It has been a season full of records, awards and many honors for Iowa State U. distance runner Lisa Koll. Perhaps one of the greatest honors came Thursday in the form of the Honda Sports Award as the nation’s best female track and field athlete.

While the honor may not have come as a surprise for many, it did come as a pleasant surprise for the very humble Fort Dodge native.

“[I was] very surprised,” Koll said. “There are so many talented women in NCAA Track and Field right now and to be recognized as the top female in the sport currently is beyond my mind. I mean those are the type of people I’ve looked up to ever since I got into college. So to be in their shoes is really incredible.”

Coach Corey Ihmels believed the honor was the ultimate way of showing how much hard work and dedication Koll put into her time at Iowa State.

“Obviously it’s a very prestigious award, and we’re excited about her being able to achieve that,” Ihmels said. “I just think it speaks volumes about someone who came from pretty humble beginnings and worked really hard toward a goal and has achieved that goal now. [The award] is kind of the fruits of her labor.”

But for Koll, the highest honor is not just the fact the award recognizes her individual statistics, but that it represents the strides ISU track and field has made over the years.

“I think [the award] means a lot for Iowa State,” Koll said. “I think it means a lot for people who are looking for a place where they can go and become successful. I come from a place where I wasn’t highly recruited out of high school and I wasn’t that talented in high school. Then I came to college and worked hard. I just stayed dedicated and followed the plan and it shows that Iowa State is a place you can go and see continued success.”

Koll will be one of eight Cyclones competing in next week’s NCAA Championship events.

She will be competing in the 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter distance runs.

Though the Iowa State U. athletic department has gone through coaching changes and various player movements, the biggest story is the speculation Iowa State may need to find a new athletic conference.

In a letter written by President Gregory Geoffroy and Athletic Director Jamie Pollard, the rumors were addressed with both Geoffroy and Pollard taking the stance of Iowa State staying in the Big 12.

“We believe the Big 12 Conference is the perfect fit for Iowa State,” Geoffroy and Pollard said in a letter. “We are committed to our membership in the Big 12, and we are optimistic that the conference will remain intact. However, we also recognize that the long-term viability of the Big 12 Conference is not in our control, it is in the hands of just a few of our fellow member institutions.”

Talks of the Pac-10 expanding have gained some momentum with the most recent rumor having Colorado, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Texas and Texas Tech going to the Pac-10, expanding the conference to 16 teams.

This would leave Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas and Kansas State without a conference.

“Iowa State and several other members of the Big 12 Conference are especially vulnerable under some of the realignment scenarios currently circulating, particularly one involving expansion of the Pac-10,” Geoffroy and Pollard said. “We are doing everything in our power to represent the best interests of Iowa State in these discussions, but we also are sensitive to the huge uncertainty that has been created and recognize that the situation could evolve in directions that are not aligned with our interests.”

While the letter did address the rumors actually being out there, it did not offer any more clarity to the situation.

The Associated Press reported both Tom Osbourne, athletic director for Nebraska, and Mike Alden, athletic director for Missouri, spoke to the media Wednesday but did not fully address the potential of making the switch to the Big Ten.

“We like the Big 12. We’re not looking to leave. We’re not mad at anybody. We’re not upset about anything,” Osborne said after Wednesday’s Big 12 meetings.

Alden’s statement echoed Osbourne’s and all of the other Big 12 university officials.

Both Nebraska and Missouri are the two schools that have been most directly linked to the Big Ten’s expansion talks.

There have also been some talk of Texas and Texas A&M heading to the Southeastern Conference. But it seems those talks have been overshadowed by the possible Pac-10 expansion.

For now, it remains unclear when the future of the Big 12 will be officially announced. People have said it could be as soon as a few days or as long as a few months.

Until then, the Big 12 is still a conference and Iowa State is still a part of it. But in what has already been an eventful summer for Cyclone athletics could get a lot crazier in the coming months.

In less than a week, the dream of a World Cup on African soil will finally become a reality — a dream that was initiated when FIFA chose South Africa over Morocco and Egypt to host the 2010 World Cup. Since then, the nation has seen beautiful soccer stadiums rise up all over the landscape, as well as other infrastructure to help sustain the deluge of people expected to visit during the month-long tournament.

The World Cup has the ability to bring a country like South Africa, which has seen much strife and conflict in its history, together as one.

With the start of the biggest tournament in the world fast approaching, here are some things viewers should pay attention to.

Teams to Watch

BRAZIL Even people who know nothing about soccer know that Brazil, having won five World Cups, is one of the best teams in the world. In Brazil, there is a tradition that almost all players are known by nicknames or first names. For example, Edson Arantes do Nascimento was better known as Pele.

The Brazilian squad, known as the Selecao in Brazil, is led by stars Kaka, Luis Fabiano, and Robinho. Brazil plays a style of soccer that can only be described in Portuguese: joga bonito, or “beautiful play.” The players dribble up and down the field, make tight passes or score brilliant goals at any point of the game. While they struggled qualifying, they will certainly be no pushover once in the World Cup. Expect Brazil to make it to at least the semifinals.

HOLLAND Despite being a nation of just more than 16 million people, Holland has managed to export to the world some of the best soccer players. While they have never won a World Cup, they have been runners-up twice (1974 and 1978).

The Dutch play a soccer style known as Total Football, where the players are constantly moving, never in one place, and the team with possession moves the ball around, trying to find a way to get a chance on goal. What began with the former player Johan Cruyff,a member of the 1974 and 1978 runner-up teams, has been continued by current stars Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben and Robin Van Persie. Look for Holland to play their way into the quarterfinals.

GHANA The Ghana national soccer team combines speed and power unlike any other nation. The Black Stars, as they are more commonly called, impressed in their first World Cup appearance in 2006, advancing to the second round.

While Ghana will not have the services of midfielder Michael Essien, they can still rely on midfielders Sulley Muntari and Andre Ayew, whose speedy runs past defenders have made scouts all over the world drool, and forward Asamoah Gyan, who combines the strength and speed Ghana exhibits day in and day out to score goals against any opponent. Expect Ghana to get into the second round again and possibly the quarterfinals.

Games to Keep an Eye On

With all 64 matches of the 2010 World Cup being televised, here are the games you need to watch.

SOUTH AFRICA VS. MEXICO (9:30 a.m. Friday) This is the first game of the 2010 World Cup, the first World Cup hosted on African soil. South Africa will be pulling out all the stops to make this game an incredible experience, and the Bafana Bafana (nickname for the national team) will be pumped up like never before.

USA VS. ENGLAND
(2 p.m. Saturday) The Revolutionary War: Round Two is being billed as one of the biggest games. Sixty years ago, the United States beat England in the World Cup, which was and still is considered one of the biggest upsets of all time. Since then, England has dominated the United States. But the U.S. players, who beat Spain last summer and pushed Brazil to the end in the 2009 Confederations Cup Final, are riding high on confidence, and believe they can beat the British. However, the British know they are the better team, and with one of the best coaches in the world, they have one of the best chances to win the World Cup.

ARGENTINA VS. GREECE (2 p.m. June 22) Lionel Messi and Argentina take on the former Euro Cup-winning Greece in their final game of group play. Messi has set the field and the Internet alight with his magical skills, but Greece plays an excellent counterattacking style of soccer and might surprise Argentina if they aren’t careful on defense.

GERMANY VS. GHANA
(2 p.m. June 23) These two nations will meet in their final games of the group stage, and this game could determine the group’s winner. Also interesting to note: The German squad includes Jerome Boateng, a defender, and the Ghanian squad includes Kevin-Prince Boateng, Jerome Boateng’s brother. Who doesn’t want to see sibling
rivalry on an international stage?

BRAZIL VS. PORTUGAL (9:30 a.m. June 25) Rarely do we get to see the Portuguese-speaking squads face off against each other, but this World Cup gives us that chance. Brazil and Portugal both play similar styles, and both have had an incredible amount of success in recent World Cups.

Watch out for Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Brazil’s Kaka dazzle the crowd with brilliant dribbling and exquisite passing and scoring.

WORLD CUP FINAL MATCH (1:30 p.m. July 11) The most anticipated and most watched game in the world is the World Cup Final, and with the talented nations in this edition of the World Cup, it is very likely that it will be a great matchup. For anyone, whether they like soccer or not, this should be an incredible match, from the kickoff to the final whistle.

Sounds to Listen For

Every World Cup host nation carries its own sporting event traditions. In South Africa, a common sound is the blaring from the Vuvuzelas, or the stadium horns. The noise from them is quite noticeable, and it will certainly add to the arena atmosphere. If you are a true fan, you can buy one online and use it while watching games at home (or if you are really daring, at a friend’s house or a local pub).

How are we, as Americans, supposed to feel?

One of the main reasons the World Cup is so great is the passion. The fans and players put all their energy into 90 minutes, cheering, yelling and pouring their hearts out for their nation.

The passion is hard to describe to someone who has never seen or been to an international  match, but one great example was the USA vs. Canada hockey games during the Olympics. Fans lived and died on each goal, and it is that kind of mentality that makes World Cups a cauldron of passion and excitement.

For all readers, if you decide to root for another team beside the United States, find out when all their games are, watch them, make sure to learn about the players on your team’s squad and cheer your team to victory.

Less than a month after signing junior college transfer Guy Marc-Michel, the IU men’s basketball team made another addition in an effort to deepen its frontcourt.

Jeff Howard, a 6-foot-8 forward from Westfield, Ind., announced he will join the Hoosiers as a walk-on freshman this fall.

“Before I really ever thought about playing basketball in college, I knew I wanted to go to IU,” Howard said. “The fact that I wanted to go to school there before, and now that can play basketball too — it was just a really good opportunity that I didn’t want to pass up.”

Howard averaged a double-double during his senior season at Westfield High School, scoring 16.8 points per game and pulling down 12.9 rebounds per game.
Howard said he believes he can use his style of play and work ethic to be a positive addition to IU’s roster.

“I can score the ball, but I’m also a really unselfish player,” he said. “Even if I play in the post, I think I have some good passing abilities, which I definitely exhibited this past year to find my teammates for a lot of good, open looks.

“And basically just my hard work — I … work hard in practice every day to make myself better, as well as the rest of the team.”

The Hoosiers have been looking for more bodies up front to grab more rebounds and establish themselves inside.

IU coach Tom Crean mentioned that adding more big men would be a priority in the coming seasons and that he has searched the junior college ranks extensively.

The additions of Marc-Michel and Howard add more depth to the frontcourt positions.
Howard also said he had seen Cook Hall, IU’s new basketball practice facility and was impressed.

“It’s definitely an extremely nice place,” he said. “I’ve played in there with the guys some. I’ve seen most of it. It’s really nice, and it definitely shows that everyone’s serious.”

The City of Bloomington, Ind. has officially condemned the Arizona immigration law.

Bloomington City Council members have decided to boycott the state of Arizona by writing a letter stating that Bloomington rescinds Arizona State Bill 1070.

The Arizona immigration law makes it a state crime to be in the U.S. illegally. The law requires legal immigrants to carry paperwork proving their status and requires Arizona police to question anyone they have reason to suspect maybe undocumented.

With this letter Bloomington joins a growing number of communities calling for a boycott including Boston, Oakland, St. Paul, Boulder, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Bloomington is condemning this law by refusing to send governmental employees to conferences in Arizona, by not signing contracts with any company headquartered in Arizona and by looking into opportunities to discontinue contracts with any companies headquartered in Arizona, according to a press release.

During Wednesday’s City Council member meeting, council member Chris Sturbaum said that the law is discriminatory.

“This Arizona action does not live up to the ideals of the United States of America,” Sturbaum said in a press release. “What does an American look like after all? We are the most diverse country in the world and that is our strength.  Needing to carry identification papers essentially because of skin color is demeaning and not the way Americans should ever be treated.””

For my first trip outside Spain this summer, I chose a place I’ve wanted to see since I first mispronounced Hippocrates: Athens. I booked my ticket to the home of western democracy in March, taking for granted that everything would be perfect.

Then came the Greek austerity measures, used to help the country secure aid from other members of the European Union and prevent the growth of a debt crisis in Greece. Their introduction here by Prime Minister George Papandreou ended up in burned banks and lost lives, most particularly on May 5, when rioters set fire to Marfin Egnatia Bank, resulting in three deaths.

With this and similar news, a few parents and study-abroad organizers were unsure about students traveling there. But plans weren’t cancelled, and my trip for June 3 and 4 with three friends went ahead. We flew into a strike.

A public transport and newspaper strike, to be exact. The first group protested Papandreou’s austerity measures, while the second decried the cuts to social security programs and salary reductions. The word “strike” (both in English and in Greek) ran down the computer screen bus schedules, and we relied on help from an English-speaking Greek named Vasilis to get a taxi to our hostel.

But despite the lack of buses and trams the first day, Athens seemed not to be the city I had grown to expect from photos of protesters and plumes of smoke. By every obvious measure, the city was working. Transit was back up the next day, the Acropolis was still open and free for students from European Union schools, and the generous blocks of feta cheese with dinner were well-priced. There was even an ethnic dance show at the university downtown. I saw no students protesting, although another friend who was in Athens the day after I was ran into a peaceful one outside a Metro stop.

The small details showed that Greece was still suffering, even after loans from the International Monetary Fund and the European Union.

I never saw one used, but I saw a police officer pass a riot shield to another officer outside the door of a building across from the university.

Beggars roamed the streets, as they do in any large city. The Athens variety, though, were not trying to sell the lighters and gimmick sunglasses I know from Madrid, but travel packets of tissues.

While eating in an open-air restaurant by the Acropolis, a few girls approached us and asked for money after playing some notes on their toy accordions. They couldn’t have been more than 8 years old. The waiters shooed them away from the tables.

It’s easy to view the country’s troubles and play armchair economics when you’re watching the news at home. And from a normal tourist perspective, the city doesn’t seem in such dire economic straits, and its rich history shines through.

But once you hear a too-young Greek accent asking for spare change, things aren’t so clear and easy.

Milwaukee urban farmer Will Allen has a few million volunteers working on his farm.  If you count the worms, that is.

Allen, one of TIME Magazine’s “100 most influential people in the world,” spoke to a large crowd gathered Thursday at Indiana U.

He was the keynote speaker of the “Food in Bloom” conference organized by Agriculture, Food and Human Values Society, the Association for the Study of Food and Society and the Society for the Anthropology of Food and Nutrition.

Daniel Block, president of the Agriculture, Food and Human Values Society, introduced Allen, discussing the pair’s 10-year relationship.

“I’ve always been amazed by Will’s warmth and generosity to people of all walks of life,” he said.

Allen, a former professional basketball player, injured his knee just hours before the talk and gave the two-hour lecture from a large, floral-patterned armchair. He began by discussing his upbringing as a son of two sharecroppers-turned-vegetable farmers.

He also informed the crowd that he once visited IU many years ago when he was still deciding what college to attend in the late 1960s.

“Being from a small town, this campus actually scared me,” he said. “I haven’t been here since I was 18 years old, so it’s good to be back.”

Allen then presented a 600-slide demonstration, providing commentary on the history, purpose and inner workings of his innovative urban farming project, Growing Power, Inc.

He also illustrated what he called the “agriculture of now and the agriculture of tomorrow” and informed the audience of cutting-edge farming techniques.

He said that in the early days of his mission, convincing people in urban areas — particularly minorities — to farm and start community gardens was a challenge due to stigmas created by history.

“Ten years ago, African Americans would come up to me and say, ‘Why are you doing this?’” he said. “‘This is slavery.’”

Allen said changing these perceptions has been just one of the many challenges of what he calls “the good food revolution,” a wide-ranging attempt at providing healthy, locally grown food to communities across the country. He referred to the movement as an example of social justice through food.

Growing Power grows crops, creates energy, collects storm water, raises fish, keeps bees and provides national and international outreach and education. It also engages in several large-scale community projects all around the country.

At the main facility alone, Allen said, he and his staff take in more than 20,000 pounds of unopened food waste at a given time, as well as waste from Milwaukee’s brewing companies. This is turned into compost and, eventually, high-nutrient soil — a process made possible through millions of worms.

“People always ask me how many I have on staff,” Allen said. “And I tell them, ‘Well, we have 42 humans, but we have a few million non-humans.’ The one thing I like about this part of our staff is that they don’t talk back.”

Allen concluded his presentation with a reminder.

“You have to remember it’s all about the soil,” he said. “And it’s about engaging the community in a multicultural and multigenerational way.”

Allen received a standing ovation.

Alicia Woodbury, an Arizona State U. graduate student who was attending the conference, said she admires Allen and enjoyed hearing him speak.

“He does a fantastic job of merging all these aspects in a very real way that can be replicated not just domestically, but also internationally,” she said.

“We, as academics, talk about food systems theoretically, but Will Allen and Growing Power are actually implementing real change.”

The University Fee Committee decided unanimously Friday to recommend the U. Florida Board of Trustees raise overall undergraduate tuition costs by $5.79 a credit hour, starting August.

The decision comes almost a week after Gov. Charlie Crist signed legislation allowing Florida universities a one-time opportunity to raise student fees more than usual.

On Tuesday, the committee accepted three new fees totaling in $2.80, on top of the usual $1.15, or five percent, fee hike allowed to state universities each year.

The allocation of a potential $1.84 fee was put off until Friday. This fourth new fee was initially proposed to be used to fund 40 percent of the graduate student health care program, GatorGradCare.

Student Body President Ashton Charles said it made her uneasy to have undergraduates pay for health coverage they would not receive.

“It’s a bad precedent to set,” she said. “[The money] could be tailored to services all the students could use.”

Though the committee acknowledged GatorGradCare is important for attracting good graduate students to UF, members agreed it is not fair to burden undergraduates with fees they would not directly benefit from.

The committee decided the additional $1.84 fee should be adopted and split up to be used for all students’ interests.

It will recommend that $1.20 go towards student activities and services, and the remaining 68 cents be spent on the university’s health department.

Organizations and groups on campus who want funding will have the chance to make their arguments to student government in the coming months.

Committee members said that raising fees by $5.79 a credit hour is necessary for UF to remain a credible academic institution. Currently, UF’s tuition rates are below average for the state. To ignore this one-time chance to raise student fees would put UF at a disadvantage to other schools in the state, committee members said.

T.J. Villamil, UF undergraduate student and committee chairman, said the money is badly needed all around campus.

“Every year when this fee committee meets they’re … nickel and diming, they’re strained,” he said. “It’s a shame as the flagship university of this state to be so behind. It was a landmark [decision] because it was a one-time thing.”

After his team’s 16-3 loss to UCLA on day one of the Women’s College World Series, Florida coach Tim Walton said rebounding to win a national championship would be “next to impossible.”

Evidently, he knew what he was talking about – but at least his team went down swinging.

Just a few hours after valiantly staving off elimination with a 5-0 victory over No. 9 Missouri (51-12), No. 4 Florida’s (50-10) season officially came to a close Saturday with the team’s 3-2 loss to No. 6 Georgia (50-12).

With the Bulldogs holding onto a 3-2 lead in the top of the sixth, the Gators put runners on second and third with just one out, only to follow with five consecutive swinging strikeouts to end the game and the season.

“The pitcher that came in was throwing a really good game and we just didn’t make the adjustments that we should’ve made,” senior Corrie Brooks said. “I don’t think we really communicated well with each other, like the first person striking out going to the next person.”

These late-inning shortcomings overshadowed the heroic efforts of junior Stephanie Brombacher and freshman Brittany Schutte, who fought their hardest to keep UF’s season alive.

Brombacher had a stellar bounceback performance, allowing just two runs on the day despite having to throw 13 innings and 182 pitches in the sweltering Oklahoma City heat.

“I thought Stephanie really showed a lot of heart today,” Walton said. “She went out there and gutted it out through 13 innings and did a great job.”

On offense, Schutte stepped up and carried the load for Florida.

The freshman went 4 for 6 with three home runs and four RBIs between the two games, extending the freshman records to 19 and 59 respectively.

“That wasn’t a freshman running around the bases out there – just a really good player,” Walton said. “She’s a hard worker and has really developed into a ferocious hitter.”

The Gators also got another big day from junior Kelsey Bruder, who contributed a solo homer in Saturday’s opener and hit .565 with five home runs and 11 RBIs over the course of the NCAA Tournament.

The primary keys to UF’s early win over Missouri were timely pitching and defense, as the Tigers left eight runners on base for the game.

With two on and one out in the first, Missouri’s Ashley Fleming hit a fly ball to right, where Bruder was able to make the catch and throw a tagging runner out at third.

The game was still scoreless in the third, when Missouri loaded the bases only to see Brombacher strike out Fleming to end the threat.

The Tigers’ final challenge came in the fifth when trailing 2-0. They once again put runners on first and second before Nicole Hudson popped out to Brombacher and Fleming grounded out to third to complete the frame.

“The high fly ball that Stephanie caught was probably the biggest play of the game,” Walton said. “That could’ve been a disaster because we don’t work with our pitchers on catching fly balls at all … but she caught it like she’s been doing it her whole life.”

Unfortunately for the Gators, they could not carry that momentum into the nightcap, as Georgia’s Alisa Goler gave her team a 2-0 lead just three batters into the bottom of the first with a home run to right.

Florida battled back as Schutte homered in the fourth and pinch-runner Lauren Heil scored on a wild pitch in the fifth, but Georgia answered in the bottom of the frame with an RBI single from Brianna Hesson that gave them the 3-2 lead that would later become the final.

As is often true with the sport of baseball, the game stayed true to the stats.

The Gators’ offense entered Saturday’s contest with a noticeable edge in the power department over the Beavers and it showed. No. 4 Florida’s (44-15) lineup came in with a combined 64 round-trippers this season, compared to Oregon State’s measly 22 – just five more than UF’s home-run leader Austin Maddox.

The advantage was evident as UF pounded three homers and seven extra-base hits in a 10-2 thumping of Oregon State (32-23) on Saturday after a one hour, 17-minute rain delay to seize control of the NCAA Gainesville Regional.

Freshman shortstop Nolan Fontana, who is not known as a power hitter, displayed UF’s strength right away with a lead-off home run to start the game. It was just his third of the season.

“That momentum just carried with us throughout the whole game,” second baseman Josh Adams said.

The Gators kept that 1-0 lead until the third when they exploded for seven runs.

But the inning looked like it was about to go to waste after UF loaded the bases with no outs and sophomore Preston Tucker lined into a double play.

However, just one at-bat later, Maddox salvaged the frame with a two-run single. It was the first of a string of five two-out hits off of Beavers pitcher Sam Gaviglio to push the Gators’ lead to 8-0.

“(Maddox’s hit) was huge,” coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “It just got things going for us.”

Gaviglio, a ground-ball pitcher who pitched 7.2 scoreless innings and struck out a career-high 13 batters in his last outing, did not have the same sink on his stuff Saturday. He gave up eight runs, seven of them with two outs, in just 2.2 innings of work.

A two-run homer from Adams, who also hit a double in the fifth, capped off the seven-run frame.

“Not many teams can hit like that,” Adams said. “For us to be able to put it together – it’s something we haven’t seen very often this season. So it was fun to be able to enjoy it.”

That was all UF sophomore pitcher Alex Panteliodis would need.

He pounded the inside corner of the plate to strike out eight and limit Oregon State to only two runs in five innings. It was an encouraging outing considering the right-hander has posted a 5.09 ERA in the seven starts prior to Saturday’s contest.

“The fastball inside happened to work a lot tonight,” Panteliodis said. “(Oregon State) just wasn’t expecting it. They were looking away on two strikes.”

From there the bullpen took over to throw four scoreless frames.

Reliever Greg Larson turned in two of them as he used his sinker to induce two groundouts in that span and punch out three.

He has been an effective option out of the UF bullpen lately, as he has allowed just two runs in his last 12.2 innings pitched after carrying an 8.34 ERA into a May 7 game against Alabama. That number is now down to 5.86.

The victory puts the Gators into the driver’s seat of their regional. They will now meet the winner of Sunday’s 1 p.m. elimination game between FAU and Oregon State at 7 p.m on Sunday. If UF is able to win that game, it will clinch a berth in next weekend’s super regional.