Augustana University Women's Tennis

Kurtz will begin his ninth season at the helm of the Augustana womens tennis program and his twelfth season as head coach of the mens team in 2016-17. In his twelve seasons at Augustana, Kurtz has compiled a 198-138 overall record, including a 69-3 mark in the NSIC with the womens program. The Viking women have gone undefeated in each of the past seven NSIC regular seasons, including six straight NSIC Tournament Championships. 2016 was a season to remember for Kurtz after leading the women to a 25-2 record and the men to a 9-9 record. Kurtz earned multiple awards and sent multiple athletes to the national championships. Kurtz was named the Wilson/ITA Coach of the Year for the first time in his career. He also helped guide Kornelia Staniszewska to ITA Rookie of the Year honors and Jessa Richards to ITA/Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship honors. In the Fall of 2015-16 season Kurtz coached Richards and Staniszewska to a USTA/ITA Central Region title and a spot in the ITA National Championship. At the national championships they took fifth-place. In the spring of 2015-16 the womens team made their seventh straight trip to the NCAA Tournament after earning an auto bid for winning the conference tournament. They defeated Northwest Missouri State in the first round. For the fourth consecutive year Kurtz coached the NSIC Player of the Year after Staniszewska won the award as a freshman. Kurtz was honored for another perfect season in the NSIC with the Coach of the Year award and saw Jessa Richards earn the programs first Senior of the Year award since 2011. Kurtz led a talented roster in 2016 that produced six All-NSIC members. Syndey Postal, Richards and Staniszewska each earned first team honors, Berkley Darr earned second team honors and Meredith Lawrence and Christine Olivo earned honorable mention honors in singles play. In doubles action Kurtz led the team of Staniszewska/Richards and Postal/Darr to first team honors and Lawrence/Motley to second team honors. Lawrence, Motley and Richards also earned Academic All-NSIC honors. On the womens side, the Vikings 21-4 record was good enough to take home their NSIC regular-season title for a sixth straight year along with their fifth straight NSIC Tournament crown. Augustana continued to build on its impressive unbeaten streak in NSIC play, going 11-0 to up their streak to 67 matches in conference play without a loss. The continued winning streak allowed for Kurtz to pick up his fifth straight NSIC Coach of the Year selection in the league. The Vikings also made their sixth straight NCAA Championship appearance.   With the continued success of Augustana on the court, Kurtz saw for a third straight season the selection of one of his players as NSIC Player of the Year in Jessa Richards. The Eden Prairie, Minn. native was a force on the court for the Vikings, earning All-NSIC first-team honors in both singles and doubles play. Richards posted a 17-4 record in singles play, including running through the NSIC with a 10-0 record. Richards was one of six Augustana players to earn All-NSIC honors, joining Sydney Postal (first team), Berkley Darr (second team), Christine Olivo (second team), Jenna Helleberg (second team), and Meredith Lawrence (honorable mention). Darr also became the second player under Kurtzs guidance to be named NSIC Freshman of the Year, joining Richards, who received the honor back in 2013. On the mens side, the Vikings posted its best season in program history, going 8-8, the first time in program history the team has gone at least .500 in a year. With a 25-2 overall mark in 2014, the Vikings broke the school record for wins in a season and cruised to their fifth straight NSIC regular season title and fourth consecutive NSIC Tournament crown. En route to their two titles, Kurtz hit two milestones while guiding his athletes to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth straight season and a program-best No. 30 ranking in the ITA national poll.   With a 9-0 shutout of Southwest Minnesota State on Feb. 21, 2014, Kurtz recorded his 100th career victory at Augustana, One month later, the Vikings reeled off their 50th consecutive regular season victory over a conference opponent when they defeated Bemidji State 9-0 on March 23.   For the second straight season and fourth time in five years, Kurtz collected the NSIC Coach of the Year award in 2014. Adding to his personal trophy case, Kurtz was named ITA Central Region Coach of the Year and he guided Katie Jesperson to the ITA Central Region Senior of the Year award.   Jesperson finished her storied career for Kurtz with eight All-NSIC appointments and two NSIC Player of the Year awards in 2013 and 2014. Jessa Richards joined Jesperson on the all-conference first team in both singles and doubles. As the top Viking doubles pairing, Jesperson and Richards went 25-0, reached the finals of the ITA Region Double Championships, and finished the season ranked No. 2 in the region.   Six total Vikings received All-NSIC recognition with each of the three doubles pairings grabbing the honors and five of the six singles players receiving all-conference citations. Three singles players and two doubles pairings went undefeated against NSIC competition, solidifying their dominance over the conference.   The Vikings appeared in their fifth straight NCAA Tournament, hosting a regional as the No. 2 seed where they shut out Emporia State to advance to the round of 32. Augustana was then handed its first Division II loss of the season their only other loss came at the hands of Division I St. Josephs when they were defeated 5-3 by Northeastern State. Under Kurtz, the Vikings have surpassed 20 wins on four occasions, reaching that total in 2010, 2011, 2013, and 2014.   Kurtz led the Vikings to a near sweep of the NSIC awards in 2013 with Jesperson collecting player of the year, Richards earning the first-ever freshman of the year award for a Viking, and himself grabbing his third conference coach of the year appointment. In 2011, in just his third year as head coach, Kurtz took the Vikings to the NCAA Round of 16 for the first time in school history. Augustana successfully defended its NSIC crown and defeated Nebraska-Kearney to earn a place on the national stage. At the conclusion of the 2011 campaign, Augustana was listed 28th in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association national rankings. It is the highest national ranking in program history. In addition to coaching at Augustana, Kurtz is the tennis director at GreatLife Fitness Center in Sioux Falls, where he is a certified tennis professional with the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA). During the summer months he serves as the tennis director at Minnehaha Country Club. He is a member of the Sioux Falls Tennis Association board, and is on the Intercollegiate Tennis Associations Central Region ranking committee for women. Kurtz earned four letters competing in tennis in the top three single positions and top two doubles for Montana State University-Billings. His high school career at Miles City, MT, included team MVP honors as a junior and senior.  Following his senior year he was chosen to play for a US junior team competing against a British squad during Wimbledon. He earned his BA at Montana State with majors in business management and marketing.