January 20, 1999
The 24th-ranked Missouri Tigers (3-3) host the first of two straight "Friday Night Specials" this week when the #16 (tie) Iowa State Cyclones (2-1) come to Hearnes Center this week. The meet begins at 7:30 p.m. Next week, the #7 Nebraska Cornhuskers (3-0) will be in town for another Friday night dual meet that starts at 7:30. Tickets are available at the MU Athletic Ticket Office (Adults $5/Students $3) 1-800-CAT-PAWS or 884-PAWS (locally). The Tigers lead the series with Iowa State, 22-11, but have lost eight straight times to the Cyclones, who finished second in the Big 12 Conference last season. Coach Amy Pyle's team opened its season at home last Friday, and took second in a four-team meet. Nebraska won (193.725) and was followed by ISU (192.575), Michigan State (190.225) and Winona State (182.525). Iowa State posted its highest opening meet score in history. The Cyclones were led by freshmen Sissy Huey and Shelly Kringen and sophomore Jessy Smith. Huey took first on bars with a score of 9.85. The trio tied for third on beam, each with a score of 9.875. Kringen tied for second on the floor (9.825).
Tigers Take Second in Shakespeare's Pizza Gymnastics X-treme
The Missouri Tigers set a school record on floor exercise and nearly broke another on uneven bars, Sunday at the ninth annual Shakespeare's Pizza Gymnastics X-treme, but a sub-par performance on balance beam cost them a chance at their first meet championship since 1993. Riding a meet-record all-around effort by junior Malia Roberts, the Southeast Missouri State Otahkians won the team title with a meet-record score of 192.75. The Tigers' total of 191.65 was their highest home-opening score in the program's 20-year history but was good only for second place. Illinois State (187.925) and Centenary (186.525) rounded out the field. Roberts scored 38.875 in the all-around, bettering the old meet record of 38.85 set by Michigan State's Siri Larsen in 1996 and LSU's Jennifer Wood in 1995. Roberts tied for first place on the uneven bars (9.775), balance beam (9.75) and floor exercise (9.825). SEMO's team title marked a triumphant return to Hearnes Center for Coach Kris Buchheister, who spent 11 years as an assistant coach at Mizzou under Tiger head coach Jake Jacobson before taking over at SEMO last season. Missouri got four career-high scores on the floor on its way to the school record of 48.925. MU's old record was 48.9 set at the Big Eight Conference Championships in 1993. Tigers Meggen Smiley and Ann Gietler tied with Roberts for first place, while Jessica Haag and Kelly McKinnie (9.775) tied for fourth. Haag tied the meet record in winning the vault at 9.8. Shannon Brown led a strong Mizzou bars performance with a 9.775 that tied for first place. The Tigers' bars score of 48.525 was just off the school record of 48.55 they set at last season's Corvette Cup. But the Tigers slipped on beam, placing fourth with a score of 46.45. SEMO excelled there. Erica Smith and Heather Browning tied Roberts for first place and Ericka Harrison was fourth (9.725).
Missouri Records Set in 1999
TEAM Highest Meet Score in 1st Home Meet - 191.65, Shakespeare's Festival, Jan. 17 Highest Floor Exercise Score - 48.925, Shakespeare's Festival, Jan. 17 CLASS RECORDS Vault by a Senior - 9.825, Jessica Haag, Jan. 9 at Michigan State
Missouri Coach Jake Jacobson
The only gymnastics coach in school history, head coach Charles "Jake" Jacobson began MU's gymnastics program in 1979. Now in his 33rd season overall, he has a career record of 353-213-1. He's in his 20th season with the Tigers where his mark is 221-188-1. In his career at MU, Jacobson has guided the Tigers to one Big Eight Conference championships (1992), three second-place conference finishes (1981-82-90) and a NCAA Central Region championship (1981). In addition, he has coached 29 all-conference gymnasts and five regional champions. In 1981, his team placed 16th at the national championships. Jacobson's 33-year tenure makes him the nation's most veteran coach of a women's athletic program at the Division I level.
Haag, Smiley Off to Fast Starts
Missouri senior Jessica Haag and junior Meggen Smiley have started fast in 1999. Haag ranks second in Region 3 and tied for 17th nationally in the vault, while Smiley is tied for fifth in Region 3 on the floor and tied for 31st in the nation. Haag has won the vault in Mizzou's first two meets - with a career-high tying 9.825 at Michigan State and a 9.8 in the Shakespeare's Pizza Gymnastics X-treme. Her 9.825 two weeks ago set a MU record for a senior gymnast. She established a career-high on floor on Sunday (9.775). Haag ranks 7th in Region 3 in the all-around. Smiley tied with teammate Ann Gietler for the Shakespeare's floor championship on Sunday with a 9.825 (her career high is 9.85) and set a new career high in placing second in the all-around - 38.475. It was the first time in here career that she had topped 38.0. In Sunday's meet, she also tied her career best on bars - 9.675.
Flooring The Competition
Missouri shattered the school floor exercise record on Sunday, scoring 48.925. The old mark was 48.9 at the Big Eight Conference Championships in 1993. The Tigers got career-best performances from their first four competitors - Jessica Haag (9.775), Kelly McKinnie (9.775), Katie Cole (9.725), and Ann Gietler (9.825). Gietler proved to be an able pinch-hitter. With Shannon Brown troubled by illness, Gietler stepped in to Brown's spot in the lineup and tied for the event title - here first as a Tiger. In the process she obliterated her previous career-high of 9.675 set last year against Southeast Missouri State. Meggen Smiley followed with another 9.825, just shy of her career best (9.85).
Tigers ... Quickly
Tickets are on sale for all future MU gymnastics meets at $5 for adults and $3 for students. Cat Classic (Feb. 5-6) prices are $10 and $6 for two-day passes, and $6 and $4 for single-session tickets MU senior Kelly McKinnie missed two days of practice this week while in Washington, D.C., interviewing for a position with the U.S. Department of Defense. McKinnie is a three-time Scholastic All-American, majoring in education Missouri signed two gymnasts in the early signing period - Leah Gremaud from St. Peters and Alina Hamm from Springfield The Shakespeare's Pizza Gymnastics X-treme on Sunday, opened with former MU basketball star Dan Bingenheimer entering the arena on his Harley Davidson. He led a procession of other X-treme games advocates on dirt bikes, mountain bikes and in-line skates.
MU BESTS IN 1999 VAULT 9.825 Jessica Haag (Michigan State) 9.8 Jessica Haag (Shakespeare's) BARS 9.775 Shannon Brown (Shakespeare's) 9.75 Chandra Harlow (Shakespeare's) 9.675 Amanda Peterson (Michigan St.) 9.675 Amanda Peterson (Shakespeare's) 9.675 Meggen Smiley (Shakespeare's) BEAM 9.7 Shannon Brown (Michigan State) 9.7 Meggen Smiley (Shakespeare's) FLOOR 9.825 Ann Gietler (Shakespeare's) 9.825 Meggen Smiley (Shakespeare's) 9.775 Jessica Haag (Shakespeare's) 9.775 Kelly McKinnie (Shakespeare's) ALL-AROUND 38.55 Jessica Haag (Michigan State) 38.475 Meggen Smiley (Shakespeare's) 38.45 Jessica Haag (Shakespeare's) 38.0 Amanda Peterson (Shakespeare's)