CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa --- The American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) announced today that former Luther College Softball player Anna Strien (Cedar Falls, Iowa/Waterloo Columbus) has been named the Johanna Olson A-R-C Female Scholar-Athletes of the Year for the 2017-18 academic year. The award, the highest individual honor from the conference, goes to an alumnus from the previous academic year. 

Strien was a four-time All-Conference honoree, a three-time All-Midwest Region team member and a two-time first team NFCA All-American. She also represented Luther as a 2018 NCAA Division Ill National Softball Championship All-Tournament team selection. Strien holds Luther College career records for RBI (175), doubles (57), hit-by-pitch (43), defensive assists (291) and in 2017, she recorded the best season batting average at .531.
 
Academically, Strien was named CoSIDA Academic All-American two times and selected Academic All-Conference three times. The NFCA also honored Strien as a Scholar-Athlete four times. As a political science major, history minor, Strien was involved in several research projects, including: Analysis of Gideon v. Wainwright; Justice for those Who Defend Us; The Supreme Court’s Influence on Major League Baseball; Critical Analysis of Title IX; and The Evolution of Presidential Polling in the United States.
 
During her time at Luther, Strien was involved in service activities with Decorah Parks and Recreation, Luther PALS (big brother/sister program for kids in Decorah) and Luther LASO (Luther Athlete’s Serving Others). Her work with Decorah Parks and Recreation forwarded her opportunities to work with local children in after school programs and mentor local youth through administering varying athletic programs.

"I would like to congratulate all of the finalists for our conference's most coveted award," said American Rivers Conference Commissioner Chuck Yrigoyen. "Anna Strien had an amazing athletic career for one of our league's most successful programs. Her academic career and service to others embody what this about represents. My thanks to our Faculty Athletic Representatives for choosing among an impressive group of young women."

Athletic Achievements

• 2018 1st Team All-Conference
• 2018 1st Team All-American NFCA
• 2018 1st Team All-Region NFCA
• 2017 Conference Position Player of the Year (POY), 1st Team All-Conference 
• 2017 1st Team All-American NFCA
• 2017 1st Team All-Region NFCA
• 2016 2nd Team All-Conference
• 2016 2nd Team All-Region NFCA
• 2015 2nd Team All-Conference
• 2018 Conference Tournament Champions
• 2018 3rd-place NCAA National Tournament
• 2017 Conference Tournament Champions
• 2017 NCAA Decorah Regional Participants 
• 2016 Conference Tournament Champions
• 2016 NCAA Decorah Super Regionals Participants
• 2015 Conference Tournament Champions
• 2015 NCAA Decorah Regional Participants 
• 2017 and 2018, Luther College Softball Co-Captain
• 2018 Luther College's Female Athlete of the Year
• Conference Athlete of the Week -- (Four times) (5/6/18, 3/4/18, 4/2/17, 3/5/17)
• 2017 Schutt Sports/NFCA Division III Player of the Year Top 10 Finalist
• 2018 Schutt Sports/NFCA Division III National Player of the Year Watchlist
• 2018 Listed among Top 25 Finalists for Schutt Sports/NFCA Division III Player of the Year
• 2018 NCAA Division III National Tournament All-Tournament Team

Scholarly Achievements

• CoSIDA Academic All-American, (2nd-team 2017, 2018)
• CoSIDA Google Cloud Academic All-District (1st-team 2017, 2018)
• NFCA (National Fastpitch Coaches Association) Scholar Athlete (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018)
• Conference Spring Sports All-Academic Team (2016, 2017, 2018)
• Graduated Luther College with Magna Cum Laude Honors
• Luther College Dean's List (Fall and Spring Semesters, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018) 
• Inducted into Luther College's Athletics and Academics Honor Society (Chi Alpha Sigma, 2018)
• Inducted into Luther College's History Honor Society (Phi Alpha Theta Chapter, 2018) 
• Inducted into Luther College's Political Honor Society (Phi Sigma Alpha Chapter, 2017)

Community / Campus Service and Leadership Activities

• Decorah Parks and Recreation, (Coach, Instructor, Program Coordinator) - Program Organizer/Administrator- worked with kids from a wide range of ages, 7 to 16 years old. 
• Decorah Parks and Recreation, Lego-Blocks Club - Program Operator- assisted in an after-school program that was designed for
  students to engage in building designs, creating, and critical thinking via making Legobased projects. 
• Luther PALS - Big Sister Volunteer- mentoring program for kids who chose to take part, throughout the Decorah community. 
• Luther LASO (Luther College Athletes Serving Others) - team trips to the local nursing home where we were able to talk, meet, play-games, and aid residents of the home. Team trips to Decorah's animal shelter and help volunteer, where we walked the animals, cleaned the cages and aided the staff in whatever way they needed.

What They Said About Anna Strien:
Renae Hartl, Softball Head Coach/Athletic Director, Luther College
"She plays at the highest intensity and hype level of any player I have ever coached. Her teammates called her "Jeter" (stemming from how she plays shortstop) and she has been our leader in every way the past four seasons (our captain her junior and senior seasons). No matter what I say, it doesn't give you a real opportunity to meet her, spend time with her, and have your life affected by her. I am so grateful that I got that special opportunity for four years."

Carly Hayden Foster, Associate Professor and Political Science Department Head, Luther College
"Anna is an exceptionally hard worker, a bright and diligent student, a responsible campus community member, and a delightful human being. I have never had a student who better exemplifies what I think of as a model scholar athlete."

Rob Larson, Associate Professor of Management/Faculty Athletic Representative, Luther College
"During her time at Luther Anna created a record of strong academic achievement, was a remarkable athlete, and was a leader of her peers both in the arena of sport and the classroom."

Strien, and this year’s male honoree – former Loras College cross country and track & field student-athlete Timothy Sevcik – will be honored Monday, June 10, 2019 at the conference’s annual awards banquet. This year, that event takes place at Coe College.
 
Also nominated for the 2017-18 Johanna Olson A-R-C Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year were former Central College softball student-athlete Tabitha Taylor, former Loras College volleyball player Haley Bergan and former Wartburg College cross country and track & field student-athlete Ashlyn Bagge. For more information on these nominees, click here for the January 16, 2019 nominees / finalists release.
 
About the Scholar-Athlete of the Year Awards
The American Rivers Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards were first presented in December 2001 for the 2000-01 academic year. To be eligible for nomination, a student-athlete shall have graduated or exhausted their athletic eligibility during the academic year for which the award is given. The nominee must have demonstrated a high level of accomplishment and achievement in a varsity sport, have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale), and show evidence of scholarly achievements, community service involvement and leadership. Both awards were named for former Wartburg and Conference sports information director Duane Schroeder in May 2002. The women’s award was renamed in December 2013 for former Luther College student-athlete Johanna Olson – the inaugural winner of the women’s award – who lost a courageous battle with cancer in January 2013.
 
Previous recipients of the Female Scholar Athlete of the Year include Johanna Olson (2000-01, Luther College track and cross country), Brianne Schoonover (2001-02, Wartburg College basketball and track), Jessica Jensen (2002-03, Buena Vista University basketball and track), Raegan (Schultz) Wagner (2003-04, Central College volleyball and track), Amy Ernst (2004-05, Coe College softball), Katie Pederson (2005-06, Central College volleyball and track),  Abby Erion (2006-07, Loras College track & field), Kristy (Upah) Staker (2007-08, Coe College volleyball and softball), Kelsey Steffens (2008-09, Wartburg College volleyball and track & field), Hannah Baker (2009-10, Wartburg College track & field), Jill (Ziskovsky) Halcomb (2010-11, Central College track & field), Kelsey (Kittleson) Millonig (2011-12, Luther College softball), Shari Huber (2012-13, Luther College softball), Ramey Sieck (2013-14, Wartburg College volleyball, Bailey Wilson (2014-15, Wartburg College volleyball), Kaitlin Phillips (2015-16, Loras College basketball), Clare Slagel (2015-16, Luther College swimming), Lori Obendorf (2016-17, Loras College basketball).
 
About Johanna Olson
The American Rivers Conference Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year award is named in honor of the late Johanna Olson, a former cross country and track & field student-athlete at Luther College who was the inaugural recipient of the award. Olson battled brain cancer for over 15 years before her fight ended on January 3, 2013 at age 33. She was originally diagnosed with a brain tumor as a college freshman in 1997 but went on to win the 2000 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championship three years to the day after her initial brain surgery. In addition to the national title in cross country, she won three Conference Individual Championships and three Conference Most Valuable Runner awards (1999, 2000, 2001). In track and field, she was the 2001 Conference Most Valuable Performer, earning All-America honors in the 3,000 and 5,000 meter runs. Olson was also a member of the 2001 distance medley relay team that captured the indoor national title. She was named the United States Track Coaches Association (USTCA) regional and national Athlete of the Year in both cross country and track and field in 2000-01. In 1999, Olson was presented the Honda Awards Inspirational Athlete of the Year after returning from radiation treatments to compete at the national level.

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