Ashley Lawson begins her first season as an assistant coach for the Redhawks gymnastics program. She assumed those duties on December 1, 2009.
Lawson, formerly Ashley Godwin, is no stranger to Redhawks gymnastics as she competed on the team from 2001-2004. During her time as a gymnast under former Redhawks head coach Tom Farden, Lawson rewrote the Redhawks record books.
She is currently the school record holder in four of the five individual events. She holds the bars (9.925), beam (9.975), floor (10.000) and all-around (39.550) records. She is one of just three gymnasts in school history to record a perfect ten in an individual event. All-together she appears in the program's individual top-ten a record 12 times and is the only four-time NCAA Individual Regional Qualifier in the school's history since moving to Division I competition.
At the 2003 NCAA South Central Regional in Columbia, Missouri, Lawson finished tied for second place on the floor with a score of 9.925. That place and score are the highest at the NCAA Regionals by a Redhawks gymnast since moving to D-I.
Lawson, a native of Cape Coral, Florida, coached gymnastics at the Spectrum Training Center in Cape Girardeau prior to accepting the position at Southeast. At Spectrum she coached girls from basic to intermediate in skill level.
From 2005-08 she coached gymnastics at Suncoast Gymnastics Academy in Port Richey, Florida where she worked with girls pre-team up to optional skill sets.
Her coaching responsibilities for the Redhawks will be overseeing the team's chorography and routines on the beam as well as additional on-floor coaching, assisting in day-to-day operations and helping in recruiting.
A four-time Southeast Scholar Athlete and a Midwest Independent Conference All-Academic selection during her competing days, she graduated from Southeast in 2005 with a degree in Exercise Science.
Lawson is married to former Redhawks baseball player and current volunteer assistant coach for the Redhawks baseball program, Dave Lawson. The couple have a two-year old boy, Chase.
