All-American More Returns To Ames

AMES, Iowa - Kelli More's name and picture are one of the eight that hang each day inside Iowa State gymnastics' practice facility. In her time at Iowa State, More won a pair of Big 12 titles and earned All-American status by qualifying for the NCAA beam finals in 2000. When the calendar flips to the year 2020, it will mark 20 years since the resilient gymnast from Bellevue, Nebraska, competed in cardinal and gold. This past weekend, More returned to her alma mater to sign her All-American banner in Beyer Hall.

"Thank you so much to the coaches and the entire Iowa State team for welcoming me with open arms," More said. "It's always a surreal experience when I come back to Ames, and it always feels like home."

More exemplified what it means to be a Cyclone during her time at Iowa State. Not only was she competing at an All-American level, she also succeeded in the classroom with three Scholastic All-America distinctions to her name. More was also an active member on Iowa State's Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) during her tenure. Her success as a Cyclone is still marked with many accolades inside Iowa State's record books, including being one of four Cyclones achieving the school record 9.50 on the balance beam on multiple occasions.

The success that More had was not handed to her in any way. Following her first Big 12 title in 1998, More was poised to have a breakout junior year. In late December 1998, she discovered that bone spurs in her feet required surgery that would delay her start of the 1999 campaign. About a month after the surgery, More had success early by posting a 9.80 on the balance beam in her first competitive attempt of the year. She followed that performance with four 9.90s in her next five outings, which matched her career high at the time. Her season peaked with a new career-high mark of 9.925 at the Big 12 Championships, defending her crown on the beam by winning her second-straight Big 12 title.

"When I committed to Iowa State, I knew I wanted to make an impact," More said. "What I left with is far greater than that; I left with a family of women. Without the sport of gymnastics, without Iowa State gymnastics, I would not be the woman I am today."

Iowa State University Athletics

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