Aug. 7, 2008

By Matthew C. Worthington, Gymnastics Contact

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - The Southeast Missouri Gymnastics Team has been named the 2008 Academic National Champions by the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches/Women (NACGC/W). This marks the second consecutive season that the Southeast program has won the remarkable award. The team's G.P.A. was an unbelievable 3.82 during the 2007-08 academic year which tied for the highest team G.P.A. in the history of the award.

"To receive this high honor in back-to-back fashion says a lot about our gymnastics team and their ability to set the standard high and succeed as student-athletes," said head coach Tom Farden. "I knew from our first semester results that we would be in the running and we all hoped our team G.P.A. was high enough to break the record, but tying it just serves as motivation for next year."

The impressive win by the Redhawks is another testament to the emphasis placed on academic excellence in athletics by the Director of Athletics Don Kaverman, his administration and the coaching staff.

"This is a tremendous honor for our gymnastics team and coach Farden," said Kaverman. "He has done an incredible job in recruiting not only outstanding athletes, but outstanding students as well. Winning this award two years in a row speaks to the programs commitment in recruiting strong student-athletes. Farden has significantly elevated the stature of our gymnastics program both athletically and academically. He is to be commended for his hard work and the manner in which he and his gymnasts represent Southeast Missouri State University."

Coach Farden has consistently led his team to outstanding performances on and off the floor during his head coaching tenure at Southeast. In his first two seasons as head coach, the team placed in the 40th percentile academically before a major jump to 6th in the 2006 season. Last season the Redhawks took down the championship and included nine Scholar Athletes. This year, the team trumped last seasons accomplishment by again winning the championship, tying the all-time team G.P.A. and boasting 16 Scholar Athletes (G.P.A. of 3.5 or higher), including nine gymnasts with a perfect 4.0 G.P.A.

"This is an outstanding accomplishment for the gymnastics program and it reflects the commitment coach Farden and the gymnasts have made to the true meaning of the student-athlete experience," said Associate Athletic Director and Senior Women's Administrator Cindy Gannon. "Not only is this team competitive athletically, they also show a strong commitment to represent Southeast as students as well."

"I am proud to tell our fans about the difficult majors our students have chosen and they have proven to excel in them as well," added Farden.

Perfect 4.0 G.P.A.:

• Sandra Blake (Tri-Cities, Wash./Mid-Columbia) - Business Administration
• Jennifer Dinan (Doniphan, Neb./Grand Island Twisters) - Communication Disorders
• Lauren Dinan (Doniphan, Neb./Nebraska Twisters) - Biology-Wildlife Conservation
• Brianna Gaddie (East Grand Forks, Minn./Red River Valley) - Health Management
• Maureen Grimaldi (Kansas City, Mo./Eagles Gymnastics) - Art & Graphic Design
• Jacqueline Heath (St. Cloud, Minn./St. Cloud Tech) - Physics Major
• Kelley Krengiel (Lemont, Ill./Lemont H.S.) - Health Management
• Erica Moore (Murfreesboro, Tenn./Let It Shine Gymnastics) - Health Management
• Christina Sundgren (Richland, Wash./Mid Columbia) - Math Major

G.P.A. of 3.5 and up:

• Amanda Schoenbaum (Bentonville, Ark./The Williams Center) -Art & Graphic Design
• Starlyn Schwartz (Pensacola, Fla./First City) -Mass Communication
• Kara Gibbons (Lawrenceville, Ga./Georgia Gymnastics Academy) - Criminal Justice
• Jena Nguyen (Sioux Falls, S.D./All-American) - Biomedical Sciences
• Rikara Turner (Hastings, Minn./Twin City Twisters) - Business Administration
• Alison Ezell (Kansas City, Kan./Alpha Omega) - Health Management
• Bryanna Wong (Parkville, Mo./Edge Gymnastics) - Health Management

Top 10 National Teams and G.P.A.:

1. Southeast--3.8200
2. Winona State--3.7550
3. Southern Utah--3.7229
4. Michigan State--3.6526
5. Ithaca--3.5933
6. Cal State Fullerton--3.5867
7. Eastern Michigan--3.5357
8. Denver--3.5240Utah--3.5192
9. MIT--3.4938

The entire season was a success for the Redhawks as they were the top team in the Midwest Independent Conference, defeated two top 20 teams (No. 18 Kentucky and No. 16 Arizona State), advanced to the NCAA Regional, had a gymnast (Sandra Blake) qualify as an alternate to the NCAA National Championship, and earned a final national ranking of No. 30.

"This past year we set two top goals for our season - qualifying to the NCAA Regional and winning this prestigious award," Farden said. "We are now setting my students up for our 2009 goals and ambitions. I felt that our 2008 season was impressive both academically and athletically but we still have higher to climb."