Greek Night 
vs. Pennsylvania
Meet Information 
Date: Friday, March 1, 2019
Time: 6:30 p.m., CT
Location: Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Venue: Houck Field House
Series: SEMO leads All-Time Series 1-0, 1-0 in 2018
Coaches: Ashley Lawson (First Season at SEMO);
John Ceralde (13th Season at Pennsylvania)
 
Media Coverage
Video: OVC Digital Network
Live Stats:  StatBroadcast
 
Follow the Redhawks on Twitter @SEMOGymnastics for in-meet updates.
 
Meet Notes: Southeast Missouri (PDF)
 
Southeast Welcomes Pennsylvania Friday for Greek Night at Houck Field House
Southeast Missouri women's gymnastics hosts Pennsylvania Friday on Greek Night at Houck Field House at 6:30 p.m. The first 300 students to enter the arena will receive a SEMO Gymnastics koozie.
 
Promotions
• Greek Night
• The first 300 students to enter Houck Field House will receive a SEMO Gymnastics koozie. 
• The 2019 Southeast Missouri gymnastics team will sign autographs at the conclusion of the dual meet.
 
Ball State Tri Meet Recap
Southeast notched its second-highest vault score of 2019 en route to a team score of 186.900 Sunday in a tri meet at Ball State at the Worthen Arena. SEMO posted a vault score of 48.000 Sunday for its second-highest mark on the discipline this season. 
 
Anna Kaziska finished second in the all-around with a career-best score of 38.875 courtesy of a personal-best bars set of 9.725. Mackenzie Slee (37.475, fourth), Alana Fischer (36.675, fifth) and Michael Sanders (35.925, sixth) also competed in the all-around competition.
 
Southeast opened the meet on beam, recording a 46.850. Kaziska led the team with a 9.700 which finished sixth overall at the tri. Slee added a 9.575 and Allyson Bell recorded a season best 9.550.
 
The Redhawks then registered a 46.725 on floor in the second rotation. Kaziska paced SEMO with a 9.775 which tied for fifth at the meet. Slee was second on the team with a 9.525 and Fischer had a 9.500. 
 
In the third rotation, SEMO totaled its second-highest vault score in 2019 of 48.000. Slee posted a 9.775 for the top Redhawks score on the event and sixth at the tri. Kaziska chipped in a 9.675 and Gabrielle Adams had a 9.600. Sanders and Fischer each added identical scores of 9.475.
 
Southeast concluded the tri on bars with a mark of 45.325. Kaziska's career best 9.725 led the way for SEMO and tied for fifth at the meet. Maya Tran also had a personal-best score of 9.375 on the event. 
 
Looking at the Opponent
Pennsylvania
The Quakers rose above 193 (193.100) for the fourth consecutive time, but finished third at the Ivy Classic with Yale, Cornell and Brown on Sunday at The Palestra in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 
 
Caroline Moore led the way for Penn, earning Ivy Classic glory as the beam champion with a score of 9.875, tied for the fourth-best score of all-time. That score helped guide Penn to a combined score of 49.000 on beam, also tied for the fourth-best all-time.
 
Allison Frommer and Libby Garfoot earned a 9.800 (t-fourth) and 9.750 on bars as the team combined for 47.900 on the event. Natalie Yang tallied a career-high 9.850 on beam and Nicole Swirbalus had a 9.825. To round out the top five, Lauren Joost earned a 9.750 and Darcy Matsuda hit a 9.700.
 
Penn kept the momentum rolling on floor by scoring a 48.625. Jordyn Mannino registered a 9.800 to lead the Quakers on the discipline and Swirbalus scored a 9.750. Sydney Kraez added a 9.725. The Quakers ended on vault with a 47.575. Joost led off with a 9.700 and then Valerie Rube captured her second consecutive 9.775. Ava Caravela scored a 9.750.
 
Series History
Southeast leads the all-time series with Pennsylvania, 1-0, after edging the Quakers in 2018, 192.700-192.200, on Jan. 26 at the Rockwell Gymnasium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 
 
Alexis Brawner led Southeast with individual titles on vault (9.825), bars (9.800) and floor exercise (personal-best 9.900).
 
The Redhawks started the dual on bars with a team score of 48.025. Alana Fischer had a personal-high score of 9.625 on the event. In the second rotation, Southeast totaled a 47.600 on vault. Samantha Gallet made her Redhawks debut and recorded a 9.500 on vault and added a 9.275 on bars. 
 
On floor in the third rotation, Southeast amassed a team-score of 48.675. McKinzie Jones was second on SEMO with a 9.825. Gabrielle Adams chipped in a 9.700 and Lindsey Bates had a score of 9.675. SEMO finished the meet with a season-best of 48.400 on beam in the final rotation. Jones recorded a team-best 9.775 for third overall in the dual. Michael Sanders (9.700) and Megan Dennis (9.600) also notched career-bests against the Quakers.
 
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 Feb. 20 after her performances at the GymQuarters Mardi Gras Invitational on Feb. 15 and at Illinois-Chicago Feb. 17.
 
2018-2019 Signees 
Southeast Head Coach Ashley Lawson announced Feb. 20 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 hosts the State of Missouri Meet with Lindenwood and Missouri on Sunday, March 10 at the Show Me Center at 1 p.m. The Redhawks then head to Fayetteville, Arkansas, on Saturday, March 16 at 6 p.m. for a quad meet with Lindenwood, Texas Women's and Arkansas.