Season Opener
Kent State Tri Meet
at Kent State
vs. Northern Illinois
 
Meet Information
Date: Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022
Time: 12 p.m., CT
Location: Kent, Ohio
Venue: Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center
Series: Kent State lead SEMO, 6-1;
SEMO leads Northern Illinois, 23-19, 1-0 in 2021

Coaches: Ashley Lawson (Fourth Season at SEMO);
Brice Biggin (30th Season at Kent State);
Sam Morreale (10th Season at NIU)
 
Media Coverage
Video: BOXCAST
Live Stats: SIDEARM Stats
 
Follow the Redhawks
Twitter: @SEMOGymnastics
Media Guide
 
Redhawks Open 2022 Season Sunday at Kent State Tri Meet
Southeast Missouri women's gymnastics, the defending 2021 USA Gymnastics National Champions, commences its 2022 season Sunday at Kent State's Tri Meet. SEMO will face host, Kent State and Northern Illinois in the competition held at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center in Kent, Ohio. First rotation is set for 12 p.m., CT and the Redhawks will open on floor.

Illinois pulled out of the competition due to COVID-19 protocols within its program. 

Due to COVID-19 protocols within the Centenary gymnastics program, SEMO's home-opening dual meet scheduled for Friday, Jan. 14 at Houck Field House was cancelled.
 
Looking at the Opponents
Kent State
Sunday's meet is the Golden Flashes season opener. Kent State finished in third place at the 2021 Mid-American Conference Championships with a team-score of 195.425. MAC Senior Gymnast of the Year, Abby Fletcher, tied a career-high 9.925 on floor to win the individual title. Toshi Richard tied for second place on floor, tying her career high score of 9.900.
 
Olivia Amodei, Karlie Franz and Rachel DeCavitch tied for ninth place on bars with a score of 9.800. Riley Danielson also finished inside the top-10 on beam, tying for eighth place with a score of 9.800.
 
The Golden Flashes received 243 points in the WGCA Preseason Coaches' poll.
 
Illinois
Illinois defeated Central Michigan 194.150-193.425 Jan. 9 to begin the 2022 season. Illinois outscored CMU on three events, with the teams tying on vault with 48.775. On bars, Rachel Borden and Mallory Mizuki tied for first, both scoring 9.825. Mizuki tied with Mia Townes on beam to win the Illini's second event as well scoring 9.825 on their routines.
 
Illinois started the season No. 23 in the WGCA Preseason Coaches' poll and is 24th on RoadtoNationals.com after last week.
 
Northern Illinois
The Huskies opened their 2022 season with a second-place finish at the Florida Quad Meet Jan. 7 with a team score of 194.550 at the Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
 
NIU's two NCAA Regional qualifiers from a year ago – all-arounder Tara Kofmehl and bars specialist Natalie Hamp – picked up where they left off. Kofmehl tied her career high on floor exercise with a 9.925 to place fourth on the event and tied for third on vault with a 9.825 to lead NIU on that event. She also took third in the all-around competition with a 39.050 total. Hamp scored a 9.850 on uneven parallel bars to tie for third on her specialty.
 
The Huskies received 68 points in the WGCA Preseason Coaches' poll and are 20th on RoadtoNationals.com after last week.
 
SEMO Receives Votes in 2022 Preseason Poll
The Redhawks received four points in the 2022 Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association preseason poll, announced Dec. 17, 2021.
 
Roster Breakdown
SEMO returns 12 student-athletes from the 2021 USA Gymnastics National Championship Team. Anna Kaziska, who represented SEMO at the 2021 NCAA Regionals, returns for her senior season. She captured 11 event titles (37 in her career) including the 2021 USAG Beam title this past season. Ashley Albrecht and Makenzie Marciniak complete the senior class.
 
Juniors Jordan Jones, Molly Maxwell, Jolie Miller (the 2021 USAG and MIC Bars Bronze Medalist), Mallory Desch and Taylor Fishkin, along with sophomores Anna Speller (the 2021 MIC Championships Bronze Medalist), Lydia Test, Lydia Webb and Sophia Studdard round out the returners.
 
The Redhawks also added four newcomers in freshmen Lindsay Ockler, Nyah Reader, Janelle Lopez and Madison Greene. Both Ockler and Reader competed at SEMO's Red & Black Intrasquad in December. Ockler trains all four events and will compete as an all-arounder in 2022.
 
2021 Signees
SEMO head coach Ashley Lawson announced Nov. 10 the team had inked two student-athletes during the early signing period. Taylor Ingle and Sydney Crouch will join the team next fall for the 2023 season.
 
Ingle, a Coppell, Texas native, will graduate from Coppell High School in 2022. She was a state, regional and National qualifier in her junior year. Ingle most recently won the 2021 state championship with Texas Dream Gymnastics.
 
Crouch, who comes to Cape Girardeau by way of Coral Springs, Florida, will graduate from Coral Springs Charter School in 2022. She was a State, Regional and National Qualifier in 2021 during her junior year.
 
2022 Schedule
The Redhawks will compete in 12 meets while hosting two home meets with fellow Midwest Independent Conference institutions Illinois State and Lindenwood.
 
The Redhawks head to Centenary in Shreveport, Louisiana, March 4 before a marquee quad meet against host, Texas Woman's, perennial powerhouse, Oklahoma, and Air Force, March 6 in Denton, Texas. SEMO concludes the regular-season at Illinois State March 12 in Normal, Illinois.
 
The Redhawks will then travel back to Denton, Texas, for the 2022 MIC Championship, which will be contested on Friday, March 18 at Texas Women's University.
 
To wrap up the season, SEMO will travel to the Empire State to defend its 2021 crown at the 2022 USA Gymnastics National Championship April 7-10 in Ithaca, New York. The competition will be held on the campus of Cornell.
 
2021 USA Gymnastics National Champions
The Redhawks captured the 2021 USA Gymnastics Women's Collegiate National Championship April 10 at the Show Me Center with a team score of 195.025. Trailing Lindenwood 145.725-145.650 entering the final rotation, SEMO tied a program-best 49.375 on beam to secure the Championship.
 
SEMO's beam score of 49.375 matched the program-record set at the 2003 MIC Championships (March 29, 2003) where head coach Ashley Lawson (then Godwin) led SEMO on the event with a 9.975. SEMO also recorded a 48.900 on vault at the 2021 USAG Championship, which tied for the seventh-highest score in SEMO program history.
 
Dahlia Solorzano-Caruso won the 2021 USA Gymnastics All-Around crown with 39.225. Makenzie Marciniak was awarded the Mari Rae Sopper Spirit Award at the conclusion of the 2021 USA Gymnastics Championships. Head coach Ashley Lawson was named the Ken Anderson USAG Coach of the Year for the second-straight season at the conclusion of the 2021 USA Gymnastics Championships. Assistant coach Andavea Alexander was selected as the 2021 USAG Assistant Coach of the Year
 
SEMO earned 18 USA Gymnastics All-American selections. Dahlia Solorzano-Caruso was named a First Team All-American for all-around, bars, beam and floor. Anna Kaziska garnered First Team laurels for vault, beam and floor. Jolie Miller was named a First Team All-American for bars and beam. Molly Maxwell was named to the First Team for all-around and beam and the Second Team for floor. Michael Sanders (vault), Gabrielle Adams (vault), Lindsey Bates (bars), Anna Speller (beam), Alana Fischer (beam) and Jordan Jones (floor) were also awarded First Team honors.
 
2021 in Review
SEMO registered a team score of 194.825 to take third at the 2021 Midwest Independent Conference Championships March 19 at Redbird Arena on the campus of Illinois State. Eight Redhawks earned All-MIC honors for their performances at the Championships and head coach Ashley Lawson was named the 2021 MIC Coach of the Year at the conclusion of the meet. For Lawson, it was her second-straight season earning the honor.
 
SEMO averaged a team score of 193.498 in 2021 including six-straight marks of 194 or higher to conclude the season. The Redhawks season-high of 195.150 achieved against Illinois State and Lindenwood on Senior Day (March 12) ranks 10th all-time in SEMO program history. The Redhawks averaged a 48.000 plus on every event this season including a 48.555 on beam, 48.527 on floor, 48.236 on vault and 48.180 on bars. The SEMO season-best floor score of 49.225 posted on March 12 ranks ninth in the school's record books.
 
Redhawks Crushing it in the Classroom 
Southeast Missouri ranked 13th among the nation's top Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) academic teams for the 2020-21 season. SEMO posted a 3.78 GPA with 18 of its student-athletes named Academic All-Americans. Over 94 percent of the 2021 Redhawks roster registered a 3.5 or higher GPA.

Ashley Albrecht, Lindsey Bates, Mallory Desch, Alana Fischer, Taylor Fishkin, Jordan Jones, Anna Kaziska, Makenzie Marciniak, Molly Maxwell, Jolie Miller, Lindsey Moffitt, Michael Sanders, Dahlia Solorzano-Caruso, Anna Speller, Sophia Studdard, Lydia Test, Heidi Vanderboom and Lydia Webb were all named WCGA Academic All-Americans. Each of these student-athletes either had a 3.5 overall GPA or carried a 3.5 GPA during the 2020-21 academic year.

Looking Ahead
SEMO next takes on Northern Illinois Friday, Jan. 21 at the Tennessee Collegiate Classic in Lebanon, Tennessee.
 
Redhawks Season Tickets are on sale now. Season tickets are just $19, including all taxes and online convenience fees and can be purchased online or by calling the SEMO Athletics Ticket Office at 573-651-2113.