CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - Former Loras basketball student-athlete Lori Obendorf has been named the Johanna Olson IIAC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the 2016-17 academic year. The award is the highest individual honor from the conference goes to an alumnus from the previous academic year.

An elementary education and Spanish double-major, Obendorf graduated with a perfect 4.00 grade point average in May 2017. Her scholarly awards out-number her athletic achievements and include Dean's List Top 20, CoSIDA Academic All-American, two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District selection, three-time IIAC All-Academic Team, eight-time Dean's list honoree and graduated Maxima Cum Laude.

When she wasn't leading the Duhawks on the court, Obendorf spent her time advancing her education through service projects with StartUp Dubuque and the Young Entrepeneurs Academy. Obendorf was a presenter on two occasions at the annual juried conference, presenting in the Spanish Composition category. Her presentations included a research essay on the topic of the achievement gap in the United States for Latino students and a literary analysis of poetry by Sor Juana.

One of the highlights of her four years at Loras was a five-week study abroad program in Granada, Spain where she studied the Spanish language and local culture while attending the University of Granada.

Obendorf's volunteer experience included a week in Flores, Honduras where she volunteered with Asociación Pueblo Franciscano de Muchachos y Muchachas (APUFRAM), an organization that runs schools for children. She also spent a week as a teen service trip chaperone in Muskegon, Mich. through the Catholic Heart Workcamp where they partered with the Muskegon Lakeshore Boys and Girls Club.

"If there's one word to describe Lori and her approach to everything she touches, it is 'perfectionist'," Loras Head Women's Basketball Coach Justin Heinzen shared. "Demonstrated by her flawless grade point average and proven by the fact that no single person in my 13 years of college coaching put more time in the gym than Lori."

On the court, Obendorf was a force to be reckoned with in the low post, finishing 10th on the all-time scoring leaderboard with 1,015 points. Her 919 rebounds are second all-time and her 243 blocked shots ranked third. Obendorf graduated as part of the second winningest class in program history, compiling a record of 70-39.

The Metea Valley prep was named a D3Hoops.com All-Region selection in 2016 and 2017, three-time IIAC Defensive Player of the Year and two-time IIAC First Team All-Conference selection. In her freshman and junior seasons, Obendorf led the Duhawks to an IIAC Tournament Championship and appearance in the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship.

"Lori is the living example of the type of person that the Loras College mission statement alludes to," Heinzen added. "She is a perfect role model for NCAA Division III because of her abilities to manage time, along with her honesty, respect and accountability."

Obendorf is the second consecutive Johanna Olson IIAC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year from Loras College and third all-time since the award's inception in 2001.

The IIAC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award is named in honor of the late Johanna Olson, a former cross country and track & field student-athlete at Luther College, who was the inaugural recipient of the award. Olson battled brain cancer for over 15 years before her fight evaded on Jan. 3, 2013 at the age of 33. Originally diagnosed in 1997, Olson went on to win the 2000 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championship, three years to the day after her initial brain surgery.