Lisa Koll (Iowa State) and Lauren Bonds (Kansas) are among the top 30 honorees for the 2010 NCAA Woman of the Year award, named by a committee of representatives from various NCAA schools and conferences. This year a record 452 nominations were submitted for the award.
Woman of the Year award honors female student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate career in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, community service and leadership.
Koll was named 2010 Big 12 Female Athlete of the Year. She captured NCAA titles in both the 10,000- and 5,000-meter runs at the 2010 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships. She became the first person to complete this double win since 1998 and only the fifth person overall. The Fort Dodge, Iowa-native also won the 5,000-meters at the 2010 NCAA Indoor Championships. The 11-time All-American and nine-time Big 12 champion was the first Big 12 athlete to win the same event four times (10,000 meters) at the conference championships. She also placed second in the 10,000 meters at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Koll was recently honored with the Honda Award as the top collegiate female athlete in track & field and the 2010 NCAA Female Track Athlete of the Year by the USTFCCA.
The graduate student excelled in the classroom as a four-time Academic All-American and seven-time member of the Big 12 All-Academic Team. Koll was also active in the community as a volunteer at the Iowa State College of Veterinary Medicine Wildlife Care Clinic and a participant in youth motivational and outreach presentations. In addition, she served an externship at VCA All Pet Hospital in Boulder, Colo.
Bonds placed seventh in the 1,500-meter run at the 2010 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships to earn All-America honors. She also earned indoor All-America accolades as part of the distance medley relay. The Hutchinson, Kan.-native was the 2010 Big 12 Champion in the 1,500 meters. She is an 11-time All-Big 12 performer in indoor and outdoor track combined and holds five school records.
The political science/international studies and history major was a 2010 Prentice Gautt Scholarship recipient and named a 2009-10 University of Kansas Woman of Distinction. She is a four-time Academic All-American and Big 12 All-Academic Team honoree. Bonds has served as a volunteer at the Lawrence (Kan.) Community Shelter and worked with the Church World Services Immigrant and Refugee program. Her other projects include assisting with Project Bridge: Translation Service, the Douglas County AIDS project and Coalition for Immokalee Workers.
"The Woman of the Year award uniquely gives us the opportunity to honor a group of outstanding female student-athletes who perform at high levels in collegiate athletics while also making significant contributions to their communities and achieving remarkable academic success," said Karen Morrison, NCAA director of gender initiatives.
The top 30 honorees were nominated by conference and independent members and are representative of multiple sports. Ten honorees were selected from each of the three NCAA divisions.
Three finalists will be chosen from each division to form the nine finalists for the Woman of the Year award. The national winner will be chosen by the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics. The recipient of the 20th annual award will be announced during the 2010 NCAA Woman of the Year awards event Oct. 17 in Indianapolis.