SE GYMNASTS NOT BEAMING AFTER FINAL HOME MEET

Southeast Missouri State University's gymnastics team failed to save its best for last Monday night.

Two days after posting a season-high mark, Southeast placed second in its final home meet with a score of 192.025 in the Showcase of the Arts II meet at Houck. Iowa (193.125) won and Illinois State (191.300) was third.

"I think the team knows how I feel about silly mistakes," said Southeast coach Kris Buchheister. "A couple of key performers had pretty significant mistakes. Quite a few careless mistakes. Now's probably not the time for the score to go down.

"But I think that it will prove to be a lesson that will help them in the big-time meets. We just need to be a little more confident and make everything count."

The meet didn't seem quite so bad for Southeast junior Erin Chenier.

"We had a couple little mistakes," she said, "but that's OK. We're getting them out of the way. We're waiting for regionals to hit our peak."

Chenier won vault with a 9.875, a team-high this season, placed second in the all-around (38.950) and was third on uneven parallel bars (9.825).

"Erin Chenier continued to plug away," Buchheister said.

"It feels good," Chenier said. "I want to be in the 39-or-higher range (in the all-around) but I guess there's nothing I can do. I didn't show my last pass (on floor)."

Southeast's other all-arounder, Malia Roberts, faltered. On Saturday against Centenary College, when Southeast posted a season-high 193.225, Roberts won the all-around with a 38.875.

On Monday, she placed eighth -- last. Roberts had scored as high as 9.800 on balance beam this season; on Monday she placed last with an 8.625. She was also 16th on vault (9.475), next to last. She did tie for fourth on floor, though, with a 9.725.

Southeast's Aaron Craig had two personal-best scores. She won floor with a 9.850 and was fourth on vault (9.700).

Kristin Frohlich and Erica Smith, seniors who participated in their final meet in Cape Girardeau, performed well. Frohlich placed second on floor with a personal-best 9.775 and Smith was fourth on balance beam (9.675).

The other seniors are Jen Leaman, Rebekah Brajcki and Cristie Logan. Brajkci and Logan are injured and didn't participate.

Southeast will travel to Illinois State on Monday and will participate in the Midwest Independent Championships in Chicago on March 21. Those meets are important in the Otahkians' quest for a score that will put them in the NCAA regionals next month.