Lisa Koll was already one of the most decorated and successful distance runners in the history of Iowa State women’s track and field.

In her performance last weekend at the Stanford Invitational, she set the American collegiate record in the 10,000-meter run with a time of 32 minutes, 11.13 seconds.

The Big 12 Champion and All-American in both track and cross country said the achievement is beyond anything she could have imagined.

“I can’t even put this into words,” Koll, a sophomore from Fort Dodge, said. “It’s kind of shocking – all my hard work has paid off. It’s like a dream come true. People say that all the time, but it really was. I was confident of what I was able to do, but it still came unexpected to me.”

What made it even more unexpected was that neither Koll nor coach Corey Ihmels knew what the record time even was.

“To be honest, I didn’t know what the collegiate record was until we got pretty far into the race and they announced she was on record pace,” Ihmels said.

Koll also had no idea what the record was until the last mile of the race.

“With about a mile to go, I heard the announcer say over the intercom that [the record was] 32:19 and that we are on pace for close to that or faster,” Koll said. “That gets your blood pumping, and things are going great, and at that point I was still feeling good and ready to go.”

The 10,000-meter run is the longest race in track and field, covering 25 laps around the track – just over six miles. Staying focused and relaxed is essential to competing in such a long event.

“It’s important to stay focused,” Koll said. “During this race, I was trying to hit my laps. The girl in front of me – I was just kind of using her and going along for the ride the whole first half. Then, the second half, I was feeling good and picking it up and breaking it down lap by lap and even mile by mile – and never letting your mind wander is very important.”

Koll’s performance at the Stanford Invitational also garnered her the honor of USA Track & Field Athlete of the Week, just another accomplishment in her short but historic career. Koll was a cross country All-American and was the first Cyclone earn All-American honors at the NCAA Championships for indoor track and field earlier this year.

Ihmels said Koll had been training well gearing up for the Stanford Invitational, one of the most competitive and well-respected distance carnivals in the nation.

“We knew she was ready to run fast – we have been pretty careful, and we have been gearing up for this particular race for quite some time,” Ihmels said. “We knew she was fit and ready to run fast. It was a matter of getting into the race, and everything was firing on all cylinders – and with ten laps to go, she decided to see what she could do, and it obviously turned out very well.”

Not only is this a huge moment for Koll, but it is also a giant leap for the ISU track and cross country programs.

“I mean, any time you have the collegiate record-holder on your team, it’s good for Iowa State. It’s good for recruiting, it’s good for everything in general and for everyone involved,” Ihmels said. “It couldn’t have happened to a nicer kid – she has worked really hard to get this, and obviously she is going to have an opportunity down the road to improve on things and get better.”

Ihmels went on to say that being a part of the moment made his career.

“I could go another 20 years of coaching and never have another collegiate record-holder. I’m just really happy for her.”