NEBRASKA TOO MUCH FOR SEMO GYMNASTS; OTAHKIANS' CHENIER BREAKS SCHOOL RECORD IN ALL-AROUND

Erin Chenier is the first Canadian since 1987 to make the trek south to the Southeast Missouri State University gymnastics team.

Needless to say, Southeast is glad she came.

Chenier's all-around score of 39.275 Monday night in the KZIM/Schnuck's Invitational at the Show Me Center set a school record. Vanessa Simmons' 39.225 in 1995 was the previous record.

Behind Chenier's effort, Southeast's 192.075 as a team placed it second behind an extremely strong Nebraska team's 195.450. Western Michigan was third with a 190.200 and Texas Woman's was fourth with a 188.800.

Chenier, a sophomore from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and a two-time bronze medal winner at the Canadian National Championships in the all-around, tied Nebraska's Nicole Wilkinson for second overall in the meet. Nebraska's Shelly Bartlett won the all-around competition with a 39.350.

"That was one of my goals for this year, to break the school record," said Chenier. "I did it; I'm just so happy."

Southeast coach Bill Hopkins is as happy as anyone to have Chenier -- and he's especially glad she's only a sophomore.

"(Chenier) did an awesome job," Hopkins said. "She is a tough kid, super competitor, great gymnast -- and we're going to have her around for three years.

"She was the leader for our team last year and she's really stepped up a notch in everything she's doing."

Chenier won vault with a 9.800 and tied for first on beam with a 9.900. She was fifth on bars and tied for 10th on floor.

Despite losing to Nebraska, a team ranked in the top ten in the nation, Southeast showed a marked improvement in its home debut over its two previous road efforts.

"We did way better than we did on the road a couple weeks ago," Chenier said. "We came back with just spectacular performances and we're all very, very pleased.

"We've got a very talented team and we're very deep and we're going to go very far. This is just the beginning."

Hopkins was also very upbeat about the Otahkians' performance.

"We easily had the best meet we've had so far," Hopkins said. "We're the healthiest we've been and we hope to be in even better shape next weekend at the University of Iowa.

"We're real pleased; I was really hoping we could go over a 190 with this meet. I was a little concerned because we had a little trouble with our first few bar routines, but then our beam was really tough and our floor was excellent.

Southeast is currently without junior Rebekah Brajcki, one of the team's top performers last season, and freshman Megan Owen.

Southeast's Malia Roberts was the team's other top-10 finisher all-around. She placed seventh with a 38.000.

The Otahkians' Kate Farrington placed third on floor with a 9.800, Roberts tied for fourth with a 9.775 and Kristin Frohlich tied for 10th with a 9.725.

On beam, Ericka Harrison tied for third with a 9.850 and Frohlich tied for seventh (9.800). Farrington tied for fifth on vault with a 9.675, Amanda Gdovicak was ninth (9.575) and Jennifer Wall placed 10th (9.500). On bars, Roberts placed sixth with a 9.800.

Southeast's next home meet will be the Cap'n Crunch Invitational Feb. 8 at the Show Me Center. Southeast will face Alaska, Yale, Illinois and Bowling Green State.