Villanova Univeristy Athletics

During her undergraduate career Koons helped Villanova to reach levels of success that the current team continues to maintain. She received nine All-America honors and was a nine-time BIG EAST champion for the Wildcats, while also earning All-BIG EAST accolades on 10 more occasions for finishing in the top three of an event at the conference championships. Koons was the 2008 recipient of the Villanova Senior Female Student-Athlete of the Year.

Some of the top accomplishments for Koons at the national level came during her final year of collegiate eligibility in 2008-09. Her incredible year began during the 2008 cross country season, when she was an All-American and also the Mid-Atlantic Region individual champion. She also helped the Wildcats earn a team berth to the NCAA Championships, beginning a current streak of five straight team appearances in the national meet. During the 2009 indoor and outdoor track & field seasons Koons competed in the 5000 meters at the NCAA Championships, where she was the runner-up indoors and a third place finisher outdoors. Those spots were her two highest finishes out of the eight NCAA finals she competed in.

Koons received All-America recognition a total of five times during the indoor track & field season, as well as three times outdoors. She was also a Penn Relays champion and led off the Championship of America winning distance medley relay for the Wildcats as a sophomore in 2006.

Another one of the highlights of Koons[apos] career came during the 2007 indoor BIG EAST championships, where she was the individual champion in both the 1000 meters and the Mile while also leading Villanova to a conference title in the 4x800 meter relay. She was chosen as the Most Outstanding Performer at the conference meet and was later named the Mid-Atlantic Region Athlete of the Year. Koons went on to earn All-America honors in the 3000 meters at the 2007 NCAA Indoor Championships.

Since the end of her Villanova career, Koons has continued to excel in the professional ranks. She won the Olympic Development section of the 5000 meters at the Penn Relays in 2010 and qualified for the USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Koons competed at the national outdoor championships in 2010 and 2011, in addition to running at the 2012 Olympic Trials.

Koons graduated in 2008 with a degree in Mathematics and is currently pursuing a Master[apos]s degree in Applied Statistics from Villanova.