There’s a shadow over the MIC this year, as 2019 co-champion UIC is no longer a program. But there’s still plenty to be excited for in this fiercely competitive yet friendly conference. It’s an independent conference run by the coaches of its five teams rather than by a particular organization, and it’s the only one in the country with members from all programs. It also contains some of the nation’s most fascinating rivalries. The dynamic between Lindenwood and UIC kept us on the edge of our seats—ultimately tying for the conference title—and while Texas Woman’s had an off year in 2019, don’t be surprised if the Pioneers are back and ready to battle for the No. 1 ranking in 2020.
The 2020 season will be here before we know it! And with preseason training in full swing, it’s time to start looking at the teams and how they might fare when the action kicks off in January—from who’s expected to compete, holes coaches need to fill, exciting upgrades you might see and more.
No. 36 Lindenwood
2019 was a landmark season for the Lindenwood Lions, who captured their third USAG national title in only seven years of competition and qualified for NCAA regionals for the first time. The Lions graduated a few top routines, but would have the depth to carry on at a similar level even without the contributions of an exceptional freshman class. Keep an eye on star junior Courtney Mitchell. She led the MIC and USAG all around standings for most of 2019 but was injured at MIC championship and restricted to bars for the rest of postseason. Note that Aleah Turon had surgery in October and may be restricted in 2020, and Breanna Franklin had knee surgery over the summer but is already regaining skills.
| Losses: | Andavea Alexander (UB, BB, FX), Samantha Borges (VT, UB), Maya Davis, Kristin Morgan |
| Gains: | Riley Daniels, Gayla Griswold, Sydney Lopez |
| Returning From Injury: | Paige Sorensen (ACL) |
Vault
Potential Contributors: Jordan Boogerd (9.810 NQS), Courtney Mitchell (9.810), Aleah Leman (9.785), Aleah Turon (9.785), Ryan Henry (9.740), Kyndall Baze (9.690), Claire Bonacorsi (9.575 AVG), Breanna Franklin (9.492), Nicole Baars (9.200), Riley Daniels, Gayla Griswold, Sydney Lopez
How It Looked Before: With 10 separate contributors on vault in 2019, Lindenwood wasn’t lacking in depth. It is a team that can reliably field a full lineup of 9.95-plus start value vaults, though they can be a mixed bag in terms of technique and landing consistency. Breanna Franklin is a wildcard, with a front handspring front pike half that starts from a 10.0 but is also fairly inconsistent.
How It Looks Now: All three Lindenwood freshmen are great vaulters and should be able to replace some of the technically weaker vaults in the lineup. In level 10, Gayla Griswold had the weakest of the three Yurchenko fulls, but in college training so far she looks strong and has intermittently worked a Yurchenko one and a half.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? Definitely trending up. This lineup won’t be radically transformed, but it should be able to add a few tenths to its rotation totals.
Bars
Potential Contributors: Courtney Mitchell (9.835 NQS), Ryan Henry (9.755), Taylor Colwell (9.730), Jordan Boogerd (9.725), Katie Bailey (9.750 AVG), Riley Daniels, Sydney Lopez
How It Looked Before: Bars was one of Lindenwood’s weaker events in 2019, but it was fairly consistent and by no means a liability. Katie Bailey returned to the lineup late from an offseason shoulder surgery, but performed very well and should contribute weekly in 2020.
How It Looks Now: This is the lineup from which Lindenwood lost the most weekly routines (two), but replacing them shouldn’t be an issue. Freshmen Riley Daniels and Sydney Lopez scored well in level 10 and have been fixtures of Lindenwood’s training updates.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? This lineup might be a little short on depth in 2020, but it should be able to field six strong routines and stay level.
Beam
Potential Contributors: Courtney Mitchell (9.845 NQS), Ryan Henry (9.805), Katie Bailey (9.765), Breanna Franklin (9.710), Emily Milliet (9.710), Taylor Colwell (9.775 AVG), Nicole Baars, Mackenzy Chavez, Georgina Harris, Hadley Roberts, Paige Sorensen, Riley Daniels, Gayla Griswold, Sydney Lopez
How It Looked Before: Beam is a hereditary strength for the Lions, and it’s the event on which they scored a program record 49.500 to run away with the USAG team title last year. They used the same group of six gymnasts every week until Mitchell’s injury forced them to substitute Taylor Colwell in, and she hit every routine for the rest of the season.
How It Looks Now: Beam is hard to pick since nearly every Lion shows up in training clips. Apart from the freshmen, who are all strong contenders, Hadley Roberts’ triple series looks intriguing, and it would be great to see British senior Georgina Harris crack her first NCAA lineup after an injury odyssey. This is a strength for sophomore Paige Sorensen, who is returning from an ACL injury (though she contributed plenty to the team last year in the form of some of the nation’s most entertaining team Instagram stories).
Trending up, down or too early to tell? No one is expecting Lindenwood to be able to repeat its 49.500 rotation on a weekly basis, but this lineup has more depth than ever.
Floor
Potential Contributors: Ryan Henry (9.820 NQS), Courtney Mitchell (9.815), Kyndall Baze (9.805), Breanna Franklin (9.795), Taylor Colwell (9.750), Jordan Boogerd (9.775 AVG), Katie Bailey (9.750), Aleah Leman (9.731), Emily Milliet (9.675), Gayla Griswold, Sydney Lopez, Paige Sorensen
How It Looked Before: Lindenwood was not short on depth on floor in 2019. It’s a team with strong performance ability as well as plenty of difficulty, and several of its most difficult sets weren’t consistently in the lineup because of inconsistency.
How It Looks Now: There’s no reason to worry about Lindenwood here. Most of 2019’s best floor routines will transfer over intact, and it gains two good freshman routines, including Griswold’s great full-in. Floor is also Sorensen’s best event, and if she’s healthy enough to compete this year, her presence will make her very popular with fans in St. Charles.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? Similar to slightly better. There are so many routine choices here, but there’s a little room for growth in terms of control on landings.
Overall Outlook
It’s very encouraging to see how many freshman routines Lindenwood has been highlighting on its social media this year. This is a team that can beat the majority of Division I at this point, and it has a great deal of depth to work with in 2020. There are some injury question marks—keep an eye on Franklin, Sorensen and Mitchell, though fans should be optimistic that all three can be fit by the time season begins.
No. 55 Texas Woman’s
Texas Woman’s graduated half its team in 2018, and it spent all of last year trying to wrangle—with mixed success—with that loss. Inconsistency and a series of fluke injuries and accidents kept the Pioneers from finding their rhythm last year, but despite the loss of a second consequential senior class, there are numerous routine options.
| Losses: | Erin Alderman (VT, BB, FX), Jenna Cashmore (UB), Morgan Colee (VT, UB FX), Madison Dickson (UB, BB, FX), Megan Gentry (VT, UB), Kaitlyn Holley, Alyssa Page (Transfer to BGSU) |
| Gains: | Maddie Griffith, Mara Johnson, Mackenzie Kunzman, Beth Lazarus, Kyla Podges, Daisy Woodring |
| Returning From Injury: | Natalie Payne (knee), Domi Bonzagni (unknown) |
Vault
Potential Contributors: Hope Parkin (9.790 NQS), Hunter Vincent (9.720), Bria Northrop (9.715), Sadie Bish (9.517 AVG), Mackenzie Balderas (9.485), Paige Stuyniski (9.481), Isabel Goyco (9.412) Natalie Payne, Domi Bonzagni, Maddie Griffith
How It Looked Before: In 2019, TWU had a few great vaults and a deep field of middling ones. This is a team that aspires to a full lineup of 9.95-plus start values, but last year it wasn’t able to pull it off. Unsurprisingly vault was the Pioneers’ most consistent event, but it still dipped below the 48 mark on several occasions.
How It Looks Now: Sophomores Domi Bonzagni and Natalie Payne did not compete in 2019 but have potential here. Daisy Woodring and Maddie Griffith have the strongest vaults among the freshmen, both showing Yurchenko layout fulls, and Beth Lazarus vaults the same, though hers lags behind the other two technically. Kyla Podges has a strong Yurchenko full on, tuck off.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? There are enough new vaults here that the Pioneers should be able to dispense with the Yurchenko layouts and tuck fulls, and increase their scores significantly.
Bars
Potential Contributors: Bria Northrop (9.785 NQS), Hunter Vincent (9.745), Paige Stuyniski (9.655), Isabel Goyco (9.340 AVG), Mackenzie Balderas (8.800), Domi Bonzagni, Natalie Payne, Maddie Griffith, Beth Lazarus, Daisy Woodring
How It Looked Before: Bars was not great for TWU in 2019. The Pioneers lost several of their best routines to injury, and what was left by the end was haphazard and inconsistent.
How It Looks Now: The newcomers aren’t exactly a bars team, but they’ll still be necessary. Maddie Griffith’s Jaeger-based set is strong and will be key, as will Beth Lazarus’ routine that features a beautiful Tkachev. Daisy Woodring’s set is on the simpler side, but it’s quick and aggressive and will minimize deductions. Once again, Domi Bonzagni and Natalie Payne can contribute if healthy.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? This squad will struggle to match the best meets in 2019, where the lineup had all its key contributors and got close to 49.0, but it should be an improvement over the way the team ended the season if the newcomers are consistent.
Beam
Potential Contributors: Bria Northrop (9.785 NQS), Hunter Vincent (9.740), Isabel Goyco (9.665), Hope Parkin (9.650), Mackenzie Balderas (9.358 AVG), Domi Bonzagni,
How It Looked Before: There’s plenty of style in Texas Womans’ beam lineup, but it struggled with inconsistency in 2019 after the departure of so many veterans. Senior Erin Alderman had not been a key beam contributor prior to 2019 but was very reliable and necessary.
How It Looks Now: There are plenty of options on this event, but it will be down to veteran Bria Northrop to hold an inexperienced group together. Kyla Podges and Daisy Woodring are the critical new routines, though Maddie Griffith has potential too.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? This is an event where the Pioneers could struggle in 2019, though beam is always the hardest event to predict.
Floor
Potential Contributors: Bria Northrop (9.825 NQS), Isabel Goyco (9.770), Sadie Bish (9.655) Mackenzie Balderas (9.520), Hope Parkin (9.320), Bridgette Peterson (9.613 AVG), Natalie Payne, Domi Bonzagni,
How It Looked Before: Floor is typically the Pioneers’ sweet spot, and it’s an event where they can get back on track after shaky bars or beam rotations. It wasn’t as strong as it has been in previous years, but it was still the most reliable event, especially in the second half of the season.
How It Looks Now: Natalie Payne has star potential here, and there’s lots of talent spread among the freshmen as well. Kyla Podges and Daisy Woodring are once again the obvious picks, and MacKenzie Kunzman is a polished performer with a strong tumbling set.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? There’s every reason to be optimistic about TWU floor in 2020.
Overall Outlook
Texas Woman’s really ought to be able to improve its NQS in 2020, but it has some work to do to figure out which of its dozen or so routines per event can be consistent. We’ll be watching to see if the Pioneers’ lineups settle down by February or if they continue switching out routines until late in the season—the latter is likely a sign of trouble.
No. 56 Illinois State University
Illinois State lost some key performers going into the 2020 season but are still returning to competition with a strong group of gymnasts. It finished 2019 with a season high on floor and placed second overall at the MIC championship. It will be looking to build on that to improve its ranking in 2020.
| Losses: | Brianna Barrett, Meredith LaRoche, Kylie Meyer, Marissa Piper, Sarah Pollman |
| Gains: | Angelica Labat, Katherine McGowan |
Vault
Potential Contributors: Gabrielle Cooke (9.780 NQS), Charlise Doctor (9.735), Savannah Remkus (9.670), Madison Solka (9.665), Sofia Iribarren (9.560), Angelica Labat
How It Looked Before: This wasn’t the Redbirds’ strongest event, but it was consistent. They would benefit from having more vaults in the lineup with higher start values, but the vaults they put up score relatively well.
How It Looks Now: Vault should remain pretty consistent with most of their lineup returning in 2020. The addition of freshman Angelica Labat will be huge as well: She has been training a beautiful Yurchenko 1.5, which would be an incredible boost to their overall starting score potential as the only 10.0 start on the team.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? Trending up.
Bars
Potential Contributors: Anna Marema (9.770 NQS), Sofia Iribarren (9.750), Gabrielle Cooke (9.675), Mia Quigg (9.665), Savannah Remkus, Angelica Labat, Katherin McGowan
How It Looked Before: Bars was a relatively consistent event for the Redbirds in 2019. They finished third overall in the MIC with a NQS of 48.535.
How It Looks Now: The Redbirds are only losing a couple sets from 2019, and the ones that are returning are strong. Plus, there are some exciting upgrade possibilities in the mix: Sophomore Sofia Iribarren is working a Bhardwaj, senior Gabrielle Cooke is training a Ray and junior Savannah Remkuks has been posting training clips on bars, which she did not compete in her freshman or sophomore year campaigns.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? Trending up.
Beam
Potential Contributors: Savannah Remkus (9.785 NQS), Gabrielle Cooke (9.775), Mia Quigg (9.605), Alyssa Wiggle (9.450), Cameron Topp (9.240), Anna Marema, Triniti Barron, Angelica Labat
How It Looked Before: Beam was Illinois State’s weakest event in 2019, and it is one it needs to make more consistent if it wants to be a serious contender for the MIC title in 2020. The skills are there, it just needs to gain confidence in execution.
How It Looks Now: Fortunately for the Redbirds, they are only losing two routines here—but one of them is from Kylie Meyer, who was their strongest beam worker. They will need to make up some ground to replace her score. An exciting possible addition to the lineup is senior Anna Marema, who hasn’t competed on beam for the Redbirds. She has been training a new triple series on beam.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? Too early to tell.
Floor
Potential Contributors: Gabrielle Cooke (9.845 NQS), Mia Quigg (9.815), Cameron Topp (9.780), Savannah Remkus (9.690), Angelica Labat, Katherine McGowan
How It Looked Before: Floor is the Redbirds’ best event, and they are retaining most of their lineup going into 2020.
How It Looks Now: This will continue to be a stellar event for the Redbirds in 2020. In addition to the routines that they already have, both freshmen have lineup potential as well.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? Trending up.
Overall Outlook
Illinois State had a solid season in 2019, finishing third in the MIC during the regular season and second at the MIC championship (behind Lindenwood and UIC who tied for first). With the majority of its postseason routines returning, it is set up well for a strong season in 2020. The addition of Angelica Labat and her potential 10.0 start value on vault is a big boost for the Redbirds, along with the upperclassmen potentially upgrading and stepping into events where they have been absent thus far. The Redbirds’ success will hinge on those factors; if they can upgrade and improve, 2020 looks to be a great season.
No. 67 Centenary College
Centenary finished 2019 as the highest-ranked Division III team in the nation and beat Division I SEMO at the conference championship. Without superstar Navia Jordan and top all arounder Tavia Smith, the Ladies’ outlook isn’t as clear, but they add a monster freshman class that should provide options.
| Losses: | Aspen Hattley (UB), Navia Jordan (VT, BB, FX), Mackenzie Packer, Elizabeth Sander (BB, FX), Natalie Scates (UB), Tavia Smith (AA) |
| Gains: | Rose Deshler, Kendall Huff, Leilani Johnson, Madison McCary, Kennedy Stephens, Lauryn Stiff, Lacey Wedge, Taylor Ann Wilson |
Vault
Potential Contributors: Cami Bea Austin (9.775 NQS), Kendall Sanders (9.475), Jenny Jackson (9.405), Xian Baumgartner (9.405), Jerrica Harris (9.325), Dorothy Mims (9.325 AVG), Kendall Knaps (9.075), Kendall Huff, Leilani Johnson, Lauryn Stiff
How It Looked Before: Vault was fine in 2019, with one great weekly vault from Austin and a selection of Yurchenko layouts and the like to fill the gaps.
How It Looks Now: Kendall Huff and Leilani Johnson’s solid Yurchenko layout fulls are a big deal for this lineup, and both have the potential to score well in college. Lauryn Stiff also has a strong scoring record for what is most likely a Yurchenko layout. Kendall Knaps can vault better than she did in her one outing as a freshman, so look for her to get a second chance here.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? There’s every reason to expect improvement on vault this year.
Bars
Potential Contributors: Xian Baumgartner (9.600 NQS), Kendall Sanders (9.580), Jenny Jackson (9.455), Kendall Knaps (9.290), Sierra Ponder (8.755), Cami Bea Austin (7.850 AVG), Rose Deshler, Madison McCary, Leilani Johnson
How It Looked Before: Bars is usually the lowest-scoring event for Division III teams, and that was the case for Centenary as well in 2019. This lineup had some decent routines but was meltdown-prone, producing two 45s and a 41 at various points throughout the season.
How It Looks Now: This event isn’t a strength for the freshmen, so expect the Ladies to try out some options. Among newcomers, Rose Deshler is a clear leader with a big Tkachev and aggressive handstands. She’s the only one of the group to have a level 10 career high over 9.000. Madison McCary has a fluid swing and pretty technique, and Leilani Johnson’s scores hint that she could be a useful backup routine.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? This lineup will likely stay the same or dip slightly in scores in 2019, but at least there are plenty of options to try.
Beam
Potential Contributors: Cami Bea Austin (9.650 NQS), Kendall Sanders (9.585), Jerrica Harris (9.575), Xian Baumgartner (9.237 avg.), Kendall Knaps (8.525), Kennedy Stephens, Leilani Johnson, Rose Deshler, Kendall Huff, Lauryn Stiff, Madison McCary
How It Looked Before: Beam was exceptional for the Ladies last year and produced their highest event ranking of the 2019 season. This stylish lineup could score above 48.0 regularly.
How It Looks Now: The Ladies graduated a lot of routines on beam, so they’ll need newcomers to pan out. Freshman Kennedy Stephens has tons of style and confidence and could be a very useful beam specialist. Leilani Johnson, Rose Deshler, Kendall Huff and Lauryn Stiff all have solid scores. As on bars, while Madison McCary’s level 10 scoring record is less substantial, her technique is strong.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? There’s plenty of potential in this group, but they might be less consistent than last year’s group of veterans.
Floor
Potential Contributors: Cami Bea Austin (9.765 NQS), Kendall Sanders (9.630), Jerrica Harris (9.490), Jenny Jackson (9.420 AVG), Kendall Knaps (9.175), Sierra Ponder (9.037), Rose Deshler, Kendall Huff, Leilani Johnson, Madison McCary, Kennedy Stephens, Lauryn Stiff
How It Looked Before: Floor is usually a strength for Centenary, and 2020 was no different. Most of its highest scores came from this event, led by a landmark year from senior Navia Jordan.
How It Looks Now: While the Ladies lost several routines on this event, they add a ton of talent. Leilani Johnson and Kendall Huff are the clear scoring leaders, and Kennedy Stephens was super consistent in level 10. But six of the eight freshmen are plausible additions here.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? The standard is high on this event, but there are enough great routines that scores can stay about even with last year.
Overall Outlook
Expect some experiments in the early part of the season as the Ladies scope out which of their freshman routines are reliable, but the incoming class is a deep and talented group that is up to the challenge. Watch for whether the Ladies can continue to perform at a higher level than SEMO—and how they compare to the rapidly developing top tier of NCGA teams.
No. 70 Southeast Missouri
SEMO went through the wringer in 2019, suffering five season-ending injuries on a roster of 13 gymnasts and just barely managing to fill its lineups for the rest of the year and walking away with its lowest ranking in at least 20 years. Gritty performances by four weekly all arounders, particularly star freshman Anna Kaziska, kept the Redhawks alive, but in many ways it was a season to forget.
| Losses: | Allyson Bell (UB, BB, FX), Samantha Gallet (VT, UB), Maya Tran (VT, UB) |
| Gains: | Catherine Constantini, Mallory Desch, Taylor Fishkin, Jordan Jones, Molly Maxwell, Jolie Miller, Lindsey Moffit, Dahlia Solorzano-Caruso, Ashley Albrecht (Transfer from UIC) |
| Returning From Injury: | Lindsey Bates, Megan Dennis, Makenzie Marciniak, Kenna Skepnek |
Vault
Potential Contributors: Mackenzie Slee (9.730 NQS), Gabrielle Adams (9.710), Anna Kaziska (9.705), Alana Fischer (9.540), Michael Sanders (9.445), Ashley Albrecht (9.685 NQS at UIC), Lindsey Bates, Catherine Constantini, Taylor Fishkin, Jordan Jones, Molly Maxwell, Dahlia Solorzano-Caruso, Mallory Desch, Ashley Albrecht
How It Looked Before: Vault was SEMO’s lifeline through much of 2019. It was the Redhawks’ best-scoring, most consistent, highest-ranked event.
How It Looks Now: SEMO is poised to improve and excel on vault in 2020. Four athletes have been spotted training Yurchenko one and a halfs, and while most of those upgrades won’t make it to competition, it’s a measure of how secure this roster is on vault. Freshmen Catherine Constantini, Taylor Fishkin, Jordan Jones, Molly Maxwell and Dahlia Solorzano-Caruso all compete Yurchenko layout fulls while Mallory Desch and transfer Ashley Albrecht do Yurchenko halfs. Jones and Solorzano-Caruso are perhaps the strongest technically.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? This is not a lineup that will struggle with depth or have to use Yurchenko layouts in 2020. Expect an already strong score to improve.
Bars
Potential Contributors: Anna Kaziska (9.620 NQS), Alana Fischer (9.575), Kendra Benak (9.145), Michael Sanders (8.855), Mackenzie Slee (8.650), Lindsey Bates (9.650 AVG), Megan Dennis (9.000 AVG), Ashley Albrecht (9.680 AVG at UIC), Lindsey Moffitt, Jolie Miller, Jordan Jones, Mallory Desch, Dahlia Solorzano-Caruso
How It Looked Before: Bars wasn’t strong before the injury wave began, and afterwards it was devastating. The Redhawks used every gymnast who was capable of a full bars routine. This lineup only scored over 46.000 three times during the season. Scores in the 44 to 45 range were common.
How It Looks Now: There’s depth, thank goodness, but lots of technical issues are still showing up in training. Texas Dreams alumna Lindsey Moffitt has her club’s hallmark technique and the best scores of the freshman class. Jolie Miller has an exciting routine that features a piked Jaeger and a Ezhova, Jordan Jones is tidy and reliable with a beautiful Ricna and Mallory Desch has potential. This isn’t Dahlia Solorzano-Caruso’s standout event but she can do far better than many of last year’s lineup routines, as can Ashley Albrecht, who did not always make the lineup at UIC but should have an easier time in Cape Girardeau.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? This lineup won’t be clean or glamorous in 2020, but it won’t be difficult for the Redhawks to improve on their 2019 performance. It’s just a matter of finding routines that stay on the bars most of the time.
Beam
Potential Contributors: Anna Kaziska (9.835 NQS), Mackenzie Slee (9.625), Michael Sanders (9.600), Alana Fischer (9.575), Gabrielle Adams (9.385), Megan Dennis (9.375 AVG), Lindsey Bates, Ashley Albrecht, Molly Maxwell, Lindsey Moffitt, Jolie Miller, Dahlia Solorzano-Caruso
How It Looked Before: In 2019, beam was not great but acceptable for the Redhawks. Most of the critical routines escaped the injury epidemic, and Kaziska quickly became a superstar.
How It Looks Now: Beam is always the most difficult event to predict lineups, but there are several freshmen who have major potential here. Molly Maxwell is perhaps the biggest prospect, with beautiful technique and the strongest scoring history of the freshman class. Lindsey Moffitt once again has the Texas Dreams look on this event, and Jolie Miller has a slightly lower peak but is consistent. Dahlia Solorzano-Caruso is clean, steady and a Canadian national champion here while Ashley Albrecht had a respectable if slightly nervy set during her freshman year in Chicago.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? There’s a lot to like about this beam group. The Redhawks should be able to bench a few of 2019’s less reliable routines and get strong scores from the newcomers. With such a young team, inconsistency is inevitable, but expect improvement by the end of the year.
Floor
Potential Contributors: Anna Kaziska (9.870 NQS), Mackenzie Slee (9.780), Alana Fischer (9.535), Michael Sanders (9.200), Gabrielle Adams (9.160), Ashley Albrecht (9.810 NQS at UIC), Kenna Skepnek (9.267 AVG), Lindsey Bates, Lindsey Moffitt, Molly Maxwell, Jordan Jones, Dahlia Solorzano-Caruso, Ashley Albrecht, Catherine Constantini
How It Looked Before: Floor can be a happy place for the Redhawks, and though 2019 forced them to use some routines that weren’t the best, there were still bright spots. Anna Kaziska in particular rocked it out week after week to ultimately finish third at USAG nationals.
How It Looks Now: There’s a great deal of talent coming into the Redhawks’ floor lineup this year. Lindsey Moffitt, Molly Maxwell and Jordan Jones could all be weekly contributors, with Maxwell boasting an E-level front double full as her first pass and Jones showing an unusual one and a half twist step-out to double twist pass in recent training. Dahlia Solorzano-Caruso and Albrecht shine here as well. Catherine Constantini is a backup option.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? Floor should be a real strength for SEMO this year. The only slight concern is that some of the tumbling we have seen in training clips this fall is less than emphatic, but there’s plenty of time to work on chest position, as well as plenty of options.
Overall Outlook
It would be shocking for SEMO not to improve this year given just how desperate things were last year. Having 12 or so gymnasts who can do a bars routine is a big improvement over exactly six, even if not many of those 12 routines are truly special. But this SEMO team isn’t content with just being more or less alive—head coach Ashley Lawson has big dreams of bringing the Redhawks back to the level of success they experienced when she was on the team. Last year it was impossible to guess whether or not she can do it because the team was just so unlucky, but this year we’ll be watching for hints that a higher level of achievement is waiting around the corner.
Article by Kalley Leer and Rebecca Scally
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