Pink Up Meet
vs. Northern Illinois
Meet Information 
Date: Friday, Feb. 8, 2019
Time: 6:30 p.m., CT
Location: Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Venue: Houck Field House
Series: SEMO leads All-Time Series 21-18, 0-1 in 2019
Coaches: Ashley Lawson (First Season at SEMO);
Sam Morreale (Eighth Season at NIU) 
 
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 Hosts Northern Illinois Friday for Pink Up Meet
Southeast Missouri women's gymnastics welcomes Northern Illinois to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, Friday at 6:30 p.m. for Pink Up Meet at Houck Field House. All cancer survivors receive free admission and will be recognized at the meet. 
 
Promotions
• All cancer survivors receive free admission and will be recognized at the meet.
• Southeast will wear pink and black leotards to raise awareness for breast cancer. 
• The first 100 students to enter Houck Field House will receive a SEMO Gymnastics bag tag. 
• The 2019 Southeast Missouri gymnastics team will sign autographs at the conclusion of the dual meet.
 
Illinois State Dual Recap
Southeast totaled 184.425 on Friday, Jan. 25 in a Midwest Independent Conference dual meet against Illinois State. Gabrielle Adams tied for second on vault at the meet with a 9.700 in the second rotation. Anna Kaziska finished second at the dual in both the beam (9.800) and in the all-around (38.450) competition. Kaziska was also third overall on floor with a score of 9.750.
 
SEMO opened the dual meet on bars with a 44.500. Kendra Benak led the team with a personal best 9.525. In the second rotation, the Redhawks notched a team score of 46.950 on vault. Adams paced SEMO with a 9.700, which tied for second at the dual. Southeast then compiled a 45.750 on floor in the third rotation. Kaziska hit a 9.750 in the Southeast anchor position to lead the team and finish tied for third at the meet. SEMO registered its best event of the night in the final rotation with a 47.225 on balance beam. Kaziska posted a team best 9.800 for second overall at the meet. 
 
Kaziska Named MIC Newcomer of the Week for Second Straight Week
Freshman Anna Kaziska was named MIC Newcomer of the Week for the second consecutive week, the league announced Jan. 23 after she captured two event titles in SEMO's home opener with San José State. Kaziska registered career-best marks on floor (9.900) and in the all-around competition (38.850).
 
Looking at the Opponent
Northern Illinois
The Huskies enter the dual meet after narrowly edging Lindenwood, Kent State and Seattle Pacific last Friday with a team score of 194.500. Morgan Hooper won both bars and beam events with career high scores of 9.825 and 9.875, respectively. Anna Martucci captured the floor exercise title for the third time this season, scoring a 9.875 from her anchor position. On floor, Amanda Bartemio (9.825), along with Allison Richardson (9.800) and Tara Kofmehl (9.800) all finished in the top four, followed closely by Ally Ferber (9.775). Catherine Biddle led off beam with a 9.800, while Cinny Lamberti tied her career high with a 9.825 to tie for third.
 
Southeast and NIU both started its 2019 campaigns in a quad meet at Alabama on Jan. 5. The Huskies posted a team score of 193.325 for second overall at the meet behind Alabama (194.750). 
 
2018-2019 Signees 
Southeast Head Coach Ashley Lawson announced on Jan. 29 the addition of signee Lindsey Moffitt to the 2020 team. Moffitt, a Ferris, Texas native, will graduate from Laurel Springs School Online in May 2019. She is the second Redhawks signee in 2019 and will join 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. 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 hits the road for a pair of meets on Friday, Feb. 15 and Sunday, Feb. 17. The Redhawks face Lindenwood and Texas Woman's in the GymQuarters Mardi Gras Invitational on Friday, Feb. 15 at 2 p.m. at the Family Arena in St. Charles, Missouri. SEMO then head to Chicago, Illinois, for a MIC dual with Illinois-Chicago on Sunday, Feb. 17 at 2 p.m.