June 12, 2008

Cowley track athlete up for College Female Athlete of the Year award

Being named the Female Field Event Athlete of the Meet for the second consecutive year at the NJCAA National Outdoor Championships in Levelland, Texas, Cowley College sophomore Kelsey Poljansek will be among the three finalists for the College Female Athlete of the Year award at the 11th annual Greater Wichita Sports Banquet held at the Hawker Beechcraft Activity Center in Wichita on June 27.

The voice of the Kansas City Chiefs, Mitch Holthus, will serve as the keynote speaker. Johnny Bench will be on hand once again to present the Coleman Company-Johnny Bench Award to the nation's top collegiate catcher. Awards will also be given to the top male and female athletes from area high schools and colleges along with several other awards.

This past outdoor track and field season, Poljansek was the national champion in the shot put for the second straight year and also finished as the national runner-up in the discus and hammer throw. She missed being the national champion in the discus by two centimeters, and won the shot put on her final throw.

Poljansek was also the national champion in the shot put during the indoor season and leaves Cowley with all but one throws record for the school.

In April, Poljansek was named Cowley College’s Female Student Athlete of the Year. Her head coach, Mark Phillips, considers himself lucky to have been able to work with such a wonderful person.

“This is one more accolade that has been bestowed upon her and I can’t think of a more deserving person,” Phillips said. “I don’t know if we will ever see another women’s athlete that will dominate like she has.”

Poljansek is the daughter of Dan and Suzie Poljansek from Milton, Kan. She is an education major and has signed to continue her education and track career at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.  

“She’s a Kansas kid that has done great things for our program,” Phillips said. “She’s a wonderful young lady and it has been an honor to work with her.”

Other finalists for the College Female Athlete of the Year award are: Butler Community College pitcher Lauren Supak, who went 26-3 with a 1.95 earned run average, and Wichita State University volleyball player Sara Lungren, who was recently named the female recipient of the Missouri Valley Conference's Dr. Charlotte West Scholar-Athlete Award.