Katie Theisen gets elite Goldwater scholarship

April 25, 2008

St. Thomas junior All-American distance runner Katie Theisen is one of five MIAC students to be honored with a coveted Goldwater Scholarship for 2008-2009.

Theisen, who has a 4.00 grade-point average in Biology, is among an elite group of 321 students nationally honored from a pool of more than 1,000 nominated by faculty members. Theisen is doing research on ecological effects on reproduction under the direction of Dr. Adam Kay and Dr. Maurine Neiman of the Biology Department in St. Thomas' College of Arts and Sciences. She plans to attend medical school and possibly teach some day. She said she hopes she can apply "evolutionary principles to basic science questions of medical relevance."

Theisen earned All-American honors last fall in cross country with a 20th-place national finish. Last March in indoor track and field, she anchored the Tommie distance-medley relay to second in the Division III championships. Friday, she anchored the same relay team to second place at the Drake Relays in Des Moines.

On her MIAC career in five indoor and outdoor meets thus far, Theisen has 20 top-five placings including five relay victories and two individual titles. She's helped the Tommies to seven of a possible eight MIAC team titles thus far in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track.

She's also been a three-time cross country All-MIAC honoree as she's taken 13th, third and second at the conference meet.

Click here for more on the award:

http://www.stthomas.edu/bulletin/news/200817/Friday/Goldwater4_25_08.cfm