is relatively young with eight underclassmen. Allyson Bell is the lone senior. Juniors Megan Dennis, Kenna Skepnek, Mackenzie Slee and Kendra Benak round out the upperclassmen.
 
Sophomores Gabrielle Adams, Lindsey Bates, Alana Fischer, Samantha Gallet and Michael Sanders were regular contributors to the 2018 lineup and had to grow up quickly in their inaugural collegiate season. Bates competed as an all-arounder in four meets and led the freshman class with five event titles in 2018. Adams captured one event title last season. Both Adams and Bates earned MIC Newcomer of the Week laurels.
 
Freshmen Anna Kaziska, Makenzie Marciniak and Maya Tran complete the 13-member 2019 team. Kaziska will make an impact on all four events as an all-arounder. 
 
2018 in Review
Southeast finished fourth at the MIC Championships in 2018 with a team score of 193.875. Gabrielle Adams tied for third on vault at the MIC Championships to earn First-Team All-MIC honors. SEMO posted a 7-17 overall record in 2018.
 
Gabrielle Adams, Megan Dennis, Alana Fischer and Samantha Gallet each qualified for the USA Gymnastics National Championships in 2018.
 
Looking Ahead
Southeast next returns home to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, to host Pennsylvania on Friday, March 1 at 6:30 p.m. at Houck Field House.