BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – Southeast Missouri women's gymnastics head coach Ashley Lawson was named the 2020 Region 4 Coach of the Year, the Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association announced Thursday. 
 
"I'm beyond humbled by this award," Lawson said. "To be recognized by some of the nation's best coaches, colleagues, and mentors is unfathomable. I know I've said this with each award, but this is seriously a culmination of each student-athlete and staff member's belief in what we're doing here at SEMO. From my assistant coaches, to our athletic trainer keeping our athletes healthy, to our administration, to strength and conditioning and academic services to strategic communications...thank you!! Thank you for trusting in the process and hanging on for the journey."
 
The honor marks the third postseason laurel for Lawson in 2020 who was also awarded USA Gymnastics Ken Anderson Coach of the Year and Midwest Independent Conference Head Coach of the Year.
 
Lawson engineered an epic turnaround in her second season at the helm of Southeast. After going winless in competition in 2019, SEMO registered 10 wins and went on a five-competition win streak from Jan. 31 to March 1. The 2020 Redhawks compiled a Team NQS score of 193.780 for third in the MIC. Southeast also registered a team score of 193.000 or higher in each of their final five meets to conclude the season.
 
Lawson coached the Redhawks to a 195.800, their second-highest team score in school history on Feb. 28 against Northern Illinois at the Tennessee Collegiate Classic. The mark was the highest for a USA Gymnastics school (Division I, II and III programs with less than seven-and-a-half full scholarships) in 2020. SEMO also posted season highs on vault (49.075), bars (49.050) and beam (48.775) in addition to the team score during the historic meet. The vault mark ranks first in SEMO program history and surpassed the record set against Seattle Pacific in 1995 (2/18, 49.000). The bars score is the third highest in the Redhawks record books and the beam score ties for 11th overall in the record books. Southeast also posted a season-high floor mark of 49.025 at home against Illinois State which ranks 11th in SEMO program history.
 
In 2020, Lawson has coached three All-MIC gymnasts, two USA Gymnastics First-Team All-Americans and a USAG Senior All-Star. 
 
Dahlia Solorzano-Caruso, Anna Kaziska and Jordan Jones were each awarded All-MIC honors. Kaziska, the 2020 MIC Gymnast of the Year, and Dahlia Solorzano-Caruso both were named USAG First-Team All-Americans while Mackenzie Slee was selected to the inaugural USAG Senior All-Star Team. 
 
Kaziska (three time-MIC Gymnast of the Week) and Solorzano-Caruso (two time-MIC Newcomer of the Week) also combined for five MIC Weekly awards. 
 
Solorzano-Caruso etched her name in the Redhawks record books twice with a career-best 9.900 on beam (t-5th) and a personal-best all-around mark of 39.350 (t-5th). Five Redhawks also captured individual event titles this season including Kaziska, Solorzano-Caruso, Lindsey Bates and freshmen Jones and Jolie Miller.
 
In the classroom, a total of 18 Southeast gymnasts were named 2020 MIC Scholar-Athletes. Eight Redhawks were also listed as 2020 USAG Scholar Athletes.
 
Lawson (Ashley Godwin) was also inducted in to the Southeast Missouri Athletics Hall of Fame Class on Feb. 7 after the Redhawks overcame Lindenwood, 193.925-193.600.
 
Regional Coach of the Year and Assistant Coaches of the Year award winners were selected by a vote of the coaches in each Division. Region 4 (formerly South Central Region) includes Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Nebraska, Arizona State, Illinois, Arizona, Northern Illinois, Illinois State and SEMO. The WCGA is the advocate for women's collegiate gymnastics.
 
Coach of the Year
Region 1: Dana Duckworth, University of Alabama
Region 2: Tom Farden, University of Utah
Region 3: Beverly Plocki, University of Michigan
Region 4: Ashley Lawson, Southeast Missouri State University
Region 5: Jenny Rowland, University of Florida
Region 6: Justin Howell & Liz Crandall-Howell, University of California, Berkeley
Division II & Centenary: Jackie Fain, Centenary College of Louisiana
NCGA – East Region: Rick Suddaby, Ithaca College
NCGA – West Region: Lauren Karnitz, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
 
Assistant Coaches of the Year
Region 1: Bill Lorenz & Ryan Roberts, University of Alabama
Region 2: Carly Dockendorf & Garrett Griffeth, University of Utah
Region 3: Scott Sherman, Maile'ana Hermelyn, & Quest Hayden, University of Michigan
Region 4: Taylor Spears & David McCreary, University of Arizona
Region 5: Adrian Burde & Owen Field, University of Florida
Region 6: Janelle McDonald, University of California, Berkeley
Division II: Kaytianna McMillan, Seattle Pacific University
NCGA – East Region: Emily Garber, Ithaca College
NCGA – West Region: Ali Berry, University of Wisconsin La Crosse