Lisa Gunnarsson named CoSIDA First Team Academic All-American

Baton Rouge, La. – LSU track and field pole vaulter Lisa Gunnarsson has been named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team as announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America on Thursday.

Gunnarson is the second woman in program history to earn First Team Academic All-America honors joining the likes of Laura Carleton, who achieved the feat in 2013. The 2020 CoSIDA Academic All-America Track and Field team recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes who excel both in the classroom and in competition. A total of 15 women were named to the first team from universities at the Division I level across the nation.

A mechanical engineering major, Gunnarsson owns a GPA of 4.203 at LSU since enrolling in the fall of 2018. She was a 2019 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association academic honoree as well.

Gunnarsson won the 2020 SEC pole vault title with a clearance of 14’ 7.50” (4.46 meters) in late February at the SEC Championships becoming just the second woman in school history to achieve the feat. She won two other titles in 2020 in the pole vault with wins coming at the LSU Purple Tiger (14’ 7.25”) and the Pole Vault Summit (14’ 9”). Gunnarsson owns the indoor school record with a clearance of 14’ 9.50” (4.51 meters) that she registered in 2019 at the Razorback Invitational; she ranks No. 2 on the LSU outdoor list in the pole vault.

Gunnarsson won a silver medal in the pole vault at the 2018 U20 IAAF World Championships, she’s the U18 world record holder with a clearance of 4.50 meters that she registered in 2016, she’s the Swedish U20 record holder in the pole vault, and she won a European U20 title in the pole vault in 2017 while representing Sweden.

Academic All-America Honors – LSU Track & Field
Mikael Olander (M) – Third Team – 1987
Gai Kapernick (F) – Third Team – 1994
Rabun Fox (M) – Third Team – 2009
Laura Carleton (F) – First Team – 2013
Therese Jernbeck (F) – Third Team – 2014
Jace Attuso (M) – Third Team – 2018
Lisa Gunnarsson (F) – First Team – 2020