Katie Pederson Whipple
Volleyball, women's track and field
Whipple was named the NCAA Woman of the Year for the state of Iowa in 2006 and was among 10 Division III finalists for the national award. She was also tabbed as the Iowa Conference Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
She was a Central team co-captain in two sports, serving in volleyball in 2004 and 2005 along with track and field in 2005 and 2006. In volleyball, Whipple was the 2005 conference MVP and was a two-time all-conference pick. A two-time conference female athlete of the week, she was an AVCA Division III All-Central Region selection in 2004 and won Central's Jamie Hill MVP Award in 2005.
Whipple helped Central win a share of the 2002 conference title and outright crowns in 2003, 2004 and 2005, leading the team to NCAA Division III tourney berths those three seasons.
In track and field, she was a two-time conference champ and five-time placewinner. She took first in the high jump at the 2006 indoor and outdoor meets.
She served as Central's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee president and as representative to the college's board of trustees. A Senior Honors Scholar, Whipple was involved in numerous mission activities and received Central's Prins Sportsmanship Award in 2006.
After graduating in 2006, Whipple did graduate work at Loyola University, earned a master's degree at Iowa State University and returned to campus as a coordinator for the federal Educational Talent Search program as well as an adjunct sociology instructor and assistant junior varsity volleyball coach for two seasons. In 2012, Whipple became a program advisor for TRIO Student Support Services at Iowa State before taking over as director of the Academic Success Center there in 2017. She was secretary for the Iowa TRIO Organization Board of Directors from 2011-17. In 2021 she was selected to participate in Iowa State's Emerging Leaders Academy. In 2022 she became director of development with the Iowa State University Foundation, serving the Ivy College of Business Development Team.
Whipple, who lives in Ankeny, is also in her third year as president of the Rock Creek Elementary Parent Teacher Organization and since 2011 has taught Sunday school at St. John's Lutheran Church, where she is a church council member. And since 2023 she's served as a volunteer AAU coach for Centennial Volleyball Academy.
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