March 11, 1999

The 29th-ranked Missouri Tigers (9-9) won't be traveling to Iowa this weekend as originally scheduled. Instead they are headed for Denton, Texas, where they'll take on the Texas Woman's University Pioneers (6-12) and the Ball State Cardinals (10-8). The meet begins at 7 p.m., Saturday, at the Kitty Winter Magee Arena on the TWU campus. Missouri had been scheduled to compete against the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday, in Iowa City, but after Iowa scratched last Thursday from Mizzou's Corvette Cup, it was decided that MU would not honor the return trip. Iowa has been racked by injuries and a school-imposed suspension from competition for violations of team regulations. Missouri will be seeing both Texas Woman's and Ball State for the second time this season. Texas Woman's took second behind Mizzou in Sunday's Corvette Cup, scoring a season-best 193.05. Ball State tripped the Tigers in the opening meet of the season, Jan. 9, at Michigan State when the Cardinals scored 188.95 to Mizzou's 188.725. Ball State lost in the last week, falling Saturday to Mid-American Conference foe Bowling Green, 194.475-193.425. On Monday, Ball State lost to Illinois-Chicago, 195.7-193.225. Ball State's best score of the season was a 194.325 registered in early February against Kent.

Mizzou Speeds to Corvette Cup Victory

Missouri fired up its engine and hit on all cylinders Sunday in winning its first Corvette Cup since 1995. The Tigers' score of 193.925 was the second highest in school history and was good enough to cross the finish line first ahead of Texas Woman's (193.05) and 23rd-ranked Central Michigan (190.3). It was a history-making event for Coach Jake Jacobson's Tigers, marking the first time that Mizzou had won two of its major home events - the Shakespeare's Festival, the Cat Classic, the Corvette Cup - in the same season. The Tigers earlier won the Cat Classic after taking second in the Shakespeare's. As a team, Missouri won all four events, and individually the Tigers won or shared three crowns. Jessica Haag won the vault with a career-high equalling 9.825. Alison Akers tied for the beam title with a 9.85 that tied the meet record. Shannon Brown won the uneven parallel bars at 9.85, followed closely by teammates Chandra Harlow (9.825) and Amanda Peterson (9.775). Peterson was second in the all-around with a 39.05. She was edged out by Texas Woman's senior Kim Koenig who scored 39.125 - the second best all-around in Corvette Cup history. Koenig also tied Akers for first place on the beam.

Series Records

Missouri leads the series with Texas Woman's, 8-0, and is tied with Ball State, 2-2.

Corvette Cup Was A Big Success

Besides the gymnastics excellence that was displayed on the Hearnes Center floor on Sunday, the other Corvette Cup activities were highly successful, too. Some 256 Corvettes were pre-registered and 201 made it to town for two days worth of action, including Coach Jake Jacobson's own 1990 model. On Saturday, many of the cars toured the back roads of Central Missouri. The owners/crews were treated Saturday night to a barbecue in the Hearnes Fieldhouse that was attended by more than 600 persons. And on Sunday, the cars were judged and viewed by the public. The Coaches/Athletes Award went to Dan Tucker of Little Rock, Ark. (1966), while the Best-of-Show Award was claimed by Jim and Gail Ciancialo of Independence, Mo. (1961). The attendance for Sunday's event was 2,276 - just 10 shy of the event's record attendance in 1997.

Mizzou All-Around Crew Is Best in Region 3

Missouri has four all-arounders among the top 16 in NCAA Region 3 - the most of any school. Jessica Haag, Amanda Peterson, Shannon Brown and Meggen Smiley rank 7-10-14-16. Nationally they stand 47-56-66-73 respectively. Haag Continues to Dominate the Vault

Tiger senior Jessica Haag has won the vault in four straight meets for the Tigers, giving her six vaulting titles this season. She won the vault championship at the Corvette Cup, on Sunday, tying her career-high at 9.825. Haag, an all-Big 12 vaulter last season, has been below 9.75 on the vault only twice this season and is averaging 9.77 in the event. Her vaulting RQS of 9.806 ranks third in NCAA Region 3 and tied for 33rd in the nation. The Newmanstown, Pa., native also leads the Tigers in the all-around with a RQS score of 38.662 which ranks 47th nationally and seventh in the region. Haag has set or tied her career highs in every event this season: 9.825 - vault, 9.825 - bars, 9.8 - beam, 9.85 - floor, and 38.85 - all-around. Put all of those events together in one meet and you have an all-around score of 39.5 which would represent the Missouri school record by a wide margin.

Tigers Clinging to Regional Bid

Like a gymnast wrapping her toes around the four-inch wide balance beam, the Missouri Tigers are hanging on for dear life when it comes to qualification for the NCAA Regionals. That was a MU team goal for 1999, and the Tigers have clearly demonstrated that they are one of the nation's top teams. Consider that in three events - the uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise - they rank among the nation's top-24 teams. But to qualify, they are going to need some big scores in their remaining three meets. Illinois-Chicago and Illinois leapfrogged the Tigers in the NCAA Region 3 standings last week. Mizzou currently stands in a qualifying position - sixth at 193.256 (its highest RQS in school history), but will have to hold off Arizona (192.962) and SE Missouri State (192.831). The regional qualifying score is derived by taking a team's best six scores, two of which must be at home and two of which must be on the road. You then throw out the high score and the low score and average the remaining four. The Tigers will need to continue scoring in the 193-194 range to qualify. This year, the NCAA Regional format has changed. In the past seven teams qualifed in each of five regionals and Missouri was in the nation's biggest area - the 20-team Central Region. This year, though, there are six regionals that will each be contested by six teams. MU is now in the 11-team Region 3. The nation's top 12 teams by Regional Qualifying Scores will be seeded among the nation's six regionals. Presently two teams from Region 3 - Arizona State and Nebraska - rank in the Top 12. That would leave four remaining open spots in Region 3.

Akers Takes the Beam Again

Alison Akers tied her own school record on the balance beam last week, scoring 9.875 at Oklahoma. On Sunday she won the beam again, tying the Corvette Cup record at 9.85. The junior from Springfield got off to a slow start this season but has hit her stride, scoring 9.75 or better on the beam in six consecutive meets. In that span she has averaged 9.8125.

Missouri Records Set in 1999
TEAM
 Highest Meet Score - 194.825, Feb. 5, Cat Classic
 Highest Meet Score in 1st Home Meet - 191.65, Shakespeare's Festival, Jan. 17
 Highest Meet Score vs. Nebraska - 192.575, Jan. 29
 Highest Meet Score vs. Iowa State - 193.15, Feb. 12
 Highest Floor Exercise Score - 49.05, Feb. 5, Cat Classic
 Highest Uneven Bars Score - 49.075, Nebraska, Jan. 29

INDIVIDUAL
 All-Around- 39.175, Amanda Peterson, Feb. 5, Cat Classic
 Uneven Bars- 9.9, Shannon Brown, Jan. 29 vs. Nebraska & Feb. 5, Cat Classic (ties record)
 Floor Exercise - 9.9, Amanda Peterson, Feb. 5, Cat Classic (ties record)
 Balance Beam - 9.875, Alison Akers, Feb. 28 at Oklahoma (ties record)

CLASS RECORDS
Vault by a Senior - 9.825, Jessica Haag, Jan. 9 at Michigan St.; and March 7 at Corvette Cup
All-Around by a Senior - 39.175, Amanda Peterson, Feb. 5, Cat Classic
Balance Beam by a Senior - 9.85, Amanda Peterson, Feb. 21, at SE Missouri State
Uneven Bars by a Senior - 9.85, Amanda Peterson, Feb. 6, Cat Classic (ties record)
Floor Exercise by a Senior - 9.9, Amanda Peterson, Feb. 5, Cat Classic (ties record)
Uneven Bars by a Junior - 9.9, Shannon Brown, Jan. 29 vs. Nebraska & Feb. 5, Cat Classic
Balance Beam by a Junior - 9.875, Alison Akers, Feb. 28, at Oklahoma
Floor Exercise by a Sophomore - 9.875, Ann Gietler, Feb. 5, Cat Classic

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 361-220-1. He's in his 20th season with the Tigers where his mark is 229-195-1. 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. He's second in tenure to Norm Stewart on the Mizzou coaching staff.

Peterson Was Big 12 Gymnast of the Week

Senior Amanda Peterson was never better than during the two-night Cat Classic, Feb. 5-6, and she was rewarded with the Big 12 Conference "Gymnast of the Week" award on Feb. 9. On the event's first night, she set the Missouri all-around record for the second consecutive week, scoring 39.175 (second best in the Big 12 this season) to top her 39.1 performance of the previous week. Included in her score was a 9.9 on floor that tied the school record. Ironically her floor routine was choreographed by former Tiger Charise Schrupp, who set the record in winning last season's Cat Classic. Schrupp is now working at Thompson's Academy of Gymnastics in Apple Valley and Edina, Minn. Peterson qualifed for the individual finals in all four events, and scored a 39.05 in an "unofficial" all-around on Saturday. She placed second on floor at 9.85 and scored a career-high 9.85 on bars.

Tigers Quickly

With three meets remaining, Missouri has won 16 individual event championships this season - six by Jessica Haag, five by Shannon Brown, two by Alison Akers, and one each by Ann Gietler, Amanda Peterson and Meggen Smiley. The Tigers won 17 in 1998 Although the Tigers slipped in the national rankings this week, from 27th to 29th, they rank 15th in the nation on floor, 19th on beam and 24th on bars Missouri has had three 9.9 performances this season - two on bars by Shannon Brown and one on floor by Amanda Peterson. Prior to this season there had only been two 9.9s recorded in school history Missouri's team averages on bars (48.106), floor (48.558), beam (47.931), and total score (192.45) are all above the school season records.

MU BESTS IN 1999

VAULT
9.825 	Jessica Haag (Michigan State)
9.8225	Jessica Haag (Corvette Cup)
9.8 Jessica Haag (Shakespeare's)
9.8 Jessica Haag (at Iowa State)
9.8	Jessica Haag (at SE Missouri)
Team	48.25 at Cat Classic

BARS
9.9 Shannon Brown (Nebraska)
9.9 Shannon Brown (Cat Classic)
9.85 Amanda Peterson (Cat Classic)
9.85	Shannon Brown (Corvette Cup)
9.825 Jessica Haag (Nebraska)
9.825 Amanda Peterson (Nebraska)
9.825 Amanda Peterson (Cat Classic)
9.825 Chandra Harlow (Cat Classic)
9.825	Chandra Harlow (Corvette Cup)
9.8 Chandra Harlow (Nebraska)
9.8 Shannon Brown (at Iowa State)
9.8	Shannon Brown (at SE Missouri)
Team	49.075 vs. Nebraska

BEAM
9.875 Alison Akers (at Oklahoma)
9.85	Alison Akers (Corvette Cup)
9.85 Amanda Peterson (at SEMO)
9.825	Amanda Peterson (Corvette Cup)
9.8 Amanda Peterson (Nebraska)
9.8	Amanda Peterson (at Oklahoma)
9.8 Shannon Brown (Cat Classic)
9.8 	Shannon Brown (at Oklahoma)
9.8 	Alison Akers (at Iowa State)
9.8 Alison Akers (at SE Missouri)
9.8	Alison Akers (Cat Classic)
Team	48.975 at Oklahoma

FLOOR
9.9 	Amanda Peterson (Cat Classic)
9.875 Ann Gietler (Cat Classic)
9.85 Amanda Peterson (Cat Classic)
9.85	Amanda Peterson (Corvette Cup)
9.85 Jessica Haag (SE Missouri)
9.85	Shannon Brown (SE Missouri)
9.825 Ann Gietler (Shakespeare's)
9.825	Ann Gietler (SE Missouri)
9.825 Meggen Smiley (Shakespeare's)
9.825 Amanda Peterson (Nebraska)
9.8 Ann Gietler (Cat Classic)
9.8	Kelly McKinnie (SE Missouri)
Team	49.05 at Cat Classic

ALL-AROUND
39.175	Amanda Peterson (Cat Classic)
39.1 Amanda Peterson (Nebraska)
39.05 Amanda Peterson (Cat Classic)
39.05	Amanda Peterson (Corvette Cup)
38.85 Jessica Haag (Nebraska)
38.825	Jessica Haag (SE Missouri)
38.75 Jessica Haag (Cat Classic)
38.725 Shannon Brown (at Iowa State)
38.65 Meggen Smiley (at Iowa State)
38.6	Shannon Brown (Corvette Cup)
38.55 Jessica Haag (Michigan State)
38.55 Shannon Brown (SE Missouri)
38.525	Jessica Haag (Corvette Cup)
Team	194.825 at Cat Classic