Augustana College Athletics

From 1998-2001, Julie Constien was a key part of the most successful run in the history of the Augustana volleyball program. She set five school records—four of which still stand—and as a senior, helped lead the Vikings to the only NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. This evening she becomes the fourth volleyball player inducted into the Tribe of Vikings Hall of Fame.
 
The 6’ 1” Constien came to Augustana in 1997 after earning all-conference recognition in both volleyball and basketball at Glenbard North High School in Carol Stream, Illinois.
 
As a freshman, Constien joined two other future Viking Hall of Famers, classmate Kiersten Madden and sophomore Amy Calderone. She finished fourth on the team with 241 kills and 57 blocks as Coach Liesl Fowler’s squad finished 20-17.
 
Constien led a 21-16 Augustana outfit with 66 solo and 146 total blocks as a sophomore in 1999. Her solo blocks were, at the time, second-most ever in a single-season for a Viking, while her 404 kills ranked second on the team and third-all time. In addition, she was fourth on the team with a career-high 260 digs.
 
During her junior season, Constien was the team leader in kills (394) and solo (54), assisted (86) and total (140) blocks. She also recorded career single-match highs of 28 kills versus Elmhurst and 18 blocks against Millikin. She helped Fowler’s squad to a school-record 24 wins against just 10 losses and was named to the All-CCIW third team.
 
Constien’s senior season of 2001 was memorable one, both for team and individual accomplishments. She was named to all-tournament teams at Wisconsin-River Falls and Pikes Peak as Augustana climbed in the national polls, eventually ascending as high as 16th. By the end of the regular season, the Vikings had already set a new program record with 25 wins, including a perfect 7-0 mark in CCIW play. They swept through pool play in the conference tournament and downed North Park in a semifinal before falling to Elmhurst in the final. Augustana earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament and faced Colorado College in Hayward, California in the opening round, falling in four sets. With a 29-5 mark, the team set a program record for wins that still stands and finished the year ranked 24th in the nation.
 
Individually, Constien was named the team’s Offensive MVP and Best Blocker. She led the CCIW in blocks per game at 2.08 and was named first team all-conference as well as to the league’s all-tournament team. She again led the Vikings in solo (89), assisted (144) and total (233) blocks and her average of 1.96 blocks per game ranked sixth in the nation.
 
Constien finished her career with Augustana all-time records for games played (507), points (1761.5), solo blocks (217), total blocks (576) and kills (1330). Only the kill record has fallen, although her total still ranks fourth in school history. To this day, she ranks in the school’s top eight all-time in at least a dozen statistical categories.
 
A biology and pre-veterinary medicine major, Constien graduated from Augustana in 2002. She went on to earn her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana in 2006 before working as a small animal vet for the Zionsville Animal Hospital in Zionsville, Indiana.
 
In 2003, Julie married Ryan Diem, who started 150 games and won a Super Bowl ring in an 11-year career as an offensive lineman with the Indianapolis Colts. They currently reside in Zionsville, where Julie is a stay-at-home mom to the couple’s three children—Ashlyn, Luke and Zach.
 
Julie and Ryan also sit on the board of directors for the Allie and Friends Foundation, an organization that, over the last 13 years, has raised $1.3 million for pediatric cancer research and family support. A&FF’s marquee event is Ryan Diem’s Allie & Friends Golf Classic. The group also hosts a “Cheers for Charity” event in conjunction with TwoDeep Brewery in Indianapolis and the Children’s Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation.
 
“I look back at my time at Augustana with great fondness,” said Constien. “I feel that I received a top-notch education that prepared me well for veterinary school and my career.”  She added, “I was able to play a sport that I loved and forge life-long friendships, especially with my teammates. The balance at Augie between athletic achievement and academic excellence allowed me to pursue two of my passions at once.”