Kristin Anderson of the University of Central Missouri and Ryan Koch of St. Cloud State University have been named the top female and male Division II Scholar-Athletes of the Year for 2005-06 by the Division II Conference Commissioners Association.

The winners were selected from among fields of eight women’s and eight men’s regional honorees. Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex sponsors the awards.

Anderson is the third student-athlete from the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association to win the award. She competed in track and field and cross country, winning the 5,000-meter run at the 2006 NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships and taking the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 2005 outdoor championships. Anderson, an NCAA postgraduate scholarship winner who currently is pursuing her master’s degree, was named to the dean’s list each semester at Central Missouri, where she majored in marketing.

Koch, who competed in football and track and field, graduated with a degree in computer science. He tied the school’s single-season record for receptions (73) in 2005 and ranks in the top 10 for various other records. In track, he was a three-time Division II all-American in the decathlon, placing as high as second in 2006.

"We are all proud of the quality student-athletes that Division II institutions produce annually," said Jim Naumovich, commissioner of the Great Lakes Valley Conference and president of the Division II Conference Commissioners Association. "Disney’s Wide World of Sports has helped Division II in many ways, and we are grateful to Disney Sports Attractions for helping us recognize this outstanding talent."

The other women’s regional winners were Rebecca Brezovec, Wingate University; Lindsey Dietz, University of Minnesota Duluth; Amanda Newton, Drury University; Katrina Holmberg, California Polytechnic University, Pomona; Alyse Hasty, Delta State University; Jenny Mongeau, Assumption College; and Brenna Clark, Pfeiffer University.

The other men’s regional winners were Hector Rincon, Presbyterian College; Josh Lamberson, Northwest Missouri State University; Nick Frederickson, Quincy University; Tony Binetti, Seattle Pacific University; Cory Cangelosi, University of Central Arkansas; Bryan Duplissie, Franklin Pierce College; and Lloyd Price, California University of Pennsylvania.