Southeast gymnastics team posts season-best score

~ The Redhawks defeated Wisconsin-Whitewater and Lindenwood on Friday

The Southeast Missouri State gymnastics team, led by Taryn Vanderpool and Alyssa Tucker, looked unbeatable on Friday night in its second home meet of the season.

"Being in front of this home crowd is what these athletes train for," Southeast coach Kristi Ewasko said. "I don't think we've ever seen this much support from our fans. For them to come out and be loud and cheer for us, I know our athletes really appreciate that. Hopefully we impressed them."

Southeast finished first in team standings in a tri-meet on Friday night, posting a score of 193.90, a season high for the Redhawks.

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater finished second with a score of 191.075. Lindenwood University was third with 190.60.

"Tonight was about fighting, and that's what I saw in every single turn," Ewasko said. "We fought for landings that we've missed in the past. We fought for hand stands on bars and little things that add up. This team fought tonight, and I could not be more proud."

Vanderpool and Tucker finished first and second in the all-around competition, respectively. Vanderpool was .025 points away from posting a 39-point score, something she's been striving for all season. She finished with an impressive 38.975. Tucker finished with a score of 38.725.

Southeast's weakest rotation this season has been on the beam. To fix this problem, Ewasko made some lineup changes in Friday's meet, which she said led to her team's success on the beam. The most important change was moving Vanderpool to the front of the rotation.

"We put her first up on beam, which she's never done before," Ewasko said. "I believe it built confidence from the beginning of those lineups and really grew from there as the rest of the girls followed in her footsteps."

The move paid off for Ewasko and the Redhawks. Vanderpool finished tied for first in individual beam standings with a score of 9.775. Southeast's team score was the best of the three competing schools, finishing at 48.050.

The Redhawks also looked strong on the uneven bars. Megan Fosnow finished first with a score of 9.850. Vanderpool finished in a tie for second with freshman Alyssa Tucker at 9.8. Southeast scored 48.925 overall on the bars, finishing first as a team.

"I was relaxed and comfortable tonight," Vanderpool said. "This is my home gym, and I do what I do best here. Tonight I thought I did best on vault after I stuck my landing, but there is always room for improvement in all of my routines."

The Redhawks didn't need much improvement Friday. They finished first in all four rotations.

The Redhawks scored 48.450 points on vault. Vanderpool, along with teammates Megan Fosnow and Bailey Walker all scored a 9.70 and tied for second place on vault.

In the floor exercise, freshman Chelsi Hamilton finished first with a score of 9.775, while the team scored a 48.475.

Southeast will take on the University of Missouri on Friday. The Redhawks left Columbia, Mo., with a bad taste in their mouth last year when the Tigers won by .025 -- the lowest margin a team can win by in gymnastics.

"This team is hungry," Ewasko said. "If we can go in there and beat an SEC team or even get another season-high score, which was our goal tonight, it would be a huge confidence booster for us."