Lisa Koll winning the 2010 Bix 7 Road Race |
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 31 August 1987 Fort Dodge, Iowa, U.S. [1] |
| Sport | |
| Country | United States |
| Event(s) | 5000m, 10,000m |
| College/university team | Iowa State University |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best(s) | 5000 m: 14:55.74 10000 m: 31:18.07 |
Lisa Uhl (née Koll) (born August 31, 1987, Fort Dodge, Iowa)[1], is a United States runner, four time NCAA Division One Champion, current NCAA record holder in the 10,000 metres,[2] and the sixth fastest American to ever cover the distance.[3] She competed for Iowa State University.
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While attending Iowa State University Lisa Koll won the Big 12 outdoor track and field championship in the 10,000 meters in 2007 as a Freshman. In 2008 she set the American Collegiate record in the 10,000 meters with a time of 32:11.13 at the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, California.[4] This mark was beat later that year by eventual 2008 NCAA 5000 meter champion Sally Kipyego of Texas Tech in a time of 31:25.45. Later that year Lisa went on to win the NCAA outdoor track and field championship, beating the field by almost a full minute, and finished 8th at the 2008 United States Olympic trials in Eugene Oregon.[5] During the 2008-2009 season she was named the ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America of the Year winner for track & field/cross country.[6]
At the 2010 NCAA indoor championships Lisa won the 5000 meter run by over 10 seconds in a time of 15:39.65. Just a few months later she broke the 10,000 meter record for the second time at the Stanford Invitational, finishing with a time of 31 minutes, 18.07 seconds.[2] She also dominated the outdoor collegiate 5000 meter event. At the Payton Jordan invitational she finished fourth in an elite 5,000 meter field, beaten only by World Championship bronze medalist Shannon Rowbury, Olympic bronze medalist Shalane Flanagan, and reigning US national 10,000 meter champion Amy Yoder Begley, in a time of 15 minutes and 17.76 seconds. It was the best NCAA 5,000 meter time in the nation that year by almost 20 seconds.[7]
Koll's record breaking outdoor season continued when she won the Big 12 10,000 meter title, becoming the first woman ever to win four straight conference titles in the same event.[1] At her final meet as a collegiate Lisa Koll became both the NCAA outdoor 5000 meter and 10,000 meter champion.[8] One of only four athletes to have ever done so, and the first to do it since 1996.[1] She won the 10,000 meters by over 20 seconds in a time of 32:49.35 and the 5,000 meters by over 30 seconds in a time of 15:23.80.[9]
At the end of her 2010 track season, Lisa was named the female track and field athlete of the year [10][11] and was nominated as one of three athletes for the female collegiate sports person of the year (all sports).[12]
She turned professional shortly after the collegiate championships, signing with Peter Stubbs Management.[13] In her first track meet as a professional she finished second in the 10,000 meters at the US national championships in a time of 32:11.72, beat only by the reigning US national champion Amy Yoder Begley. Held at her hometown track, Koll took the lead midway through the race and held it until the final lap when Begley closed in 65 seconds to finish in 32:06.45.[14]
On July 24, 2010, Koll won the Bix 7 Road Race in Davenport, Iowa, capturing the US seven mile road racing championship.[15]
In 2010, Koll deferred entry to veterinary school at Iowa State University to move to Portland, Oregon to run for Nike under coach Jerry Schumacher.[16] At the 2011 USA Cross Country Championships in February she took third place behind Shalane Flanagan and Molly Huddle.[17]
Koll missed most of the running season in 2011 due to plantar fasciitis, and a stress fracture of her fifth metatarsal.[18]
Koll married former Iowa State runner Kiel Uhl in September 2011.[18]