Marie Nilsson Class: Senior Hometown: Kil, Sweden Last College: Oklahoma State Height: 5-9 Event: Distance

SDSU's top distance runner from 2004 hopes to return from an injury that sidelined her for many months ... can run anything from the 800 to the 3,000 steeplechase, as well as the longer distance events.

2003-04 - Continued her success from cross country into the track seasons ... had outdoor team top-times in 1,500, steeplechase, 3,000 and the 5,000 ... finished third at the 2004 MWC outdoor championships in the steeplechase ... placed 27th at the NCAA regional meet ... posted NCAA regional-qualifying times in all four meets she ran the steeplechase ... set a school record in the steeplechase in her first time running the event at SDSU (10:32.2) ... bettered the record by eight-plus seconds in her next meet at the Aztec Classic (10:23.34) ... was first in the 1,500 at the San Diego City Championships ... took second in the 5K with an NCAA regional-qualifying time of 16:43.56 at the Florida Relays ... had all-time Aztec top-10 times in the 1,500 (4:32.03, seventh), 3K (9:39.01, fourth) and the 5K (16:43.56, fifth) ... set an indoor school record in the mile in her first meet of the season at the Mountain T's Invite (5:10.91) ... followed that up with a school record and first place 3K-time of 9:44.80 at the Boise State Invite ... made her case as one of the best in SDSU cross country history ... logged three of the top-four 6K times in Aztec history, including a school-record of 21:04 at the NCAA regional meet ... team's top runner at every meet she participated in and tallied five top-seven individual finishes overall ... posted the best-ever finish and time by an Aztec at the MWC championships, coming in fourth overall in 21:53 ... earned a spot on the seven-member Mountain West Conference first team, becoming the first SDSU runner so honored in the meet's five-year history ... first Aztec to be named Mountain West Conference Runner of the Week twice in a season ... recorded the best finish by an SDSU women's runner at the Aztec Invitational in 22 years, coming in fourth with the team's season best 5K effort of 18:23 ... MWC all-academic honoree.

At Oklahoma State - Spent three seasons running for Oklahoma State ... competed twice at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in both 2001 and 2002 ... ran individually at the 2002 NCAA meet, placing 66th after a third-place finish at the regionals ... helped Oklahoma State to the NCAA Midwest Region title in 2001, coming in 12th ... Cowgirls' top runner at the 2001 NCAAs coming in 61st ... Oklahoma State was 18th at the national meet in 2001 ... pair of top-12 finishes at the Big 12 championships her final two seasons ... third at the Swedish championships in the 5K.

High School - Attended Rvdbecksskolan in Sollentuna, Sweden ... placed fourth in the 800 and fifth in the 1,500 at the 1999 Swedish School Championships.

Personal - Karin Marie Irene Nilsson was born May 25, 1981, in Kil, Sweden ... daughter of Henry and Ulla Nilsson ... father, Henry, won the Swedish championship in the 3,000 meters in 1966 and 1968 ... major is international security and conflict resolution.