Illinois State Dual Meet
at Illinois State 
Meet Information 
Date: Friday, Jan. 17, 2020
Time: 7 p.m., CT
Location: Normal, Ill.
Venue: Redbird Arena
Series: SEMO leads All-Time Series 61-34
Coaches: Ashley Lawson (Second Season at SEMO);
Bob Conkling (15th Season)
 
Media Coverage
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Video: ESPN3
  
Follow the Redhawks on Twitter @SEMOGymnastics for in-meet updates.
 
Meet Notes: Southeast Missouri 
 
Redhawks Open Conference Slate at Illinois State Friday
Southeast Missouri women's gymnastics opens its 2020 Midwest Independent Conference schedule Friday when it takes on Illinois State at 7 p.m. at Redbird Arena in Normal, Illinois. 
 
Redbird Arena will also serve as the host site for the 2020 MIC Championship on Friday, March 20.
 
Looking at Illinois State
The Redbirds placed third with a total of 192.850 in a tri-meet against Central Michigan (195.675) and Michigan State (195.225) in East Lansing, Michigan, this past Saturday. Angelica Labat finished second overall on beam with a career-high score of 9.925 and had a career-high vault of 9.700. She also tied her career-high on bars with a 9.775 to tie for sixth place overall. Sofia Iribarren tied for second on bars with a career-high score 9.875 to give ISU a pair of finishers in the top six in that event. Gabrielle Cooke returned to action after missing the first meet and posted a 9.700 on bars. 
 
Redhawks Nab Pair of MIC Weekly Honors
Dahlia Solorzano-Caruso and Anna Kaziska were both awarded Midwest Independent Conference Weekly honors, the league announced Wednesday. Solorzano-Caruso was named MIC Newcomer of the Week and Kaziska was awarded MIC Gymnast of the Week. The award marks the first career weekly conference accolade for Solorzano-Caruso and first this season. For Kaziska, the award marks the seventh career weekly conference accolade and first this season as she was named MIC Newcomer of the Week six times en route to 2019 MIC Newcomer of the Year honors. 
 
Solorzano-Caruso, That's Fun to Say
Freshman Dahlia Solorzano-Caruso etched her name in the Redhawks record books with a career-best 9.900 on beam Sunday in a dual meet at Alaska Anchorage. The score tied for fifth all-time in Southeast program history for the event. Solorzano-Caruso became the 10th Redhawk to post the score with Lauren Israel last earning the mark on Feb. 26, 2016. Head coach Ashley Lawson holds the SEMO beam record of 9.975.
 
We Beamin' From Ear to Ear
Trailing 142.975-142.525 after three rotations on Sunday, Southeast utilized a season-best beam mark of 48.700 in the fourth rotation to edge the host Seawolves, 191.225-190.825. The beam mark was the highest score for the Redhawks since SEMO hit a 48.725 at Texas Woman's with Bridgeport and Centenary on Feb. 25, 2018. 
 
Dahlia Solorzano-Caruso's record-setting beam score set the tone for SEMO. Jordan Jones was third overall at the dual with a personal-best 9.850 in her second career collegiate meet. Anna Kaziska finished fourth with 9.775. Molly Maxwell added a 9.600 and Jolie Miller had a 9.575.
 
First Dual Win Since 2018
Southeast's 191.225-190.825 dual meet victory over Alaska Anchorage on Sunday at the Alaska Airlines Center was the Redhawks first dual meet win since 2018. The dual meet victory was also head coach Ashley Lawson's first at the helm of her alma mater and the first for the team since March 9, 2018 when SEMO bested Centenary, 191.950-189.125, at Houck Field House in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
 
Anything You Can Do, Dahl Can Do Also
Freshman Dahlia Solorzano-Caruso won her first three career individual titles Sunday at Alaska Anchorage. Solorzano-Caruso registered three career-bests to capture the vault (9.800), balance beam (9.900) and all-around (39.175) titles. She also posted personal-bests on bars (9.750) and on floor (9.725) for third in both events.
 
Solorzano-Caruso was second in the all-around competition (38.650) and on vault with a 9.650 Friday in a tri meet at Alaska Anchorage with Wisconsin-Eau Claire. She was also fourth on bars (9.650) and floor (9.725) and sixth on beam (9.625).
 
Kaziska Grabs Three Titles
Anna Kaziska captured the vault, beam and all-around individual titles last Friday at Alaska Anchorage's Tri Meet. Kaziska won her first three event titles in 2020 Friday to increase her career total to 14. The sophomore from Louisville, Kentucky, matched her career-best beam routine with her third career mark of 9.875 to earn the crown. She also won the all-around with a total of 38.950 and placed first on the vault with a 9.675. Kaziska also was third on floor (9.750) and fourth on bars (9.650).
 
On Sunday, she was third on vault (9.650) and in the all-around (38.675), fourth on beam (9.775) and floor (9.675) and seventh on bars (9.575).
 
Redhawk Debuts 
Seven Redhawks have made their debuts in 2020. Jordan Jones made her collegiate debut this past weekend at Alaska Anchorage. She posted a 9.500 on bars Friday and improved on her Friday beam set with a career-best 9.850 in her second career meet on Sunday. 
 
In the season opener at Missouri, sophomore Makenzie Marciniak and freshmen Jolie Miller, Lindsey Moffitt, Mallory Desch, Dahlia Solorzano-Caruso, and Molly Maxwell all made their debuts. Marciniak tallied a 9.450 on vault after missing 2019 with an injury suffered in the preseason. Miller competed on bars (9.700) and beam (9.400). Moffitt made her collegiate debut on floor (9.725), vault (9.475) and beam (8.900). Desch appeared in the floor lineup (8.800). Solorzano-Caruso (38.675, fourth) and Maxwell (37.675, sixth) both were all-arounders.
 
The Last Frontier Recap
Southeast finished second at Alaska Anchorage's Tri Meet with a team score of 189.500 last Friday. The host Seawolves were first in the tri meet with a team score of 191.125 in their season opener. Wisconsin-Eau Claire was third at the meet with 177.600.
 
The Redhawks then overcame UAA, 191.225-190.825, Sunday for their first dual meet win since 2018. SEMO notched a season-high 47.900 on vault and utilized a season-best beam mark of 48.700 in the fourth rotation to edge the host Seawolves.
 
Missouri Tri Meet Recap
Southeast surpassed its 2019 season-high team score with 191.275 in SEMO's season opener on Jan. 4 at #16-ranked Missouri's tri meet. The Redhawks opened with a 46.600 on beam before dropping a 48.525 on floor. In the third rotation, SEMO added a 47.700 and concluded the meet with a 48.450 on bars. The #27-ranked Illini captured the team title with a score of 195.850. Missouri was second with 195.600.
 
The Redhawks notched a season-best team score of 190.275 at the 2019 Midwest Independent Conference Championships last March (3/22/19) and overcame that mark by a point in their 2020 opener. 
 
We SEE You Bars!!
Southeast totaled its best bars mark in over two years with a 48.450 in its season opener at #16-ranked Missouri's tri meet. The score was SEMO's first 48.000 plus total since the 2018 MIC Championships (3/23/18, 48.250). 
 
The Redhawks top-five scorers posted a 9.550 or higher on bars. Southeast topped Missouri on the event, 48.450-48.150. Molly Maxwell led off with a 9.550 before Jolie Miller compiled her first-career 9.700. Lindsey Bates followed with a personal-best 9.775 for fourth overall at the meet. Dahlia Solorzano-Caruso added a 9.750 and Anna Kaziska concluded the meet with a score of 9.675.
 
Welcome Back Lindsey Bates!!
Lindsey Bates registered a personal-best bars set of 9.775 in her first meet back from injury since the 2019 opener, a year ago to the day at Alabama (1/4/19), at #16-ranked Missouri's tri meet on Jan. 4, 2020. The mark tied for fourth overall at the meet.
 
2019 Signees
Southeast signed four gymnasts during the early signing period on Nov. 14. Anna Speller (St. Louis, Missouri), Sophia Studdard (Blue Springs, Missouri), Lydia Test (Plano, Texas) and Lydia Webb (Wylie, Texas) will join the team this upcoming fall for the 2021 Redhawks season.
 
Lawson Headed to Hall of Fame
Head coach Ashley (Godwin) Lawson will be inducted into Southeast Missouri's 18th Hall of Fame class on Feb. 7, 2020 at the Show Me Center. Lawson holds school records in the All-Around (39.550), Uneven Bars (9.925), Balance Beam (9.975) and Floor Exercise (10.000) and is in her second season as head gymnastics coach. Godwin was a MIC Champion four times in her career, winning the uneven bars in 2002 and the balance beam, floor exercise and all-around in 2003. She was an NCAA Regional qualifier in the all-around each of her final three seasons at SEMO (2002, 2003, 2004). Godwin's highest NCAA Regional finish was an 11th-place showing in 2002. 
 
Roster Breakdown
Southeast returns 10 student-athletes from 2019. Seniors Kendra Benak and Mackenzie Slee along with juniors Gabrielle Adams, Alana Fischer and Michael Sanders were regular contributors to lineups last season. Anna Kaziska also returns for her sophomore season after competing as an all-arounder in every meet in 2019. Kaziska, Adams, Slee and junior Lindsey Bates have all won individual event titles at Southeast. 
 
The 2020 Redhawks team also features eight freshmen in Catherine Costantini (Centerton, Arkansas), Mallory Desch (Lenexa, Kansas), Taylor Fishkin (Manlius, New York), Jordan Jones (Buford, Georgia), Molly Maxwell (Milton, Wisconsin), Jolie Miller (Aurora, Colorado), Lindsey Moffitt (Ferris, Texas) and Dahlia Solorzano-Caruso (Courtice, Ontario, Canada) who will all vie for lineup spots. Junior transfer Ashley Albrecht (Everett, Washington) from Illinois-Chicago rounds out the newcomers.
 
New Coaches, Who Dis?
Head coach Ashley Lawson also added a pair of new coaches ahead of the 2020 season in Jason Collins and Andavea Alexander. Collins will coach the bars team while Alexander will serve as the beam coach and team choreographer. 
 
Collins was previously an assistant coach at Yale in 2019 and prior to that he served as the vice president, chief athletic officer and director of men's gymnastics, and was the women's elite team coach at EVO Athletics in Sarasota, Florida. Alexander was a standout gymnast at Lindenwood who was a seven-time USA Gymnastics All-American and a seven-time All-MIC performer. She also helped Lindenwood win their fifth consecutive MIC Championship and third USA Gymnastics Collegiate National Championship in the last five years in 2019.
 
Fischer Competes for Team Canada
Junior Alana Fischer competed for Team Canada at the 2019 FISU Summer Universiade in Naples, Italy, this past July. Fischer, a Georgetown, Ontario, Canada native, and Team Canada earned fourth in the women's artistic gymnastics team event. Fischer along with her teammates Denelle Pedrick and Jessica Dowling totaled a team score of 97.700 for fourth in the seven-team competition. 
 
What a Freshman Season for Kaziska?!?
Anna Kaziska led the Redhawks in 2019 with 33 scores of 9.700 or higher and totaled 11 individual event titles while earning MIC Newcomer of the Year after being awarded MIC Newcomer of the Week six times during her freshman campaign. The Louisville, Kentucky native, competed as an all-arounder at every meet and finished as the runner-up on floor at the MIC Championships. She also was awarded Second-Team MIC All-Conference laurels for vault and represented SEMO at the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional on floor (9.825).
 
Kaziska capped her inaugural collegiate season with second place finishes on both beam (9.875) and floor (9.875) at the 2019 USA Gymnastics Women's Collegiate National Championships to earn First Team All-American honors for all-around (39.025, fifth), beam and floor and garnered Second Team All-American laurels on bars.
 
2019 MIC Vault Champion
Senior Mackenzie Slee was crowned the 2019 MIC Vault Champion at the conference Championships in Shreveport, Louisiana, with a career-best 9.825 to earn First-Team MIC All-Conference honors. The event title marked the first for Slee who hails from Lower Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand.
 
USAG All-Americans
Three Redhawks were named USA Gymnastics All-Americans in 2019. Gabrielle Adams (vault), Mackenzie Slee (vault) and Anna Kaziska were all awarded All-America honors at the 2019 USA Gymnastics National Championships. They are the second Redhawks trio to earn the accolades after Alexis Brawner, McKinzie Jones and McKenna Stanley recorded the achievement at the 2018 USA Gymnastics Women's Collegiate National Championships. Alana Fischer also represented Southeast at the 2019 USA Gymnastics National Championships.
 
2019 in Review
Southeast posted a season-best 190.275 for sixth at the 2019 MIC Championships at the Gold Dome in Shreveport, Louisiana. Mackenzie Slee tied for the vault crown with a personal-best 9.825 for her first career individual event title and Anna Kaziska, the 2019 MIC Newcomer of the Year, was second on floor with a mark of 9.875 as both earned First-Team MIC All-Conference honors. Slee and Kaziska also captured Second-Team MIC All-Conference accolades for floor and vault, respectively. Slee tied for 10th overall on floor with a 9.800 and Kaziska had a vault score of 9.700 (17th).  
 
Redhawks Crushing it in the Classroom 
Southeast ranked 13th overall in the Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) for team grade-point averages (GPAs) for the 2018-19 academic year. The Redhawks registered a 3.67 GPA during the spring and had a cumulative GPA of 3.65 for the 2018-19 academic year. The Redhawks ranked 35th in the WCGA during 2017-18.
 
Eleven members of the 2019 Redhawks team earned WCGA Scholastic All-America Awards. Lindsey Bates, Allyson Bell, Kendra Benak, Megan Dennis, Alana Fischer, Samantha Gallet, Anna Kaziska, Makenzie Marciniak, Michael Sanders, Kenna Skepnek and Mackenzie Slee each posted GPAs of 3.5 or higher during 2018-19 to garner the award.
 
Looking Ahead
After Friday's meet, Southeast concludes its opening four-week road swing at Ball State's Quad Meet on Sunday, Jan. 26. SEMO will compete against Bowling Green, Wisconsin-La Crosse and host Ball State in the quad meet. SEMO then hosts consecutive home duals on Jan. 31 against Illinois State and Feb. 7 against Lindenwood.