CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Southeast Missouri women's gymnastics head coach Ashley Lawson announced Tuesday the team has inked four student-athletes for the 2024 season. Courtney Henry, Jordan Napolitano, Ava Johnston, and Amelia May will join the team next fall ahead of the 2024 campaign.
 
Courtney Henry
Courtney Henry, a Sanger, Texas native, will head to SEMO in fall of 2023 after graduating from The Bridge High School. 
 
The daughter of Alan Henry and Marcie St. John, Courtney Henry, was a JO (Junior Olympics) National Championship Qualifier as a freshman.
 
She was also the Level 8 Region 3 Vault Champion, Level 9 Region 3 Floor Champion and qualified for the Level 9 Western meet. She is a multi-year state and regional qualifier in the all-around competition. 
 
Henry has been a member of Denton Gymnastics Academy for over 10 years. She is coached by Rodica Lazar, Aurel Lazar, and Sorin Lazar.
 
In the classroom, Henry is a member of the National Society of High School Scholars. She intends to study Pre-Vet or Agribusiness.
 
Jordan Napolitano 
Jordan Napolitano, who hails from Miller Place, New York, will graduate from Miller Place High School in 2023 before coming to SEMO's campus for the 2024 campaign.
 
The daughter of Joseph and Dusti Napolitano, Jordan Napolitano, captured the New York State Level 10 Uneven Bars Championship as a junior. She also took third in the all-around competition at the New York State Meet. 
 
Napolitano won the Region 6 Level 10 Uneven Bars Championship while taking third on vault and fourth in the all-around during her junior campaign. At Level 10 Nationals, she placed 18th on bars. 
 
During her sophomore season, Napolitano qualified for Nationals after finishing fourth on bars at the New York State Level 10 Championship and third overall on the discipline at the Region 6 Level 10 meet.
 
Napolitano is a member of Apex Athletics where she is coached by Amanda Depaola and Rob Wing.
 
In the classroom, Napolitano has earned the Triple "C" Award which recognizes the Courage, Character and Commitment of New York State's outstanding students.
 
She plans to major in Criminal Justice at SEMO. 
 
Ava Johnston
Ava Johnston, a Gainesville, Virginia, native, will head to SEMO after graduating from the CHESS Homeschool Academy in May 2023. 
 
Ava Johnston, the daughter of John and Dawn Johnston, was a 2022 Level 10 Regional Qualifier after she placed third on bars at the 2022 Level 10 Virginia State meet. 
 
In 2021, Ava Johnston won vault while finishing second on bars and third on beam at the Level 10 Virginia State meet to qualify for Level 10 Regionals. She also was a Level 10 Regional Qualifier in 2020 prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. 
 
Johnston placed 10th in the all-around and fifth on bars at the 2019 Level 10 Regionals. She also was fourth in the all-around, second on bars, and fifth on both vault and floor at the 2019 Level 10 Virginia State Meet.
 
She also competed at Level 8 in 2017 and Level 9 in 2018, advancing to Regionals in both seasons. Johnston won the all-around competition, vault, bars, and floor exercise in 2018 at the State meet while finishing third on beam.
 
At 2018 Level 9 Regionals, she was second on vault and seventh on bars. 
 
In 2017, Johnston she won the Level 8 Regionals all-around competition, vault and beam while earning second on floor. At the Virginia State meet, she won vault, bars and floor, and was second in the all-around, and third on beam. 
 
Johnston is a member of Bull Run Academy of Gymnastics (BRAG) where she is coached by Mary Henry and Tad Piscatelli.
 
Besides gymnastics, Johnston enjoys snowboarding and is scuba certified.
 
In the classroom, she is a member of the Kappa Rho Chapter of Eta Sigma Alpha and the National Home School Honor Society. 
 
Johnston intends to major in Kinesiology at SEMO. 
 
Amelia May
Amelia May, a Collierville, Tennessee, native, will graduate from Collierville High School in 2023 before donning the Red and Black at SEMO.
 
The daughter of Jason and Catherine May, Amelia May, was a Level 10 Regional qualifier during her junior season. 
 
As a freshman, she was a Level 9 Eastern Championships first alternate and placed eighth in the all-around at Level 9 Regionals in 2019. 
 
May trains at Believe Gymnastics under the instruction of Erica and Keno Anderson along with Randi Marlowe. May has been the team captain each of the past two seasons at Believe Gymnastics.
 
In the classroom, she is a member of both the National Society of High School Scholars and the National Honors Society.
 
May intends to study the Professional Pilot program at SEMO.