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TOWSON, Md. — Graduate student Lisa Koll of Iowa State and senior Nora Kuiper of Hope College lead the 2008-09 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Women’s Track and Field and Cross Country Teams, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Koll and Kuiper have been chosen as the winners of the Academic All-America® of the Year award in the University and College Divisions, respectively.
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 G.P.A. as an undergraduate. As a graduate student, she has a 3.90 G.P.A. In 2008, she was the NCAA Division I champion in the 10,000-meter run. The owner of the American Collegiate record in the 10,000-meter run, she finished ninth in the 10,000-meter run at the 2009 NCAA Championship Meet.
Named as the Big 12 Conference Outdoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year in 2009, Koll was the Big 12 champion in the 10,000-meter run three consecutive years. She also won the Big 12 title in the 5,000-meter run in 2009. A five-time All-American honoree, the Fort Dodge, Iowa native was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Women’s Track and Field and Cross Country University Division first team for the second consecutive year.
A Chemistry major with a 3.93 G.P.A., Kuiper was the NCAA Division III champion in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.84 seconds. She was also the NCAA Division III runner-up in the 200-meter dash as a senior. The winner of the Sheila Wallace-Kovalchik Scholar-Athletic Award as the outstanding female senior in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA), she was also voted as the Most Valuable Female Track Athlete in the MIAA. A four-time MIAA champion in the 100-meter dash, she won the MIAA title in the 200-meter dash as a junior and senior.
A native of Parchment, Michigan, she owns the school records in the 100-meter and 200-meter dash as well as the MIAA record in the 100-dash. Named as a first team selection on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Women’s Track and Field and Cross Country College Division Team for the second year in a row, Kuiper was a teaching assistant in Hope's chemistry department for three years and was a member of Omnicron Delta Kappa, a leadership society. She also gave a presentation at an American Chemistry Society conference on utilizing fluorescent spectroscopy in DNA protein-building. A group Bible study leader, she tutored at-risk elementary students in Hope's Children's After School Achievement (CASA) program and volunteered with Habitat for Humanity. She plans to spend a year in Mozambique working on a project to improve water supplies.
Koll is one of three Scholar-Athletes who are repeat first team selections on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Women’s Track and Field and Cross Country University Division Team. Seniors Jenny Barringer of Colorado and Lamarra Currie of Charlotte also made the first team for the second time.
The first team includes five Scholar-Athletes who were named to the second team last year, including senior Sarah Bowman of Tennessee, senior Laura Hermanson of North Dakota State, senior Karoline Koehler of San Diego State, graduate student Sarah Stevens of Arizona State and senior Annett Wichmann of Hawaii. In addition, a trio of third team honorees from last year, seniors Elisabeth Driscoll of Montana State, Lauren Enderson of Utah and Patience Knight of Texas Tech earned first team notice.
Along with senior Susan Kuijken of Florida State and senior Kara Patterson of Purdue, juniors Katie Stripling of Arkansas and Phoebe Wright of Tennessee complete the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Women’s Track and Field and Cross Country University Division first team.
A Political Science and Economics major with a 3.56 G.P.A., Barringer completed a record-setting career at Colorado by winning the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Championship Meet. While winning her third NCAA title in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, she broke the NCAA record with a time of 9:25.54. The owner of six NCAA records, she was earned All-American honors seven times in her career. An Oveido, Florida native, she was a member of the United States Olympic team in 2008.
Honored as the Atlantic 10 Conference Student-Athlete of the Year for indoor and outdoor track, Currie is a Psychology major with a perfect 4.00 G.P.A. She won titles in the 55-meter run and the 200-meter run at the A-10 indoor championship meet. At the A-10 outdoor meet, the Apex, North Carolina native she won the 100-meter and 200-meter titles and was a member of Charlotte’s A-10 champion 4x100 relay team.
A Business major with a 3.87 G.P.A., Bowman was a four-year standout for Tennessee’s cross country and track and field teams. A ten-time All-American in her career, she led the Lady Vols to the NCAA Division I Indoor Track Championship. Named as the Southeastern Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year for track and field the last two seasons, she is a three-time NCAA champion who anchored the past two NCAA champion distance medley relay teams. A native of Warrenton, Virginia, she also won the one-mile run at the NCAA Outdoor Meet. She was also a four-time All-SEC cross country runner.
The NCAA Division I runner-up in the 800-meter run, Hermanson is the first North Dakota State athlete to earn All-American honors at the Division I level. A Business Administration major with a 3.94 G.P.A., she was the Summit League Indoor Athlete of the Year in 2008 and 2009. The NCAA Midwest regional champion in the 800-meter run, she is a native of Burnsville, Minnesota. Hermanson graduated with five school records.
An International Economics major with a 3.82 G.P.A., Koehler was named as the Mountain West Conference Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Student-Athlete of the Year. She finished as the NCAA Division I runner-up in the long jump due to a knee injury. A two-time All-American at San Diego State, she finished sixth in the triple jump. The Erfurt, Germany native also ran for the NCAA title in the 100-meter dash.
A graduate student who is working on her Master’s of Education degree, Stevens has a 4.04 G.P.A. Setting an Arizona State record with 15 All-American honors, she was the NCAA champ in the discus throw at the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Meet. She led the Sun Devils to a third place finish at the 2009 NCAA Championship Meet by finishing second in the discus and the shot put. She also finished third in the hammer throw and scored 22 points. The Fort Collins, Colorado native was the NCAA Indoor Champion in the shot put in 2007.
A Kinesiology and Leisure Science major with a 3.82 G.P.A., Wichmann was the Western Athletic Conference champion in the heptathlon four years in a row. The most-decorated athlete in Hawaii track and field history, she qualified for the NCAA Championships seven times in her career and earned All-American notice four teams. A native of Jena, Germany, she was also a three-time WAC champion in the pentathlon. She was named as the WAC Athlete of the Meet twice and finished her career with 13 WAC medals.
The 2009 Big Sky Conference champion in the 10K run, Driscoll graduated from Montana State with a double major in Mechanical Engineering and German while compiling a perfect 4.00 G.P.A. Named to the Big Sky All-Conference Cross Country team three times, she was All-Big Sky performer in track and field twice. A native of Bozeman, Montana, she was also named as the Big Sky Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
A Biology major with a 4.00 G.P.A., Enderson was a standout distance runner for Utah. A Presidential Scholar who will enroll at Ohio State University’s Medical School, she finished fifth in the 10,000-meter run at the Mountain West Conference Championship Meet. A native of West Jordan, Utah, she was also seventh in the 5,000-meter run at the 2009 Mountain West Meet.
Knight, a Wildlife Management and Game Management major with a 3.96 G.P.A., earned All-America honors three times at Texas Tech. A native of San Antonio, Texas, she won the Big 12 Conference championships in the indoor and the outdoor shot put. The owner of the school records in the indoor and outdoor shot put, she finished sixth in the shot put at the NCAA Indoor Championship Meet as a senior.
A Psychology major with a 3.76 G.P.A., Kuijken was the NCAA Division I champion in the 1500-meter run while helping Florida State to a fourth place finish at the national championship meet. A seven-time All-American, the Nijmegen, Netherlands native led the Seminoles to Atlantic Coast Conference championships in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track during the past year. She also helped Florida State finish third at the NCAA Cross Country championship meet.
The NCAA Division I runner-up in the javelin throw, Patterson is a Nutrition, Health & Fitness major with a 3.76 G.P.A. The owner of the Big Ten Conference and Purdue records in the javelin throw, she helped Purdue to a sixth place finish at the Big Ten championship meet by winning her third Big Ten javelin title. A native of LaCenter, Washington, Patterson was the Big Ten Athlete of the Week twice this year.
The three-time Southeastern Conference champion in the pole vault, Stripling is a Kinesiology major with a 3.94 G.P.A. The owner of the Arkansas school records in the pole vault, she is a three-time All-American. A native of Jonesboro, Arkansas, she finished fifth in the pole vault at the 2009 NCAA Championship Meet.
With the selection of Wright, Tennessee is the only school with two selections to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Women’s Track and Field and Cross Country University Division first team. A Biological Sciences major with a 3.96 G.P.A., she is a six-time All-American who was part of the Lady Vols’ national championship Distance Medley relay team in 2008 and 2009. A native of Signal Mountain, Tennessee, she is also a member of the Lady Vols’ cross country team.
The 15 members of the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Women’s Track and Field and Cross Country University Division first team have an average G.P.A. of 3.86.
Seniors Amber Hines of Wingate and Sarah Wittingen of Calvin are the only repeat selections on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Women’s Track and Field and Cross Country College Division first team. Seniors Keli Coleman of Augustana (Ill.) and Katie Theisen of St. Thomas (Minn.), a pair of second team selections in 2008, moved up to the first team this year. Junior Hannah Baker of Wartburg, senior Katy Grant of Harding, senior Charlotte Heron of Oklahoma Christian and junior Amy Magnuson of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, all third team selections last year, also moved up to the first team in 2009.
Senior Kristen Ameling of Tiffin, junior Mary Dell of Shippensburg, senior Jennifer Hensel of Minnesota State-Moorhead, senior Liz Kooistra of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and senior Venessa Lee of Pittsburg State round out the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Women’s Track and Field and Cross Country College Division first team.
A Biology and Chemistry major with a perfect 4.00 G.P.A., Hines was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Women’s Track and Field and Cross Country College Division first team for the third consecutive year. A four-time All-South Atlantic Conference performer, the Little Mountain, South Carolina native competed for the Bulldogs’ cross country team. A three-time team Most Valuable Performer, Hines was led Wingate to the SAC championship in 2006 and 2007. The SAC Runner of the Year in 2006, she was an All-Southeast region selection as well. A frequent volunteer at a local animal hospital, she is hoping to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. Hines was the SAC Scholar-Athlete Award winner twice.
One of two Calvin College Scholar-Athletes on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Women’s Track and Field and Cross Country College Division first team, Wittingen graduated from Calvin with a degree in Accounting and a 3.99 G.P.A. An 11-time All-American at Calvin, Wittingen was the 2008 NCAA Division III national champion in the 400-meter outdoor hurdles, setting a school record with a time of 59.36 seconds. A native of East Grand Rapids, Michigan, she was part of the Knights’ 4x400-meter relay team that finished third at the NCAA Indoor Championship Meet. She also helped the Knights win their 20th consecutive Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship.
An outstanding sprinter for Augustana, Coleman is a Biology and Pre-Medicine major with a 3.83 G.P.A. The owner of five school records for the Vikings, she won three consecutive College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin indoor titles in the 55-meter dash. The Grayslake, Illinois native also won three straight CCIW titles in the 100-meter dash. Coleman was named as an NCAA Division III All-American twice in her career.
A six-time All-American at Saint Thomas (Minn.), Theisen is a Biology major with a perfect 4.00 G.P.A. The NCAA Division III runner-up in the 3,000-steeplechase, she helped the Tommies win 11 of a possible 12 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles in her career. A native of Elko, Minnesota, Theisen finished 13th at the NCAA cross country championship meet as a senior. An NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship recipient, she will attend medical school at the University of Minnesota next year.
A Biology major with a 3.97 G.P.A., Baker helped Wartburg sweep the NCAA Division III Indoor and Outdoor Track championships in 2009. An 11-time All-American in her three-year career, she was a key member of the Knights’ NCAA champion 4x400 relay team which set a school record and enabled Wartburg to win the national title by two points over Wisconsin Oshkosh. A product of Keota, Iowa, she has been part of the Knights’ three national champion 4x400 relay teams. She also finished fifth in the 400-run at the NCAA Championship Meet.
The first Harding University cross country and track runner to be named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® first team, Grant is Social Work major with a minor in Spanish and a 4.00 G.P.A. Named first team All-Gulf Coast Conference four times, she ran tenth in the NCAA Division II South regional cross country meet, helping the Lady Bison finish as regional runner-up. A native of Mustang, Oklahoma native, she finished 17th in the 3,000-steeplechase at the 2008 NCAA Division II Outdoor Championship Meet.
A Political Science major with a perfect 4.00 G.P.A., Heron earned All-American honors in the high jump for Oklahoma Christian the last two years. A native of Southampton, England, she broke the school record in the high jump. A two-sport standout, she was also a four-year letter for the Lady Eagles’ basketball team.
Magnuson, who earned All-American honors twice this season for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is a junior Civil Engineering major with a 3.92 G.P.A. In addition to finishing third in the 55-meter hurdles at the NCAA Division III Indoor Championship Meet, she placed fourth in the 100-meter hurdles at the NCAA Outdoor Championship. A native of Lawrence, Kansas, she helped MIT win the New England Division III Indoor and Outdoor championships by capturing the 55-hurdles and the 100-hurdles championships. A five-time All-New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference selection, she holds five school records.
An Accounting major with a 3.97 G.P.A., Ameling earned NCAA Division II All-American honors in the shot put by finishing fourth at the NCAA Indoor Meet. Named as Tiffin’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year, she was ninth in the shot put at the NCAA Outdoor Meet. The Milbury, Ohio native owns the school records in the shot put.
A four-time All-American at Shippensburg, Dell is a junior Biology major with a 3.97 G.P.A. An All-American selection for the Shippensburg cross country team, she was part of the Red Raiders’ NCAA champion Distance Medley Relay team at the NCAA indoor meet. The owner of eight school records, Dell finished sixth in the 1500-meter run at the NCAA Outdoor Meet. A product of Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania, she won Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference championships in the 1500-meter outdoor run and the 800-meter indoor run.
The three-time NCAA Division II pole vault champion, Hensel is a Physical Education and Health Education major at Minnesota State-Moorhead with a 3.81 G.P.A. During her career, she earned seven All-American honors and won two pole vault titles at the Kansas Relays. A sprinter and a member of the Dragons’ relay teams, the Frazee, Minnesota native won numerous Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference titles during her career.
A Psychology and Behavior Analysis major with a 3.58 G.P.A., Kooistra was the NCAA Division III champion in the 400-meter outdoor run. An 11-time All-American, she broke the Wisconsin-Eau Claire school record in the 400-meter run with a time of 54.29 seconds. A native of Lakeville, Minnesota, Kooistra also ran fourth in the 200-meter dash at nationals. Named as the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Performer of the Meet at the WIAC Indoor Championship, she won conference titles in 200-meter and 400-meter run. She also plays for the Blugold soccer team.
One of two Calvin standouts on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® College Division first team, Koster is a junior with a double major of Occupational Therapy and Psychology and a perfect 4.00 G.P.A. Honored as an All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association choice in cross country twice, she was
an All-American in the 10K run at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Meet by finishing fifth. The 2009 MIAA champion in the 10K run, she helped the Knights win their 20th straight MIAA title. A native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, she ran fifth at the 2008 MIAA cross country championship meet.
A three-time NCAA Division II national champion in 800-meter run, Lee graduated from Pittsburg State with a double major of Biology and Spanish and a 3.89 G.P.A. Honored as the winner of the Ken B. Jones Award as the top female student-athlete in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association, she was named as an All-American five times. A product of Cleveland, Missouri, Lee was named as an All-MIAA performer 20 times and won 13 MIAA championships. She has been accepted to medical school at the University of Kansas.
The 15 Academic All-America® College Division first team honorees have an average G.P.A. of 3.92. Five of the first team selections owned a perfect 4.00 G.P.A.
To be eligible for Academic All-America® consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative G.P.A. 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.
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