Augustana University Athletics

Incredible is an appropriate description of Mark Bower's 1980-81 wrestling season at Augustana. That year he won the NCC's 134-pound championship and helped Coach Paul Kendle and the Vikings to their first conference championship. In the final tournament standings, Augie edged NDSU by 0.25 point.

Mark's most memorable event was part of that NCC tournament in 1981. Against the top seed from UNO, Mark scored four points in the last thirty seconds, including two in the last five seconds, to win the championship.

Mark advanced to the Division II tournament and earned the national title at 134 pounds; his dual record for the season was 27-2. Other hon-ors he earned during the 1980-81 season include championships at the UNO Invitational and the Southwest Missouri Invitational. That spring, he was named College Male Athlete of the Year by the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce.

In the 1979-80 season, Mark was runner-up in the NCC tournament as the team also finished second. He did not compete in 1978-79, taking time off to concentrate on academics; Mark graduated cum laude in 1981 with a degree in accounting and business administration.

Mark wrote that Coach Paul Kendle told his team, "This program is about becoming a better person." Mark added, "I know that in my case, he did not fail." Professor J.R. Smith with his Viking horn at every match, home and away, is another memory of Mark's career, along with the master teaching of Professor Les Carson. Mark is currently the Vice President/Chief Financial Officer at The Home State Bank in Loveland, Colorado. Prior to this position, he held various banking positions in Wyoming. In 1986, he earned a degree from the Stonier Graduate School of Banking at the University of Delaware. In addition, he holds CPA certification and a private pilot's license.