March 27, 2006

Cape Girardeau, Mo. - The Southeast Missouri State University women's gymnastics team is one of 36 teams nationwide selected for the 2006 NCAA championships. The Redhawks will compete in the NCAA South Central Regional, April 7-8, at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.

The six-team regional field will include top seeded Florida, UCLA, Arkansas, Illinois, Illinois-Chicago and Southeast Missouri. It will be the Redhawks first NCAA regional appearance since 1997.

"It is definitely an honor to finally make the regional field as a team," said Southeast coach Tom Farden. "We've been on the outside looking in the last two years and it is great to finally have crossed the fence to be on the inside. We have made the regional with a freshman dominated team. Our regional team will include seven freshmen, a sophomore and a junior."

Southeast finished third in the Midwest Independent Championships on Saturday at Houck Field House, but scored high enough to help get the regional berth based on a regional qualifying score of 192.35.

The Redhawks top all-around performer has been freshman Sandra Blake who was voted the Midwest Independent Conference Athlete of the Year and Freshman of the Year.

The top two teams and the top two all-around competitors (who are not on an advancing team) from each regional will receive an automatic berth to the national championships in Corvallis, Oregon, April 20-22, hosted by Oregon State University. In addition, the event winners at the regional championships will advance to the national championships (in that event only) if they are not part of a qualifying team or the all-around qualifiers.