Gymnastics ready to defend MIC championship

During the Southeast Missouri State University football team's game against Southeastern Louisiana, the gymnastics team was given its long-awaited Midwest Independent Conference championship pendants.

That's what kind of offseason it has been for coach Kristi Ewasko and her team, which also posted the third-highest grade point average in the nation.

Ewasko made changes to the way her team prepares, which is what she credits for last year's championship run.

"Last year, we made some adjustments to our training plan," Ewasko said. "Working on different aspects, we really wanted to upgrade our gymnastics ability, while keeping our academic standards highs. Both of those things we were really successful with."

The Redhawks not only won the MIC but also broke many records with their scores in individual events as well in the team's overall scoring.

Ewasko said that she knows that her team met all of its goals last season.

The Redhawks made a change with their conditioning with the help of their strength and conditioning coach, Ryan Johnson, which helped the seven freshmen on last year's team make an immediate impact and Ewasko expects it to carry over to this season.

This year, the Redhawks will field one fifth-year senior in Erin Brady, junior Taylor Penzien as well as 13 combined freshmen and sophomores.

"The thing with gymnastics is that every year requirements change in the high school competitive/club competitive program," Ewasko said. "So incoming freshman are getting more talented and more talented. So recruiters, if we're doing our job, our freshmen classes are going to be more talented than our upperclass. But then as coaches, if we're doing our job, our seniors are going to build their talent while they are here, and therefore, they can compete just as well as an incoming freshman can."

That is a challenge that Ewasko accepts proudly.

The freshmen class from last year was highly talented but none were better than Alyssa Tucker.

Tucker was named first team All-MIC, MIC Freshman of the Year and scored her season-high 39.000 points at the MIC championships.

"She came in so chill. I didn't really know what to do with her. She did her thing and it obviously just carried us and carried her to regionals," Ewasko said. "So this year, as a sophomore, we expect her to continue that leadership both in the gym and out of the gym."

Tucker competed in the NCAA Regional last season that was hosted by the University of Arkansas and placed seventh in the all-around portion with a score of 38.575.

"I feel like I kind of know what to expect, and I'm just hanging in there with what life takes me with in the day," Tucker said. "At first it was really nerve racking but then you get really used to it in meets just getting in front them."

This offseason, Tucker has been working to improve on some things she would have liked to done better last season. She competes in all of the events and believes she has got what it takes to make it to nationals.

"My floor pass last year was very difficult for me," Tucker said. "So I decided to change it up and make it a bit easier, so I practiced really hard on a pass that I had a really long time ago, just like working on form was my big thing, not doing any big skills -- just back to the basics."

This year's incoming freshmen, that Tucker and her six other sophomores will mentor, will feature McKenna Stanley from San Antonio, Texas, who expects to compete in three events during meets this upcoming season.

Stanley has been doing gymnastics since she was 3 and Ewasko believes she will be a top freshman performer.

Last year as a high school senior she placed first on bars and vault in the National Invitational Tournament.

"It will be really exciting to see where the team goes and see how well we do this year," Stanley said. Bar is her favorite event. "Its always been my favorite, I've just always loved working [my] skills and finding new stuff to do."

This season will also feature some new and fresh routines with the latest music.

Ewasko is excited to show off what the Redhawks have been working on this offseason.

The most important part of this season will be her students giving it their best in the classroom.

Ewasko says she is more proud of seeing an athlete go from a 2.5 GPA student in high school to a 3.2 in college than winning meets.

The Redhawks will open their MIC title defense at home in the Houck Field House against Illinois State on Jan. 11.