Koll One of Trio Still Eligible for Bowerman

NEW ORLEANS ? The Bowerman Advisory Board in conjunction with the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced on Monday that Iowa State's Lisa Koll is one of three female finalists for the highest honor given to collegiate track & field student-athletes ? The Bowerman. The other two competitors representing the best in collegiate track and field during the 2010 seasons are Virginia Tech senior Queen Harrison and UTEP senior Blessing Okagbare.

Finalists were chosen by the 10-person Bowerman Advisory Board based on performances recorded during the indoor and outdoor 2010 track & field seasons. Only performances through the conclusion of the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships are used in consideration.

Koll, a native of Fort Dodge, Iowa, swept NCAA crowns in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Championships to become only the fourth female in history to do so. Koll won the 10,000 meters by over 23 seconds to claim her second-ever national title in the event while her 30-second victory in the national collegiate final of the 5,000 meters paired with her 2010 NCAA indoor title at the same distance. Koll opened the outdoor season with a collegiate record, clocking 31:18.07 in the 10,000 meters at the Stanford Invitational. In individual races, Koll only lost to a collegian once during the season. Koll was selected by the nation's coaches as the USTFCCCA National Track Athlete of the Year during the outdoor season and a regional-award winner in the same category for the indoor season.

Koll will run her final race of the year Saturday in the Quad-City Times Bix 7 seven-mile road event through the streets of Davenport, Iowa. After finishing second in the U.S. Track and Field Championships 10,000 meters in June, Koll ran her first professional races in Europe. Koll finished 11th in a loaded international 5,000-meter field in Saint Denis, France July 16, finishing in 14:55.74. The clocking was a personal best by More than 22 seconds. More importantly, Koll's effort makes her the sixth-fastest American all-time at 5,000 meters.