Koll Finishes Eighth at Olympic Trials

Wearing her cardinal and gold Iowa State jersey, sophomore Lisa Koll competed in the 10,000-meter run Friday at the 2008 Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore. Koll finished the race eighth with a time of 33:09.87.

Competing against the nation's most elite runners, Koll seemed poised as the gun sounded. For the first 12 laps, the Fort Dodge native kept pace with the leader, holding a steady fourth. With 3,000-meters left, Koll dropped slowly into eighth place. Shalane Flanagan, competing for Nike, took complete control of the race and crossed the line first with a clocking of 31:34.81.

Friday's race capped off a dream season for Koll that was highlighted by a 10,000-meter NCAA championship, an American Collegiate record set at the Stanford Invitational and her second consecutive Big 12 Conference title in the event. Koll made vast improvements in a short time frame and is expected to keep improving.

“Lisa has made tremendous strides in such a short time,” said head coach Corey Ihmels. “I am very proud of everything she has accomplished this season and I think that there is a lot more to come from her in the near future. Competing at the Olympic Trials, and at such a high level is extremely difficult and she handled it well. It says a lot about the type of person and athlete she is. She has done a great job representing Iowa State.”