COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Jessica Howard and Lindsay Powell, teammates at International Rhythmic Gymnastics in Jacksonville, Fla., held first and second place, respectively, at the halfway point of preliminaries in junior division competition at the 1998 U.S. Rhythmic Gymnastics National Championships, being held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center.
Howard scored an 8.850 in ball and 8.800 in ribbon to take the early lead with a score of 17.650. Powell was just .025 behind Howard in each event to post a 17.600. Heilie Isaacs (Northbrook, Ill.) of Rhythmic Gems was third with a score of 17.575.
The field of 37 athletes competed two of the four events Friday and will compete the other two on Saturday afternoon. The top 12 athletes in the division will advance to finals competition on Sunday. The preliminary scores will carry over as 30 percent of the final score to determine placement and membership on the U.S. National Team. For more information on USA Gymnastics, its programs and athletes, access USA Gymnastics Online, the Official Website of USA Gymnastics, at http://www.usa-gymnastics.org.

1998 U.S. Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships
U.S. Olympic Training Center, Colorado Springs, Colo., June 5-7, 1998

Junior Division (first half of preliminaries; second half on Saturday, June 6. Top 12 from preliminaries advance to finals on Sunday, June 7)
1, Jessica Howard, Jacksonville, Fla., 17.650. 2, Lindsay Powell, Jacksonville, Fla., 17.600. 3, Heilie Isaacs, Northbrook, Ill., 17.575. 4, Danielle Lord, Tualatin, Ore., 17.325. 5, Erin Jeffress, Rockville, Md., 17.050. 6, Michelle Goldstein, Wilmette, Ill., 16.575. 7 (tie), Alexandra Hain, Bloomfield Hills, Mich., and Lauren Hovey, Winnetka, Ill., 16.425. 9, Maya Craig, Novato, Calif., 16.401. 10, Lisa Welshinger, Rockville, Md., 16.263. 11, Marissa Pierce, Highland Park, Ill., 16.238. 12, Jennifer Sihn, La Canada, Calif., 16.150. 13 (tie), Michelle Fuller, North Syracuse, N.Y., and Tara Sullivan, Tualatin, Ore., 16.125. 15, Jacquelyn Jampolsky, San Rafael, Calif., 15.838. 16, Johanna Horton, Stone Mountain, Ga., 15.825. 17, Suzanne Mena, Skokie, Ill., 15.813. 18, Kristin Cheng, Beaverton, Ore., 15.800. 19, Asya Vinokur, Brooklyn, N.Y., 15.788. 20, Jessica Kunen, Novato, Calif., 15.500. 21, Ruth Ji Choi, Los Angeles, Calif., 15.425. 22, Valerie Voorhees, Liverpool, N.Y., 15.075. 23, Elizabeth Bradford, Wilmette, Ill., 15.013 24, Karina Liu, New York, N.Y., 14.951. 25, Juliana Glikin, Los Angeles, Calif., 14.926. 26, Renee Flores, Clarkston, Mich., 14.925. 27, Shayna Javornicky, Corona, N.Y., 14.850. 28, Sara Langer, Corte Madeira, Calif., 14.813. 29, Sara Steffler, Houston, Texas, 14.776. 30, Kristen Frankiewicz, Houston, Texas, 14.713. 31, Valerie Parker, Jacksonville, Fla., 14.600.

Other Competitors

Children’s Division (competing in junior division, ineligible for finals)
Brenann Stacker, Lincolnshire, Ill., 16.076. Annie Ng, Rockville, Md., 14.800.


Non-U.S. Citizens (ineligible for finals)
Kateryna Ivanova, Culver City, Calif., 15.663. Alexandra Dubovik*, Northbrook, Ill., 15.650. Valery Kharina, Skokie, Ill., 15.638. Irina Korosteleva, San Francisco, Calif., 15.238