Contact: Bruce Conley, News Information Director
Phone: (605) 274-5526
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e-mail: bruce_conley@augie.edu
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September 12, 2003

Five Added to Augustana Athletic Hall of Fame

SIOUX FALLS - Phil Strand, class of 1975, breaks new ground this year when he enters the Augustana Athletic Hall of Fame.

Strand, the first Viking golfer to be inducted, will be joined by women's basketball standout Dana Nielsen Honner, class of 1993; softball and women's basketball star Julie Krauth Dearring, class of 1993; football defensive specialist Dante Dean, class of 1992, and tennis great Maria Bell, class of 1994.

The new inductees will be honored at the Hall of Fame Banquet on Friday, October 3, at the Holiday Inn City Centre Starlite Room. Activities begin at 6:00 p.m. with a social hour.

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Augustana and North Central Conference record books required extensive revisions during DANA NIELSEN'S collegiate basketball career.

The weekend of February 12-13, 1993, marked a particularly significant accomplishment by the 5-foot-10 forward. She became the NCC's career scoring leader, totaling 47 points as Augustana swept the University of North Dakota and North Dakota State University in the Elmen Center.

In addition to earning the top rung on the league's career scoring chart, she also set career marks for field goals made and field goal attempts.

Nielsen became the first four-time All-NCC selection. Following the 1991-92 and 1992-93 seasons, she was voted the league's most valuable player. Twice she was a first team, Division II Kodak All-America choice.

In the spring of 1993, she was voted the Fellowship of Christian Athletes/Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce Women's Collegiate Honor Athlete. Accolades continued to roll in that year as she was named the NCAA Woman of the Year for South Dakota and received the Stan Marshall Award as the top female student-athlete in the NCC for 1992-93.

Academics was another of Nielsen' strengths. She was an NCC honor athlete for the 1992-93 school year, and a two-time academic All-NCC pick. An elementary education major, she maintained a 3.39 grade point average.

Nielsen is Augie's career leader in field goals and games played, and is second in scoring and rebounds.

(Dana Nielsen Honner is a fourth grade teacher and junior high school girls basketball coach with the Harrisburg Schools, Harrisburg, S.D. She and her husband, Steve, live in Sioux Falls with their three children - Jerzy, 14, Danni, 6, and Brecli, 1).

JULIE KRAUTH not only competed in two sports at Augustana, she excelled in both.

In the spring of 1991, the right-hander turned in a MVP performance and carried Augie to its first-ever national title. Her outstanding efforts on the mound and at the plate were instrumental as the Vikings defeated Bloomsburg University, 3-2 in 10 innings, for the NCAA Division II softball championship. Krauth, who tried out for the American Pan Am Games, was nominated for the Honda Sports Award.

Augie won six consecutive games in the regional and national tournaments, and Krauth pitched every inning. She finished the season with a 31-2 record, posted a school record 0.33 earned run average, retired 224 batters on strikes, and issued only 43 walks. She pitched one perfect game, three no-hitters, three one-hitters, and five two-hitters. She is a two-time National Softball Coaches Association All-America choice, and was named to the All-North Central Conference team twice.

In basketball, Krauth is ninth on the Augie career scoring list with 1,324 points. She is the school career leader in 3-point field goals made with 230, and in 3-point field goal shooting percentage for one game when she went 6-for-6. She was named to the All-NCC team in 1992 and 1993.

(Julie Krauth Dearring works for Sioux Valley Marketing. She and her husband, Michael '93, are the parents of Dailee, 2. The family lives in Sioux Falls.)

It was no fluke when PHIL STRAND became the first Augie golfer to win the North Central Conference tournament.

He did it as a junior, and cast aside any doubt by repeating as a senior.

In 1973, Strand became Augie's first NCC medalist by shooting 228 for 54 holes. He was tied for first place after the first day, posting a 115. He followed with a 113 to win first place honors by five strokes over John Dahl and Rick Bibelheimer of North Dakota State, and Tom Freeberg of Mankato. He posted a hole-in-one during the last round, using an eight iron on a par three, 165-yard hole. It was the only ace of the meet. Augustana tied for second place in the team standings and Strand advanced to the national tournament in Tampa, Fla.

In his senior year, he fashioned a 225 over 54 holes at Keller Golf Course in Saint Paul, Minn. He trailed the leader by four strokes after the opening day, posting a 116 for 27 holes. He came back with a 109 on the second day to defeat Mike Spenser of Morningside, John McEnroe of North Dakota, and Kim Kehe of Northern Iowa, who all shared runner-up honors at 227. The Vikings placed fourth in the team standings and Strand advanced to the national meet, hosted by the University of Tennessee at Martin.

"Phil showed great composure in coming from behind to take the medallist title for the second straight year," said Vikings' coach John Thomas.

Strand began playing golf seriously when he was in the seventh grade at his home course in Montevideo, Minn.

(Phil Strand is vice president/general manager of Megtec Systems Inc., in DePere, Wis. He and his wife, Susan, are the parents of Bill, 19, Spencer, 12, Mitchell, 9, and Severene, 7.)

In 1982, MARIA BELL played a pivotal roll in Augustana winning its first North Central Conference women's tennis championship.

Augie dominated the spring event, winning three of the six singles crowns, and sweeping all three doubles flights. The Vikings finished with 43 points, while the University of South Dakota took runner-up honors with 28.

Bell won the No. 2 singles championship, defeating Michelle Volin from South Dakota State University, 6-1, 4-6, 6-1. She teamed with Karen Bernard to win the No. 1 doubles crown. The Vikings entered the NCC action with a 5-0 dual record.

Augustana was the NCC runner-up in 1983. Bell captured the No. 1 singles title by defeating Kathy Hill from the University of North Dakota, 7-6, 6-4, 7-5. Bell joined Lisa Halverson as the second place duo in No. 1 doubles.

The Vikings were also runners-up in 1981. That year Bell lost in the No. 1 singles finals to the University of Northern Colorado's Barb Eaton, 6-2, 6-0.

(Dr. Maria Bell is an associate professor in the OB/GYN Department with the University of South Dakota School of Medicine. She and her husband, Delf Schmidt-Grimminger, are the parents of Gabriella, 7, and Konrad, 4. The family lives in Sioux Falls.)

DANTE DEAN capped his collegiate football career with a sensational senior season in 1990.

Hounding opponents from his defensive end position, Dean was twice honored as the North Central Conference player of the week.

He played a crucial role as the Vikings defeated Saint Cloud State University, 23-20. He scooped up a fumble and ran 27 yards for a touchdown, and paced the defense with 14 tackles. Included was a sack and a stop that resulted in loss of yardage for the Huskies.

Two weeks later, Augie downed the University of Nebraska-Omaha, 21-7, and Dean was in the thick of the action. He registered three sacks to claim a share of the school record. He also had seven other tackles.

Dean entered his senior year as a preseason NCAA Division II All-American by the Professional Athletic Personnel Associates and College Football Preview. At the conclusion of the campaign he was selected to the All-NCC team for the second consecutive year. He was credited with 64 tackles and six sacks.

In his all-conference junior season, Dean helped the Vikings to an 8-3-1 record and a second consecutive appearance in the Division II playoffs. He had 64 tackles, two interceptions, and one sack.

(Dante Dean is a police officer in Minneapolis assigned to the anti-gang/narcotic unit. He and his wife, Souphanny, are the parents of D'Sean, 7. The family lives in Rosemount, Minn.)