Iowa State standout Lisa Koll has been named the ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America of the Year winner for track & field/cross country, it was announced. It is the second straight year she has been named to the Academic All-America Team and the first time she has earned the top national award for her sport.
The Fort Dodge, Iowa-native was a 2009 All-American in the 10,000-meter run. Koll won both the 5,000-meter and the 10,000-meter races at the 2009 Big 12 Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Her 10,000-meter win marked her third straight league title in that event. The five-time Big 12 champion is a four-time All-American. She is the second track & field athlete from the Big 12 to win the national award, following Janet Blomstedt of Nebraska in the league’s first season (1996-97). Overall, 17 student-athletes from the Big 12 have earned national Academic All-America of the Year honors for their sports.
Pursuing her Master’s degree in Veterinary Medicine, Koll graduated from Iowa State with a degree in Biology in just three years. She had a 3.98 GPA as an undergraduate. As a graduate student, she has a 3.90 GPA In 2008, she was the NCAA Division I champion in the 10,000-meter run. The owner of the American Collegiate record in that race, she finished ninth in the 10,000-meter run at the 2009 NCAA Championship meet. Koll was named as the Big 12 Conference Outdoor Track & Field Outstanding Performer of the Year this past season.
To be eligible for Academic All-America consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings 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 Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports.
For more information about the Academic All-America Teams program, please visit www.cosida.com.