Today Saina was named the 2012-13 Iowa State Female Athlete of the Year for the second year in a row. She becomes the fifth Cyclone female student-athlete to earn the honor multiple times in her career.
Saina’s senior season started on the cross country course where she became the third individual national collegiate champion in Iowa State history. She fended off late challengers to finish the 6,000-meter course in 19:27 to outlast the field of 253 runners.
Saina then earned a pair of top-five finishes at the NCAA Indoor Championships, finishing second in the 5,000-meter and fourth in the 3,000 meter to earn All-America honors in Fayetteville, Ark.
Last weekend at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Saina’s impressive career came to an end with a first-place finish in the 10,000 meter and a second-place showing in the 5,000-meter run. Saina outkicked the competition to win her third title with a time of 33:08.85.
Saina recorded the world’s fastest 5,000 meters indoor, a 15:21.66 effort that won the ISU Classic. She also owns the third-fastest outdoor 10,000 meter time in the world at 31:37.22, which was run at Stanford’s Peyton Jordan Invitational.
Iowa State Female Athlete of the Year Winners
1980 Mary Seybold Track & Field
1981 Debbie Vetter Track & Field
1982 Annette Ackerson Swimming
1983 Tanya Roach Swimming
1984 Diane Doles Volleyball
1985 Tonya Burns Basketball
1986 Jane Lobenstein Basketball
1987 Nawal El Moutawakel Track & Field
1988 Linda Evans Volleyball
1989 Carmen Jaspers Basketball
1990 Jennie Condon Softball
1991 Jennifer Adams-Keitges Swimming
1992 Edith Nakiyingi Track & Field
1993 Karen Glerum Track & Field
1994 Melanie Young Basketball
1995 Kary Law Volleyball
1996 Beth Bader Golf
1997 Kim Mazza Gymnastics
1998 Stacy Frese Basketball
1999 Stacy Frese Basketball
2000 Stacy Frese Basketball
2001 Megan Taylor Basketball
2002 Angie Welle Basketball
Gina Curtis-Rickert Track & Field
2003 Gina Curtis-Rickert Track & Field
2004 Janet Anson Gymnastics
2005 Anne O’Neil Basketball
2006 Janet Anson Gymnastics
2007 Lyndsey Medders Basketball
2008 Lisa Koll Track/Cross Country
2009 Kaylee Manns Volleyball
2010 Lisa Koll Track/Cross Country
2011 Kelsey Bolte Basketball
2012 Betsy Saina Track/Cross Country
2013 Betsy Saina Track/Cross Country
