CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Southeast Missouri women's gymnastics is becoming a fully-funded athletics scholarship program beginning with the 2023-24 academic year, the school announced Wednesday.
"We are excited to be able to make this investment in our women's gymnastics program. The women's gymnastics program at SEMO has a proud history of success both in the gym and in the classroom, and this commitment will help us continue to attract quality student-athletes" said Brady Barke, Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics.
The gymnastics program will now possess 12 full athletics scholarships for student-athletes, which is the maximum number of scholarships allowed by NCAA regulations. The change will enhance Head Coach
Ashley Lawson and her staff's ability to recruit the highest caliber student-athletes into the program.
With the change, SEMO gymnastics will no longer be eligible to compete in USA Gymnastics nationals, which is reserved for schools who offer less than eight total athletics scholarships for student-athletes. However, Coach Lawson believes the move will continue to increase the level of competition for the Redhawks, along with the hope of bringing bigger programs to Cape Girardeau.
"Having the ability to award the maximum number of athletics scholarships is huge for our program and the growth of our sport. I believe this will now give us the ability to compete with bigger schools and truly make a run at being a contender for NCAA Regionals" said Coach Lawson, who is entering her sixth season at the helm of SEMO gymnastics.
"The commitment the University is making in our program is a testament to the progression of this program. There is value in our sport and what our student-athletes are doing on and off the competition floor, and it's being noticed. We are excited about this opportunity and will continue to work hard to further build the program," Lawson said.
Last season, SEMO gymnastics placed third overall at the USAG National Championship in Denton, Texas registering a 194.850.
