Southeast gymnastics preview: Ewasko eager to keep winning tradition alive

The Southeast Missouri State gymnastics program expects its run of success to continue under a new coach.

Kristi Ewasko has replaced Tom Farden on an interim basis after Farden left to become an assistant at Arkansas.

Southeast's goals haven't changed as the Redhawks shoot for a second consecutive Midwest Independent Conference title, a fourth straight academic national championship and an NCAA regional berth.

"We have a lot of goals and I feel like we can attain them," said Ewasko, whose squad opens the season Saturday at Illinois-Chicago and has its first home meet Jan. 30 against the same team. "We've got the talent and the heart."

Ewasko spent last season as an assistant under the highly successful Farden, who resigned in October. She hopes to be his permanent replacement.

Southeast junior Lauren Dinan concentrates on her bar routine during a meet last season.

"Absolutely. I would love it," said Ewasko, a former standout gymnast at Auburn who also was an assistant at her alma mater. "But that's something that will be decided later."

For now, Ewasko is thrilled about the opportunity she has been given.

"I am very excited," she said. "I was set up pretty well. We've got a great group of girls."

Senior Rikara Turner and junior Brianna Gaddie, among three Southeast returning regional qualifiers, said dealing with the coaching change was not much of a problem since Ewasko and second-year assistant Jimmy Wickham both were in the program last year.

"It was easier, not bringing in somebody new," Gaddie said. "Our team kept the same goals and we feel we can reach those goals."

Said Turner, the reigning MIC gymnast of the year: "We knew Kristi and Jimmy, so that made it a lot easier. We have dealt well with the changes so far. I think we'll have an amazing year.

"We always have our three main goals. We want to be academic national champions again, win the conference again and make it to regionals [as a team] since we didn't last year."

The Redhawks came ever so close to their third team regional berth in four years last season, falling short by six-hundredths of a point as they finished ranked 37th nationally. The top 36 squads qualify for regionals.

"Our goal every year is to make regionals as a team," Ewasko said. "We were so close last year. We plan to make it this year."

Ewasko believes the current Redhawks rank among the more talented groups the program has had and there is plenty of depth with 19 squad members.

"It's probably one of the deepest teams we've had," she said.

Southeast returns 13 gymnasts, including five seniors and six juniors. There also are two sophomores and six freshmen.

"We're pretty balanced as far as our seniors and juniors and we look for big contributions from three to four of the freshmen," Ewasko said.

The Redhawks lost one of the program's top all-time gymnasts as regional qualifier and former MIC gymnast of the year Sandra Blake completed her eligibility. She now is a student coach.

But there appears to be plenty of athletes to pick up the slack, led by all-arounder Turner, Gaddie and junior Christina Sundgren, the third returning regional qualifier.

Other returning squad members are seniors Amber Garlotte, Jacqueline Heath, Kelley Krengiel and Jena Nguyen; juniors Lauren Dinan, Kara Gibbons, Erica Moore and Amanda Schoenbaum; and sophomores Emily Mann and Christa Soekamto.

Rounding out the team are freshmen Sarah Brillhart, Emma Garrett, Margaret O'Neal, Jordan Salsberg, Angela Serafini and Taylor Westrick.

Salsberg has been so solid during practice and intrasquad meets that she will begin the season joining Turner as an all-arounder in place of Blake.

"She's been very impressive," Ewasko said. "We hope the judges like her as much as we do."