Lisa Koll 36th at NCAA Championship

TERRE HAUTE, Ind.-- The future bodes well for Iowa State's Lisa Koll. The sophomore topped off an auspicious season Monday, by placing 36th among 253 competitors on the La Vern Gibson Championship Course. Koll covered the 6,000-meter course in 21:28.8 and was extremely happy with the results.

"I wanted to be about 100th after the first 1,000-meters and then start working my way up through the field," Koll said. "I was relaxed and really started to pick it up at the 3k mark. I'm so excited and I'll be back in the next couple of years with a chance to improve on my place today."

The course had sustained significant recent rainfall, which took its toll on the competitors.

"The course was real soft and muddy," Koll said. "It made the race more difficult because you would get tired pushing off the soft parts of the course."

Texas Tech's Sally Kipyego won the race by nearly 27 seconds in 20:11.1. Stanford won the team title.

"Lisa ran a great race," Iowa State women's cross country head coach Dick Lee said. "She followed her plan and worked her way up through the field."

Koll, a sophomore from Fort Dodge who had finished seventh at the Big 12 Championships last month, was the sixth Big 12 finisher Monday.