6/27/08

EUGENE, Ore. - If Lisa Koll had been told three years ago during her final year at Fort Dodge Senior High that she'd be competing for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team in 2008, she would have laughed it off.

No one's laughing anymore - especially not Koll.

The ex-Dodger, a 2008 Big 12 and national 10,000-meter champion, is vying for a spot on the national team and a berth in the Olympics here tonight, beginning at 9:20 p.m. local time (11:20 p.m. Central).

''I've really learned from this journey; I've had the past three years to never settle," Koll said. "If you want something, believe in yourself and work hard. Good things can happen.

"The sky is the limit."