June 25, 2004

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Amanda Bales and Jenny Bybee today earned a spot on the 2004 CoSIDA Academic All-America? Cross Country/Track & Field Team. Bales was one of 15 in the country to be put on the first team; Bybee claimed a spot on the second team. Nine Tigers from throughout the athletic department have gained spots on the CoSIDA Academic All-American? list throughout the season. The Tiger track team claimed many more honors in for the academic year including senior Jason Edmonds winning an NCAA post-graduate scholarship and 30 tracksters were named to the Academic All-Big 12 Team.

Amanda Bales (Bettendorf, Iowa) was picked to the first team after having a 3.91 cumulative grade point average of her two-and-a-half years at Missouri in the field of Physical Therapy. Bales is also a cross country All-American after leading the Tigers to the best NCAA Championship finish since 1984. Bales is now an eight-time All-Big 12 performer and is a Big 12 Champion after running in the conference's winning Distance Medley Relay during the indoor season.

Jenny Bybee (Springfield, Mo.), a human development major, earned a spot on CoSIDA?'s All-America second team and has had a perfect 4.0 G.P.A. over the time she has spent at Missouri. Bybee was an NCAA qualifier this season, finishing 16th in the country, after placing fourth in the NCAA Mideast Regional in the high jump. Bybee is also a four-time All-Big 12 performer in the event.

The Academic All-America Teams program honors 816 male and female student-athletes annually who have succeeded at the highest level on the playing field and in the classroom. Individuals are selected through voting by CoSIDA, the College Sports Information Directors of America; a 2,000-member organization consisted of sports public relations professionals for colleges and universities in the United States and Canada.

To be eligible, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.20 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director. Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Division I, II, III and NAIA covering all NCAA championship sports.

CoSIDA? All-District Honors Go To File
Tiger javelin thrower and senior Gary File was one of three Tigers named to the CoSIDA? Academic All-District Team. File joined Bales and Bybee on the list that included representatives from member schools in the CoSIDA District VII which include schools in the states of Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Montana. File earned all-American honors in 2002 for a ninth place finish in the javelin at the NCAA Championships in Baton Rouge, La.

Edmonds wins NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship
Earlier this season, Tiger senior high jumper Jason Edmonds (Farmington, Mo.) was chosen to receive the NCAA postgraduate scholarship. Edmonds becomes the seventh Tiger in as five years to earn the award. Knut Sommerfeldt earned the scholarship last year for the outdoor track and field season. Edmonds was chosen for the award late in the indoor season.

The NCAA awards up to 174 postgraduate scholarships annually, 87 for men and 87 for women. The scholarships are awarded to student-athletes who excel academically and athletically and who are in their last year of intercollegiate athletics competition.

The one-time grants of $7,500 each are awarded for fall sports, winter sports and spring sports. Each sports season (fall, winter and spring), there are 29 scholarships available for men and 29 scholarships available for women. The scholarships are one-time, non-renewable grants.

Eligibility is restricted to student-athletes at NCAA member institutions who, in their final year of eligibility, have performed with distinction as members of varsity teams in the sport for which they were nominated. Nominees must have a minimum grade-point average of 3.200 (based on a 4.000 scale), be nominated by the faculty athletics representative or athletics director, and intend to continue academic work beyond the baccalaureate degree as a part-time or full-time graduate student.

Selections are made three times each academic year. Nomination booklets are sent to faculty athletics representatives for fall sports in September, for winter sports in November and for spring sports in February. The application must be submitted during the correct seasonal category in relation to that sport. Candidates are screened by seven regional selection committees, and winners are selected by the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Committee.

30 Tigers make Academic All-Big 12 Team
The Big 12 Conference honored 257 student-athletes who were named to the 2004 Men's and Women's Track & Field Academic All-Big 12 teams. Thirty Tigers gained spots on the list.

Special recognition goes to 20 individuals who were nominated with a 4.00 grade point average. The student athletes from Missouri who achieved such a standard include Missouri's Amanda Bales, Jenny Bybee, Ryan Hampton, Margaret Ibe and Serena Ramsey.

Nominated by each institution's director of student-athlete support services and the media relations offices, the track and field academic all-league squads consisted of 204 first-team members combined with 53 on the second-team. First-team members consist of those who have maintained a 3.20 or better GPA, while the second-team are those who have a 3.00 to 3.19 average.

To qualify student-athletes must maintain a 3.00 or higher GPA either cumulative or the two previous semesters and must have participated in 60 percent of her/his team's scheduled contests. Freshmen and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence. Senior student-athletes who have participated for a minimum of two years and meet all the criteria except percent of participation are eligible.

Tigers on All-Big 12 Academic Team

Men's First Team Jason Edmonds, (Sr.) Biology/Cl. Studies Farmington, Mo. Gary File (Sr.) Agriculture Beloit, Kan. David Mertens (Sr.) Physics/Math Ballwin, Mo. *Ryan Hampton (Jr.) Music Composition Liberty, Mo. Neville Miller (Jr.) Atmospheric Science St. Louis, Mo. Bill Hobson (So.) Business Katy, Texas Matt Noonan (So.) Mechanical Eng. Baldwin City, Kan. Tim Ross (So.) Undeclared (A&S) Alto, Mich. Tipper O'Brien (Fr.-RS) Journalism Kirkwood, Mo.

Men's Second Team Josiah James (Sr.) Biology Columbia, Mo. Josh Davis (Jr.) Graphic Design Liberty, Mo.

Women's First Team Jennifer Bennett (Sr.) Fine Arts Ashland, Mo. Katherine Bonugli (Sr.) Education St. Charles, Mo. Comfort Ibe (Sr.) Biology St. Louis, Mo. Holly Scherder (Sr.) Hotel & Restaurant Mgmt. Frankford, Mo. Ann Snider (Sr.) Finance & Banking Harrisonville, Mo. Lyndsey Tait (Sr.) Business Mrktg. Jefferson City, Mo. Sonya Yamnitz (Sr.) Nutrition and Fitness Hallsville, Mo. *Jenny Bybee (Jr.) Journalism Springfield, Mo. Margaret Ibe (Jr.) Biology St. Louis Mo. *Amanda Bales (So.) Physical Therapy Bettendorf, Iowa Laura Brandt (So.) Journalism New Haven, Mo. Kristin Hansen (So.) Dietetics Milford, Iowa Valerie Lauver (So.) Nursing llen, Texas Ashley Patten (So.) Business Mgmt. Clarkston, Mich. *Serena Ramsey (So.) Human Dev. & Family St. Waukesha, Wis. Jessica Stockard (So.) Business Management Godfrey, Ill. Elizabeth Young (So.) Nutrition and Fitness Jefferson City, Mo.

Women's Second Team Jemma Archibald (So.) Marketing Hoffman Estates, Ill. Amy Chipman (Sr.) Finance & Banking Blue Springs, Mo.

* indicates a 4.0 GPA