Southeast roundup: Southeast gymnastics team fares well in Oklahoma

After getting off to its worst start of the season in a three-team meet hosted by defending co-national champion Oklahoma on Friday night, the Southeast Missouri State women's gymnastics team rebounded to post season highs on the vault and uneven bars in its final two rotations.

The Redhawks finished with an overall score of 192.850, well behind top-ranked Oklahoma's score of 197.850, the highest score posted in the nation the season. Texas Women's scored 190.350 to round out the field.

Southeast's Alyssa Tucker won the all-around competition with a score of 39.125. Chelsi Hamilton was second with 38.875. Both were career highs for the sophomores. Stephanie Repp from Texas Woman's was third. Oklahoma did not have any competitors in the all-around competition.

"After a rough start and last-minute change to the lineup on floor, this team rallied to have season-highs on the final two events," head coach Kristi Ewasko said in a press release. "I'm really proud that this team didn't cave after such a rough two events, but they showed the drive and determination to fight until the end."

Southeast had a team score of 47.525 on the beam and 47.775 on the floor to start the meet. The Redhawks then posted a season-best 48.825 on the vault, which was the 10th-best total in program history, and a season-best 48.725 on the bars.

The team will host Missouri and Lindenwood at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Houck.

Track and field

After posting a number of personal records in the Illini Classic a week ago, the Southeast men's and women's track and field teams picked up right where they left off in a dual meet with SIU-Edwardsville on Saturday.

Senior Reggie Miller led the men to a first-place finish in his first meet of the season by posting the fourth-best triple jump in the nation with a mark of 52 feet, 9 1/2 inches.

Blake Smith took first in the 60-meter dash with a time of 6.72 seconds, while fellow senior Alexander Anderson took third in 7.07 seconds.

Freshmen Jarred Pasley and Jordan Barber took first and second with times of 22.50 and 22.95 in the 200-meter dash, respectively. The duo also ranks on top of the Ohio Valley Conference in the event after Saturday's meet.

The Redhawks won four other events on the men's side, including senior Kevin Farley's shot put throw of 54 feet, 9 1/2 inches.

Ayonna Cartwright won the 200-meter dash for the women in 25.37 seconds. Senior Cheyenne Tunti placed fourth in 26.27 seconds and also won the 400-meter dash in 58.78 seconds, while Cartwright finished one second behind her in second place.

Abi Sowash won the high jump with a clearing jump of 5 feet, 3 inches.

Haley Holton won the pole vault event with a jump of 9 feet, 3 1/4 inches and Kennedy Roderick finished second with a mark of 8 feet, 1 1/2 inches.

Junior Kayla Gutierrez continued her dominant Southeast career by winning the weight throw with a toss of 63 feet, 1 1/2 inches. She also took second in the shot put with a mark of 44 feet, 5 1/2 inches behind senior Sarah Hall's first-place throw of 45 feet, 4 1/2 inches.