Augustana University Athletics

The women's tennis team at Augustana was a force to be reckoned with in the early 1980's in the NCC. Maria Bell played a major role in leading Augustana to its first NCC women's tennis title in 1982. The Vikings took runner-up honors in 1981 and 1983.

Maria came to Augustana from Aberdeen, SD, in the fall of 1980 and immediately became a contributor to the tennis team. She was influenced early by her tennis coach, Sandy Jerstad. She said, "My most memorable coach at Augustana was, of course, Sandy Jerstad. She was an incredible recruiter. She always made me feel special, and knew how to get the most out of all of us." Another coach who made an impact on her was Doug Smith from Aberdeen, who, she wrote, "not only taught me the game of tennis, but was instrumental in encouraging me to broaden my horizons in many aspects of life."

Augustana dominated the NCC women's tennis championship in 1982, winning three of the six singles crowns, and sweeping all three doubles flights. Bell won the No. 2 singles championship and teamed with Karen Bernard to win the No. 1 doubles crown. The Vikings entered the NCC action with a 5-0 dual record.

Maria also had success at the NCC meets in 1981 and 1983. At the 1981 meet she finished second in the No. 1 singles bracket and in 1983 she captured the No. 1 singles title and joined Lisa Halverson as the second place duo in No. 1 doubles. Her most memorable match occurred in the finals at the regionals. She wrote, "I was playing the #1 seed in the finals. We split the first two sets and I was behind 5-0 in the third set. I turned back to my doubles partner, Karen Bernard Heege, who was watching from the sideline, and asked for some advice. She told me to start ‘pushing', which means to take pace off the ball and just get everything back. I did that, and came back to win the match."