Sandy Jerstad - Inducted 2004

Born Nov. 18, 1943. Grew up in Virginia, Minn. 1966 St. Olaf College. The winningest softball coach in NCAA Division II history, Jerstad compiled a 1,011-359-2 record in 27 seasons, all at Augustana. She guided the Vikings' program from its infancy to national prominence. When she retired after the 2003 season, she ranked second all-time in wins among NCAA softball coaches, regardless of division.

Her teams won eight North Central Conference championships and played in 16 NCAA regionals and three NCAA Division II national tourneys. The Vikings were national champs in 1991, going 61-4-1 and setting school records for wins and winning percentage. Augustana also was runner-up in 1993. Twenty-nine of her players were named All-Americans.

Jerstad was inducted into the National Fastpitch Coaches' Association Hall of Fame in 2000. She was featured in Sports Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd" section for reaching the 1,000-win milestone.

Her accomplishments are all the more impressive considering that she came to Sioux Falls in 1977, 11 years after graduating from St. Olaf, with no coaching history and very little playing experience in softball. When her husband, Augustana's new campus pastor, heard that the team needed a coach, he recommended Sandy.

Jerstad also coached the Vikings' tennis team for six years (1977-82), winning one conference title, and she coached the volleyball team for another six years (1982-87), going 174-117-3.