Arts, academics and athletics. Lisa Kriener has excelled at almost everything she has taken part in — be it in the classroom or on the court. With many options available, she has set her sights on becoming a high school art teacher and basketball coach.

Kriener has been a part-time starter on the women’s basketball team since her freshman year and has been on the Big 12 commissioner’s honor roll since spring of her freshman year.

She is also an accomplished painter who frequently has her work on display in the Design Building.

In high school, Kriener was a four-year starter for her volleyball team, and was chosen all-state the last three.

She was just as good in basketball and left St. Ansgar as the career leader in scoring, scoring average, rebounds and blocked shots.

When the time came to decide on what to do in college, Kriener said it wasn’t too hard.

“My sister played in college — both volleyball and basketball — and so I was kind of thinking to pursue both of them, but we really weren’t all that great [in high school] so I really didn’t get recruited all that much for volleyball,” Kriener said.

Kriener said she loves volleyball and misses it when she attends games now. However, she said, she knew basketball was her best sport.

“I was really able to focus on one, and whenever I left college, I could know that I reached my peak, know that I did everything I could and that this was the best I could play,” she said.

Her basketball coach thinks this might be a year that Kriener could really live up to all the potential she has shown in her career.

“I think the big thing with Lisa Kriener is she’s a senior now — she’s always been athletic, always been competitive — it’s just striving for some consistency,” ISU head coach Bill Fennelly said.

“She’s had good games and not-so-good games. But she’s as athletic as any kid we have, and we’ve used her in a couple different positions.”

She has shown flashes of brilliance in her career, starting as early as her sophomore year.

She tallied 27 points in two games that year — in a home win against Oklahoma State and later in a road loss at Northern Iowa.

She continued her strong play last year and was named to the all-tournament squad in the Paradise Jam, held in the Virgin Islands.

Sometimes she just gets on cold streaks and can’t seem to clear her mind, Fennelly said.

“She’s harder on herself than anyone, she feels like she needs to please her teammates, her coaches, her family, everyone in St. Ansgar,” Fennelly said.

“Sometimes I think she gets to thinking about way too many things.”