Otahkian gymnasts beaming after win

A week after being edged out by the University of Illinois-Chicago Southeast Missouri State University's gymnastics team put up its best performance of the year and seventh-best team score in school history in a 194.375 to 192.425 victory over the 40th ranked University of Illinois Saturday at Houck Field House.

Southeast coach Patty Stotzheim said getting a win over a big program like the University of Illinois should help boost the team's confidence.

"I think it will make a big difference," she said. "It's kind of nice to say we beat a Big Ten school. And it wasn't a fluke."

Southeast swept all four events and set season-highs in the bars (48.550), beam (48.450) and vault (48.550). Along with sweeping each event, the Otahkians had individual winners in three of the four events as well as having the all-around champion.

For Stotzheim, Saturday's result, the Otahkians best in her tenure as gymnastics coach, is a culmination of years of hard work.

"I think they're starting to get it," she said.

Deanna Ogg was first in bars with a personal-high 9.850, Ashley Godwin won the floor event with a 9.9 and Amy Cole and Godwin tied for first in the vault with a 9.75.

Even with individual winners in nearly every event Stotzheim said there is still room for improvement.

"We still have a couple of difficult skills we're holding back," she said.

Godwin won the all-around with a 39.1, followed by Cole's personal-best 39.075. Cole also finished second in the bars (9.725) and floor (9.875).

It was a day of personal-bests for Otahkians first-year gymnast Tara Boldt. Boldt continued her strong season with personal-bests in the all-around (38.75), vault (9.675), beam (9.85) and bars (9.7).

Godwin led the Otahkians big turnaround on the balance beam with a personal-best 9.875, good enough for second. Southeast showed no ill-signs after last week's dismal 47.125 team beam score. Cole and Ogg were also key to the Otahkians' beam comeback posting scores of 9.725 and 9.625 respectively.

Stotzheim said while their beam score was an improvement, they still had to count a fall.

"We will get better on the beam yet," she said.

Southeast track & field

Cape Girardeau native and Central graduate Heather Jenkins paced the Southeast Missouri State University track team with a second-place finish in the shotput on the first day of events at the Indiana Invitational Saturday in Bloomington, Ind.

Jenkins posted a season-high throw of 48-feet-3-inches. Other top performers for the Southeast women Saturday were Courtney Haman in the high jump (3rd), Michelle Jett in the pole vault (7th) and Meleisa Greene in the long jump (8th).

On the men's side Brandon Myer's fourth-place finish in the shot put topped Southeast. Myer's throw traveled 54 feet. Jared Tanz had the seventh best qualifying time in the 800 meters and Chad Sierman finished eighth in the mile run in 4:26.90.

-- From staff reports