The Midwest Independent Conference (MIC) is one of the most diverse conferences in gymnastics. Consisting of three DI teams (Illinois State, Southeast Missouri State and UIC), two DII teams (Lindenwood and Texas Woman’s) and one DIII team (Centenary), MIC is the only conference with member teams in all three divisions. The conference is competitive, with Centenary the only member that has never won the conference title—every other member team has won at least once since 2010. Lindenwood has been dominant in recent years, taking the title in 2015, 2016 and 2017.
Division I
Illinois State
- 2017 National ranking: 58th
- MIC championship place: 3rd
Illinois State has had a few rocky seasons recently, failing to finish the season in the top 50 since 2013. The Redbirds do have some standout individuals, though, and bring in a large freshman class. Hopes of a brighter 2018 are legitimate. In 2017, the Rebirds saw some positive momentum, recording their first MIC individual titles since 2014 and breaking a 49.0 event score three times, on beam and floor.
Notable Returners
- Gabrielle Cooke, sophomore
- RQS of 9.86 on floor
- Won the MIC floor title with a 9.925
- Competed in the all around in every meet
- Qualified to the Fayetteville regional on floor as an individual
- Anna Marema, sophomore
- RQS of 9.8 on bars
- Won the MIC bars title with a 9.875
- Competed vault and bars in every meet
- Meredith LaRoche, junior
- Posted a 39.05 all around score in the MIC championship
- Scored a season-high 9.875 on floor at the MIC championship
- Competed in the all around in all but one meet
Newcomers
- Triniti Barron, Action Gymnastics
- Competed in the Region 7 championships in 2016 and 2017
- Won the all around at the 2016 Presidential Classic
- Mary Kate Bihary, Hunt’s
- Qualified to the 2015 and 2017 Region 5 championships
- Won the vault title twice in her level 10 career
- Katey DiGiacomo, Tampa Bay Turners
- Qualified to level 9 Easterns in 2014 and 2015
- Won the all around at the 2015 level 9 Region 8 championships
- Kennadi Ledoux, Gymnastix Training Center
- Qualified to Region 8 championships in 2016 and 2017
- Won the beam title twice in her level 10 career
- Savannah Remkus, Rising Stars
- Qualified to Region 5 championships in 2016 and 2017
- Finished fourth on vault at the 2017 Region 5 championships
- Cameron Topp, Champion
- Qualified to J.O. nationals in 2016
- Won the 2016 Region 5 floor title
SEMO
- 2017 national rank: 64th
- MIC championship place: 5th
SEMO struggled in 2017, finishing next-to-last among Division I teams nationally. On Wednesday, Dec. 13, SEMO announced head coach Kristi Ewasko’s contract would not be renewed, and assistant coach Brittney Emmons would step in as the interim head. Perhaps this last minute change will give SEMO renewed energy for 2018. The freshman class is large and accomplished, and should also help the Redhawks improve on their 2017 finish. Despite the tough year, SEMO did break a 193 three times in 2017 and had some individual standouts as well.
Notable Returners
- Alexis Brawner, senior
- Had a 39.125 all around RQS in 2017
- Won the MIC all around and vault titles
- Qualified to the Fayetteville regional in the all around
- McKinzie Jones, junior
- Competed bars, beam and floor in every meet
- Had a floor RQS of 9.795
- Scored a 9.8 or above seven times on her three events
- Courtney Taylor, sophomore
- Consistently competed in the all around
- Had a 9.74 RQS on vault
- Scored a 9.8 on vault in a tri-meet against Rutgers and Texas Woman’s
Newcomers
- Gabrielle Adams, Gold Medal
- Qualified to the Region 1 championships in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017
- Won the all around, vault and bars titles at the 2017 IGI Chicago Style, and was second on beam and floor
- Lindsey Bates, Brandy Johnson’s
- Qualified to J.O. Nationals in 2015, 2016 and 2017
- Scored a career-high 37.325 in the all around at the 2017 Florida state meet
- Alana Fischer, Manjaks
- Qualified to the Canadian National Championships in 2015 and 2016
- Placed fourth in the all around at the 2017 Ontario Provincial Championships
- Samantha Gallet, Balance Institute
- Qualified to J.O. nationals in 2016 and 2017
- Scored a career-high 37.125 in the all around at 2016 J.O. nationals
- Haven Haswell, Team Attraction
- Qualified to 2016 Region 8 championships
- Won the North Carolina high school state all around title, and led her team to a first place finish
- Michael Sanders, Starlight
- Qualified to the Region 8 championships in 2016 and 2017
- Won the Region 8 vault title in 2017
- Jordan Williams, Metroplex
- Qualified to J.O. nationals in 2016
- Won the vault title at the 2017 Metroplex invite
- Has trained a realistic double layout on floor
UIC
- 2017 national rank: 56th
- MIC championship place: 4th
UIC has been on a slow, steady rise over the past three seasons after falling drastically in the rankings after an incredible 29th place finish in 2012. In 2017, the Flames scored a 195.175 against Ball State and Western Michigan—the team’s first 195 mark since 2014—and tallied 10 NACGC/W scholastic All-Americans, the most in program history. The freshman class is small but accomplished, and should help the Flames’ prospects in 2018.
Notable returners
- Abigail Hasanov, sophomore
- Had a floor RQS of 9.825
- Competed beam and floor in every meet
- Scored a 9.85 three times on floor
- Mikailla Northern, junior
- Second in the all around at the MIC championship with a 39.025
- Qualified to the Fayetteville regional in the all around
- Tied a career-high 9.9 on floor at the MIC championship
- Jenna Squillo, junior
- Regularly contributed scores on vault, bars and beam
- Had RQSs of 9.725 or better on all three of her events
- Tied a career-high 9.8 on bars against Rutgers
Newcomers
- Ashley Albrecht, Leading Edge Gymnastics
- Qualified to J.O. nationals in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017
- Won the Region 2 all around title in 2016 and 2017
- Kayla Baddeley, MEGA
- Qualified to J.O. nationals in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017
- Won the Region 6 all around, vault and floor titles in 2017
- Will compete a front through to a one and a half pass on floor and this confident beam set for 2018
- Kathryn Jakalski, Bartlett
- Qualified to Region 5 championships in 2015, 2016 and 2017
- Won the 2017 all around title at the IGI Chicago Style invite
- Has a strong floor set for 2018
Division II
Lindenwood
- 2017 national rank: 50th
- MIC conference finish: 1st
Lindenwood finished 2017 with a MIC championship three-peat and as the highest ranked DII program nationally. The Lions also finished third in the USAG national championships and scored a program-best 49.1 on beam during the team finals. The five-year-old program continues to have success both as a team and individually and should continue to be a dominant MIC team in 2018.
Notable returners
- Andy Alexander, junior
- Had a floor RQS of 9.805
- Regularly contributed scores on bars, beam and floor
- Scored a 9.875 on floor at the USAG national team final
- Kierstin Sokolowski, senior
- Won the MIC beam title with a 9.85
- Won the USAG vault national title with a 9.9375
- Qualified to the Fayetteville regional on vault and beam
Newcomers
- Kyndall Baze, Empire
- Qualified to 2016 J.O. nationals
- Has a J.O. career-high all around mark of 37.4
- Claire Bonacorsi, GymQuarters
- Qualified to 2017 J.O. nationals in her first year as a level 10
- Scored a 35.2 in the all around at J.O. nationals
- Jordan Boogerd, Gymstars
- 2016 and 2017 J.O. nationals qualifier
- Took second in the 2017 Tennessee state meet with a 37.950 all around score
- Aleah Leman, Energym
- Qualified to J.O. nationals in 2016 and 2017
- Won the Illinois state high school titles on bars and vault in 2017
- Courtney Mitchell, Kansas Gymnastics and Cheer
- Qualified to J.O. nationals in 2016
- Won bars and beam at the 2017 Kansas state championships
- Kyleigh Romero, Colorado Aerials
- Qualified to the Region 3 championships in 2014, 2015 and 2016
- Scored a career-high 36.325 at the 2016 Region 3 championships
- Aleah Turon, U.S. Gold
- Qualified to the 2015 J.O. national championships and won the Junior D vault title
- Won the vault title at the 2016 Texas state championships
Texas Woman’s
- 2017 national ranking: 52nd
- MIC championship place: 2nd
Texas Woman’s won the USAG national title with a program-best 196.125, as well as a program-best 49.175 on vault at the team semifinals. Head coach Lisa Bowerman was also named DII Coach of the Year. The Pioneers improved on their 2016 ranking, and show no sign of slowing down in 2018.
Notable returners
- Schyler Jones, senior
- Qualified to the Fayetteville regional on vault
- Had vault and floor RQSs of 9.84 and 9.83
- Recorded three career-highs in 2017: a 9.925 on vault and 9.9s on beam and floor
- Mallory Moredock, senior
- Had a 9.805 RQS on beam
- Regularly contributed scores on vault, beam and floor
- Finished second on vault in the USAG championship event finals
- Bria Northrop, sophomore
- Regularly competed in the all around
- Had a floor RQS of 9.825
- Posted the highest score of the day on floor at the USAG team finals, a 9.925
Newcomers
- Shelbey Fuller, Capital
- Qualified to 2014 J.O. nationals
- Finished fourth on vault at the 2016 Texas state championships
- Bridgette Peterson, Gymstars
- Qualified to the Region 8 championships in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017
- Scored a career-high 37.725 in the all around at the 2017 Tennessee state meet
- Training a front double twist
- Paige Stuyniski, Deary’s
- Qualified to 2014 and 2015 J.O. nationals
- Scored a career-high 37.1 at the 2017 Connecticut state meet
Division III
Centenary College
- 2017 national rank: 70th
- MIC conference place: 6th
Centenary finished the season with the third highest team RQS among DIII programs and was the only DIII program to send an individual to regionals. The Ladies also broke a 190 team score five times. Despite dipping in the rankings slightly over the past few seasons, Centenary remains one of the most successful DIII programs and continues to compete strong individuals.
Notable returners
- Navia Jordan, junior
- Had a floor RQS of 9.82
- Scored a career-high 9.875 on floor against Lindenwood
- Qualified to USAG nationals on floor
- Ashley White, senior
- Qualified to the Champaign regional in the all around—the only DIII gymnast to compete in a regional in 2017
- Finished second on beam in the USAG national championships event finals
- Had an all around RQS of 38.695
Newcomers
- Jerrica Harris, Gymstars
- Qualifier to the 2017 Region 8 championships
- Won the all around in the 2016 level 9 Region 8 championships
- Training a double Arabian
- Jenny Jackson, Taylor
- Won the 2017 AAU national all around title
- Qualified to the 2017 Region 8 championships
- Dorothy Mims, Huntsville
- Qualified to the 2014 and 2016 Region 8 championships
- Won the 2016 Alabama state all around, beam and floor titles
- Training a double Arabian half-out
- Sierra Ponder, Georgia Gymnastics Academy
- Qualified to Region 8 championships in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017
- Scored a 9.85 on vault for first place at the 2017 Southern Charm Classic
[table id=87 /]
Article by Emily Minehart
