Aug. 16, 2005

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - (Tuesday, August 16, 2005) Redhawks gymnastics coach Tom Farden announced the hiring of Brogan Jacobsen as a full-time assistant coach for the upcoming gymnastics season. Jacobsen is a former gymnastics standout at powerhouse Brigham Young University where she served on the Cougars coaching staff last season as a volunteer assistant coach.

"I'm really excited to be a part here at Southeast," said Jacobsen. "Everyone has been great to me since I've been here and I knew this was the place I wanted to be at since I stepped foot on the campus. Southeast is a perfect fit for me and I can't think of a better place to start my coaching career off at."

As a volunteer assistant coach at BYU last season she played a part in the program's first NCAA Nationals appearance in five years where the team finished 11th overall. The team finished second at the NCAA North Central Regional competition behind the No. 1 team in the country Utah. BYU was ranked throughout the season with a season-high ranking of No. 7.

Jacobsen responsibilities as a volunteer coach ranged from hosting and evaluating recruits, choreographing routines for athletes on both the uneven bars and floor routines and developing conditioning programs for the athletes.

Jacobsen graduated from BYU this past spring with a degree in exercise science, fitness and wellness management. She has also received her Personal Training Certification with the American College of Sports Medicine. While at BYU she assisted in administering the programs pre-season and in-season conditioning program under the tutelage of 2004 Olympian Tiffany Lott-Hogan.

As a competitor for the Cougars for four seasons she helped the Cougars continue their tradition as one of the top teams in the country as she competed on the vault, bars and floor exercises. Her senior season the Cougars were ranked as high as No. 6 nationally and were the No. 1 seed heading into the NCAA North Central Regional. That season she ranked 14th nationally on the uneven bars. That season she scored a 9.975 on the bars against Utah to set a new school record. Earlier that season she scored a 9.950 to give her the top-two spots on the school's record books on the uneven bars.

Her junior season she served as the team's co-captain and recorded a perfect 10.000 on the floor exercise. Her perfect score set a new school record and is only the fourth perfect score ever received by a Cougar gymnast in any event. She also has the second-best score in school history on the floor with a score of 9.975.

Brogan Jacobsen is one of only four BYU gymnast to score a perfect 10.000 in an event when she did it in the floor exercises (photo courtesy of Mark Philbrick/BYU Photo)

As a student she was awarded the BYU Scholar Athlete Award for straight years. In 2003 she received Academic All-American Honors. Jacobsen has held many collegiate leadership positions including co-chair of the BYU Student Athlete Advisory Committee and participated in the 2004 NCAA Leadership Conference in Orlando, Florida. At BYU she was awarded the Lu Wallace Outstanding Senior Female Award, the Cougar Club Female Crowd Pleaser Award and Amberly Rupp Circle of Honor Award.

Jacobsen has been involved in gymnastics since she was five and attended Brighton High School in Salt Lake City, Utah. She was a member of the Olympus School of Gymnastics Club Team coached by Mary Wright. As a club gymnast she was a Level 9 gymnast of the year, a four-time Level 10 Utah All-Around State Champion, a 2000 Level 10 Region I floor champion and was named to the 2000 Junior Olympic National Team.

At Southeast she will be oversee and choreograph the Redhawks floor and beam routines. Also among her responsibilities will be overseeing all aspects of the recruiting process as well as the day-to-day operations of the program.

"I'm extremely pleased with the quality of candidates we had in our search," said Coach Farden. "Brogan (Jacobsen) had the most experience in the areas that will help the program reach the next level. Her background in choreography and exercise science will benefit the program greatly."

"I'm can't wait for the season to start," said Jacobsen. "I know I will learn much from Tom (Farden) and the gymnast and hopefully they will learn from me."