April 16, 2002

The University of Missouri women's golf team has signed Denise Knaebel to a letter of intent, MU Coach Stephanie Cooper announced Tuesday. Knaebel, who holds a 79 stoke average for 18 holes, will join the Tigers in the fall.

She was a State Champion and a State Runner-up while attending Moberly (Mo.) High School and was a four-time district champion. She won the Missouri Women's Golf Association Junior Tournament in 2001, placed third in the National High School Coaches Association Championship to receive All-American status and won the East Region of the Missouri Optimist Junior Golf Championship.

Knaebel also participated in basketball, soccer and track and field in high school. She is a three-time top ten finisher in the pole vault at the State Tournament, including a second place finish last year.

She has also excelled in the classroom with a 4.0 grade point. She served as Senior Class President and was Vice President of the National Honor Society at Moberly High School.

"We are very excited about Denise joining our program and choosing to stay close to home," Cooper said. "She is a great person and she has all of the elements we were looking for in a recruit. She is an excellent student, hardworking, athletic, and most of all she loves to compete. Denise will fit in well with our team and we can't wait to get her here next fall."