Central’s Ziskovsky Halcomb named league scholar-athlete of the year finalist

Central College

CEDAR RAPIDS—Former Central College track and field standout Jill Ziskovsky Halcomb (Dallas Center, Dallas Center-Grimes) is one of four female finalists for the 2010-11 Duane Schroeder Iowa Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award.

The honor recognizes student-athletes that have demonstrated high levels of accomplishment and achievement in athletics and academics while also serving the community. To qualify for the award, student-athletes must have graduated or exhausted their athletic eligibility during the year the award is given, achieve a 3.5 or better cumulate grade point average (4.0 scale) and show evidence of service and leadership.

Each league institution may nominate a male and female candidate and a group of 18 conference faculty athletic representatives determine the eight finalists and two award winners, who will be announced Dec. 22.

Halcomb, a three-time team MVP and two-year captain for the Dutch, earned all-America distinction seven times. She finished fifth at the 2010 and 2011 NCAA championships in both the indoor pentathlon and outdoor pentathlon and competed on three all-America 4×400-meter relay squads, posting a second-place finish at the national outdoor meet in 2011. Halcomb also captured six league titles in four different events.

In the classroom, Halcomb compiled a 3.94 cumulate GPA with a double major in communication studies and Spanish. She received Capital One Academic All-America honors twice and was a three-time all-league pick. Halcomb was also a Central College Presidential Scholar and a member of the Alpha Zeta Mu honor society.

Since the award’s inception in 2001, Central has had three league Scholar-Athletes of the Year Award winners. Raegan Schultz Wagner (volleyball, track and field) received the honor in 2003-04 and both Adam Duerfeldt (baseball) and Katie Pederson Whipple (volleyball, track and field) were recognized in 2005-06.