April 11, 2008

By Matthew C. Worthington, Gymnastics Contact

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - The 36th-ranked Redhawks women's gymnastics team has arrived in Norman, Okla. and is ready to compete in the NCAA South Central Regional Championship. The meet will be held this Saturday, April 12th, at 6 p.m. CT. Also competing in the regional are No.4 Alabama, No.10 Oklahoma, No.16 Boise State, No.16 Arizona State and No.24 Illinois.

The Redhawks are coming off an impressive season in which they compiled a remarkable Regional Qualifying Score of 194.065 and a second place finish in the Midwest Independent Conference Championship.

The gymnastics team has now qualified for a team NCAA regional berth twice in the last three years, which speaks volumes for the direction the program is headed.

Along with the impressive season; two gymnasts earned a spot on the All-MIC Team (Sandra Blake and Rikara Turner), assistant coach Brogan Evanson was named MIC Assistant Coach of the Year (2007,2008) and head coach Tom Farden was named MIC Head Coach of the Year (2006, 2007,2008).

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 Athens, Ga., April 24-26, hosted by the University of Georgia. 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.

Top-seeded Alabama ranks in the national top 10 on all events, including the No.3 spot on the floor exercise. The Crimson Tide are led by sophomore Morgan Dennis who is currently No. 8 nationally on the all-around.

Regional host, Oklahoma, also holds top 10 rankings on each event, with their top performances coming from their sixth ranked balance beam and the floor exercise. The Sooners are also proud to have one of the top gymnasts in the nation on their squad in senior all-arounder No.3 Kiara Redmond-Sturms.

The third-seed, Boise State, finished the season holding top 25 spots in each event. The Broncos are led by freshman Hannah Redmond (No.40 AA) and Lindsay Ward (No.12 UB).

Arizona State finished the regular season in the top 30 for each event, highlighted by a 14th place balance beam. The Sun Devils top gymnast is junior Tiana Jean. Jean is currently No.50 on the all-around.

The University of Illinois is the fifth-seed in the competition. The Fighting Illini's top event is bars in which they are No.19 in the country. Leading the way for the Illini is freshman Allison Buckley who is No.28 on the all-around.

Fans will be able to follow the meet for free by going to http://soonersports.cstv.com/sports/w-gym/archive/040708aaa.html.

Stay tuned to GoSoutheast.com tomorrow evening for a recap of the NCAA South Central Regional Championship.