Last Monday was a bittersweet day for Natalia Laschenova.

The Marysville resident and instructor at Integrity Gymnastics was pleased to see her daughter, Sasha Tsikhanovich, sign a Division I letter of intent to compete in gymnastics at Auburn. However, it also meant it would be a time for the two to go their separate ways.

"It's going to be empty, at least for a couple of months," said Laschenova, who was a member of the Soviet Union's gold medal team in the 1988 Olympics. "For so long, 24-7, she was with me and now it's going to be hard without her being there."

Tsikhanovich was one of three Integrity gymnasts to sign Division I letters of intent for full Division I scholarships. The other two were Dublin's Victoria Aepli, who will attend Ohio State, and Lewis Center's Lacey Swords, who will go to Bowling Green.

Grove City resident Aftyn Siemer, a junior at Franklin Heights, will graduate early and is expected to sign in the spring with Ball State.

"Being a high-level gymnast is not for everyone," Laschenova said. "You have to live your life in the gym. These kids have no other life than going to the gym and school, but they love it."

Tsikhanovich said she quickly learned what was necessary to excel in the sport.

"I wasn't self-motivated when I was young, and (my mother) helped me with that," said Tsikhanovich, who is a Level 10 gymnast. "It's easier for her to push me because she's my mother and that's one reason I work so hard."

After also considering Alabama, Bowling Green, Michigan and Utah, Tsikhanovich liked the southern appeal of Auburn.

"We used to live in Georgia near the border with Florida," Tsikhanovich said. "I like that, but the hard part is being away from my family and not having my mom as a coach. She's always been my coach."

Each gymnast had different reasons for their selection. Swords, a senior at Olentangy, said Bowling Green impressed her with the team's unity inside and outside the gym.

"I liked the coaches and how the team interacted and also the team activities that they had," Swords said. "A mother of a member of their team had breast cancer and they got together a plan to participate in the Walk for a Cure to help breast cancer research, and I thought that was a great thing for the team to do."

Siemer liked Ball State so much that she will be graduating after her junior season to compete with the Cardinals.

"I was sitting in an interview with the (Ball State) coaches and they asked me if it was possible for me to graduate early and get a scholarship for this year," Siemer said.

And that's all it took to for Siemer.

Aepli, a senior at Dublin Jerome, always dreamed of going to Ohio State. But as her dreams were coming true, she didn't expect three of her friends to also sign letters of intent with Division I programs.

"College teams usually only have three scholarships to give out each year and for four to go Division I from the same team is crazy," Aepli said.

"To get there, you not only have to make it to nationals and get them to notice you, but you have to be consistent enough for them to know that you'll be good for their team."