Lisa Koll Uhl is Now a Famous Athlete

When a fifth-grade class was asked to write a report about a "famous athlete," Maggie Pollard didn't hesitate.

Her subject, of course, would be Lisa Koll.

The former Iowa State track and cross country star, now known by her married name of Lisa Uhl, had plenty of report-worthy credentials. She became a multi-time NCAA champion, academic all-American and — possibly the kicker — had eaten breakfast at the house of Maggie, the daughter of Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard.

Track and field often lacks the "famous" part, however.

"I'm sure some of them in the class were like, 'Lisa who?'" Jamie Pollard said.

The elder Pollard flew to Oregon to watch Uhl make the U.S. Olympic team in the 10,000 meters.

Uhl delivered on Friday night, charging back from a twice-untied shoe to make the London-bound American team at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field.

As a Cyclone, Uhl was there when the cross country team was invited to the Pollard residence for breakfast after a run. The person in charge of Iowa State athletics sounded a smidge star-struck when he considered the personal connection to one of the elite distance runners in the U.S.

"You sit back and think, 'She's eaten pancakes at our house,'" he said.

When the then-Koll attended Fort Dodge, she finished as a straight-A high school student. At Iowa State, she completed her undergraduate degree in three years with a staggering 3.98 grade-point average.

Every grade she received was an "A" — except one.

"We let that faculty member go," Pollard joked. "That professor wasn't tenured."

And now, somewhere in central Iowa, there's a school report about a future cardinal-and-gold Olympian.

"That lets you know the impact she's had on kids like mine," Pollard said. "My girls idolize her."

Uhl's uncooperative right shoe came untied twice — the last time with six of 24 laps remaining.

"I didn't have time to stop," she said. "I thought, 'I'm going to have to run the last six laps with one shoe.' I was freaking out."

Other Iowa connections: Iowa's Justin Austin finished fourth in his heat in the men's 100-meter preliminaries Saturday, but his 25th overall finish didn't get him to the semifinals. Austin finished in 10.43 seconds, .02 away from the cutoff at 21st place.

Tipton native Ashley Miller finished seventh in the women's 800 and did not advance to the final.

There were four former Drake Relays champs who competed in the men's high jump: Jim Dilling, Jamie Nieto, Erik Kynard Jr., and Jesse Williams. They all qualified for Monday's semifinals.