TUMBLING IN TUSCALOOSA: OTAHKIANS' CHENIER, ROBERTS QUALIFY FOR NCAA REGIONALS

Listening to Malia Roberts' regard for Erin Chenier, it's hard to tell that just a year in school and hundreths of a point in the all-around competition separates the two Southeast Missouri State University gymnasts.

"(Erin is) an extremely hard worker and I see her as such a role model," Roberts said. "Just watching her will inspire me. Erin is always a top performer and I totally respect that."

Chenier and Roberts will compete in the all-around Saturday in the NCAA Central Regionals at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

Chenier, a junior from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, probably is Southeast's best gymnast ever. Chenier owns the top four all-around scores in school history, and she will make her third successive regionals appearance this weekend.

The top 12 scores in the nation from the five regionals will qualify gymnasts for the NCAA National Championships on April 18 at the University of California-Los Angeles. Chenier placed 25th in the Central region two years ago and 15th last season.

Chenier, who has averaged a score of 38.806 this season in the all-around (bars, balance beam, uneven parallel bars and floor combined), is the No. 2 seed in the region (Chenier originally was the No. 3 seed but an Auburn gymnast withdrew because of an injury). Her season high was a 39.05 on Feb. 28.

For Chenier, anything less than a regionals berth would have been a disappointment.

For the upstart Roberts, a sophomore from Maui, Hawaii, a first-ever regionals spot as an individual wasn't expected. In fact, she didn't know it was possible until coach Kris Buchheister presented her some calculations that showed strong performances in her last two meets would put her in.

Roberts responded by posting a career-high 39.0 in the Midwest Independent Championships, Southeast's last pre-regionals meet. That helped to land her a No. 4 seed -- and added confidence.

"Malia is getting it in her head that she is this good and deserves to be there," Buchheister said.

Roberts, ever critical of her performances, is now buying in to Buchheister's arguments.

"I'm just going to go all-out," she said, "do my best, try not to hold back for anything, put all the skills in at the highest difficulty that I can compete and just see what happens."

Chenier will rotate with Alabama, which qualified as a team. Chenier said the keys will be maintaining her confidence and hitting landings.

"My main thing is being confident with everything I am doing," she said. "I can't expect myself to do spectacular things that I haven't done all season. It's going to be what I've been training to do all season."

"Erin needs to roll with the Tide," said Buchheister with a laugh. "After six of (the Crimson Tide gymnasts) go and the audience is all fired up, she needs to go right along with them."

Buchheister has confidence in her gymnasts. "It will take a very fine performance (to qualify for Nationals), but nothing that either of them has not done in the past," she said.