MOUNT VERNON, IA . . . The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) announced today that Luther College senior Johanna Olson (Wadena, MN/Wadena-Deer Creek HS) has been selected the IIAC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the 2000-01academic year.
“This is the highest honor that we can bestow on a student-athlete in the Iowa Conference. I congratulate Johanna for her achievements in the classroom as well as in the athletic arena, but most importantly, for being a tremendously committed and caring person that the Iowa Conference feels very privileged to be associated with,” IIAC Commissioner John Cochrane said.
Olson has a 3.71 grade point average as a Health major with a double minor in Physical Education and Biology. She has attained Dean’s List honors each semester at Luther and was selected Health Major of the Year in 2000-01.
“We are all very proud of Johanna’s tremendous achievements not only as a distance runner at Luther College but also as a student in the classroom,” Luther Cross Country/Track and Field Coach Betsy Emerson said. “As Johanna’s academic advisor, I can attest to her focus and commitment to excellence in academics which is so consistent with her focus and commitment to excellence on the course or track. Johanna Olson is a great ambassador for Luther College.”
When not spending time on her studies or athletic pursuits, Olson finds time to serve on Luther’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, volunteer for Habitat for Humanity and is part of the community clean-up of Decorah roads. She serves as a peer tutor, a Cardiac rehab volunteer at the Winneshiek County Hospital and frequently speaks at the Decorah Health Center and for the D.A.R.E. Program at the Decorah Area School District and St. Ben’s Catholic School.
“This is a wonderful honor for Johanna and we are proud of her accomplishments as a student-athlete,” Luther Athletic Director Joe Thompson said. “She has been tireless in her pursuit of excellence while displaying positive sportsmanship and fair play. Johanna is a gifted student, an elite athlete, and she represents all that is good with collegiate athletics.”
Olson is a seven-time All-American and three-time Academic All-American in both cross country and track and field, as well as a four-time Academic All-Conference selection. In cross country, she won the 2000 National Championship, three Conference Individual Championships and three IIAC Most Valuable Runner awards (1999, 2000, 2001). In track and field, she was the 2001 IIAC Most Valuable Performer, earning All-American honors in the 3,000 and 5,000 meter runs. She was a member of the 2001 distance medley relay team that captured the indoor National Championship
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 Motor Awards Inspirational Athlete of the Year after returning from radiation treatments to compete at the national level.
To be eligible for nomination for the IIAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, a student-athlete 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 (either on campus or in the community).
Each Iowa Conference institution can nominate one male and one female student-athlete. From the nominees submitted by the institutions, the Scholar-Athlete Recommendation Committee, comprised of three Faculty Representatives and three Sports Information Directors, select a maximum of three male and three female finalists. The Male and Female Scholar-Athletes of the Year are selected from among the finalists by a vote of the IIAC Faculty Representatives.
Other student-athletes nominated for the IIAC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year were: Buena Vista University golfer Debbie Zorn (Lincoln, NE/East HS), Central College volleyball player Angie Nielsen (Ankeny, IA/Ankeny HS), Coe College volleyball and basketball player Laci Palar (Winfield, IA/Winfield-Mount Union HS) and Cornell College basketball player Lenora Sundstrom (Newcastle, WY/Newcastle HS).
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