AMES, Iowa--Iowa State sophomore Lisa Koll, one of the most improved sophomores in the nation, will compete in her first ever NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute, Ind. on Monday.

After a summer of hard training, Koll improved her finish at the regional meet from 33rd place in 2005 to seventh place this season. Her finish earned her a bid for the national championships.

“Lisa has to be the most improved runner, from her freshman year to her sophomore year, that there is in the country,” said women’s head coach Dick Lee. “I just don’t see anybody else that has had the time improvements in one year like she has and it’s all because of the hard work she’s done. She’s been very motivated, had a great summer of training and she’s very determined. That’s the key to this, combining that hard work and determination along with some talent and she has the combination of all three right now.”

Koll will compete against the top female runners in the nation on a 6,000-meter course at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course. This will be Koll’s first race on this course.

“I think she’s comfortable with where she’s at with her training and ability,” Lee said. “She’s run against some other real good people in the country in other meets this year, so I believe she feels confident going into nationals, but I also know it’s going to be a really challenging race and I think she’s prepared to meet those challenges.”

The cross country championships will begin on Monday at 11 a.m. CST with the women’s race. The men’s race will follow the completion of the women’s race with a start time of 12:15 p.m. CST.