INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Allison Kosobud has been on the winner's podium many times in her athletic and academic career for scholarships, academic awards, All-American honors and All-MIAC accolades.
 
Sunday in Indianapolis, she was on stage celebrating all of that and more.
 
Kosobud was one of 30 women honored Sunday at the NCAA Woman of the Year banquet in Indianapolis, Ind. She was not one of the nine finalists for the award, but was one of 10 women from Division III chosen for the top 30 who were honored at the banquet with their Division I and II counterparts.
 
Kosobud – who graduated from the College of Saint Benedict in May after four years with the cross country and track and field teams – was joined in Indianapolis by head cross country and track and field coach Robin Balder-Lanoue, CSB athletic director Glen Werner and Saint Benedict president Mary Hinton.
 
"Allison's nomination for the NCAA Woman of the Year represents the very best of who we are at the College of Saint Benedict," Hinton said. "We prepare young women to excel in multiple domains: intellectually and academically as well as in their co-curricular, leadership and service pursuits. Likewise, the NCAA Woman of the Year distinction is about so much more than athletic talent, though that's a significant component. Allison demonstrates that our students truly do think critically, lead courageously and advocate passionately. The nomination affirms our work as an institution as well as the commitment and ability of our students."
Kosobud – an Integrative Health Science major at CSB – finished fifth in the 800 at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March, and took 12^th in the same event at the outdoor national championships in May. She earned All-MIAC and All-Region honors in both cross country and track, and finished her three-sport career with four MIAC titles, five trips to the national meet and nine All-MIAC honors.
Kosobud also served as a mentor via Big Brothers Big Sisters and volunteered at the Boy's and Girl's Club, all while maintaining a 3.90 GPA and being inducted into Phi Beta Kappa.
"The moment Alli decided to come to CSB, I knew she was going to make an impact," CSB track and field and cross country coach Robin Balder-Lanoue said. "But I had no idea how much of an impact she'd have on our programs and our college as a whole."
 
Lizzy Christ, a soccer player from Division III Washington University-St. Louis, was named the 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year at Sunday's banquet.