Head Men’s and Women’s Tennis Coach Adam Strand (‘04) and Head Softball Coach Renae Hartl each achieved significant wins this past month, picking up their 600th and 700th career victories, respectively.
Strand marked his 600th career win when the Luther men’s tennis team secured the 2024 American Rivers Conference (ARC) title and defeated Nebraska Wesleyan University 9-0.
The news of Strand’s achievement was revealed to the team by Assistant Men’s and Women’s Tennis Coach Sasha Balaba in a huddle. A brief celebration ensued, as the team had been playing in 30 degree weather in Lincoln, Nebraska.
“They were all gracious in congratulating me,” Strand said. “We didn’t celebrate too long though, because it was very cold outside!”
Strand has not stopped at win 600, as he and his teams have continued the winning trend. The Luther Women defeated Central College 5-0 on April 25, and Coe College 5-0 on April 27 to qualify for their 18th NCAA DIII National Tournament.
“Every year, both of our teams have competitive goals of winning a conference championship and advancing to the NCAA DIII National Tournament,” Strand said.
With an overall record of 23-6 and a conference record of 8-0, the men’s tennis team used their momentum to have a successful run at their ARC Automatic Qualifying Tournament. They defeated Central 5-0 on May 2 in the semifinals and Coe 5-0 in the finals; a victory at this tournament qualified them them for the NCAA DIII Men’s Tennis National Tournament. Strand spoke a bit about his goals for the rest of the season.
“I want our players to continue enjoying the journey together,” Strand said. “These teams have accomplished a lot, and I hope that we still have the best of our tennis ahead of us.”
With the continued success of both of his teams, Strand is on track to join the company of Hartl, who just logged her 700th career victory.
Hartl, who is also Luther’s Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, earned this accolade when her softball team won the first game of their series with the University of Northwestern (MN) 3-1. “I am always surprised when we hit a milestone win like we did a few weeks ago with 700 [wins],” Hartl said. “To me, all the games are memorable, even the losses. It is an opportunity to take the field with my student-athletes to enjoy and showcase the skills they work hard at all year,”
Like Strand, Hartl has since increased her streak of wins. Most recently, the Norse split their conference series with Wartburg on May 1. The team lost the first game 2-3, and they won the second game 3-1 in 8 innings of play. The Luther softball team currently has an overall record of 27-11 and a conference record of 9-5.
Throughout her 23 years of coaching Luther, Hartl’s athletes have earned 94 all-conference honors. Five have been named IIAC/ARC Conference MVPs and four have been named Pitcher of the Year. 85 have become NFCA Midwest Region selections; and 26 have garnered All-America honors.
This year’s softball team has picked up some big wins of their own, such as when they defeated Central 14-4 on April 23, when the Dutch were ranked #18 nationally at the time. Luther continues to roll on towards ARC tournament play, which begins on May 10.
“The team has had some huge wins this year,” Hartl said. “I am looking forward to the post-season with Team 56!”
Luther’s men’s and women’s tennis teams will next compete in the opening round of the NCAA DIII Women’s Tennis National Tournament on May 9, against Concordia University Texas and Kenyon College, respectively. Softball will play Wartburg in the ARC Tournament on May 10.
Editor’s Note: The version of this story that was in print Vol. 150, No. 2 of CHIPS in May 2024 was written/published prior to the announcement of Luther’s opponents in the NCAA DIII Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships and the ARC Softball Tournament. The correct information is included in this online version of the story. For updated information about all Luther sports, head to luthernorse.com.
