Tribe of Vikings Hall of Fame
Kiersten Madden completed her volleyball career at Augustana in 2001 as a member of the most successful team in program history and as arguably the most decorated individual the Vikings have ever had. Still the only Augustana volleyball athlete ever named College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin Most Outstanding Player, she joins the Tribe of Vikings Hall of Fame Class of 2015.
At the completion of her career, Madden held Augustana career records for assists with 4,050 and service aces with 155. She also owned the top two single-season assist-per-game averages and four of the top five single-match assist totals in school history. She still shares the school record for assists in a match with 77. Although a setter, she was efficient on the attack as well, leading the Vikings in hitting percentage as a sophomore, junior and senior.
Madden came to Augustana in 1998 from Kickapoo High School in Springfield, Missouri, where she was a team captain, an all-conference and all-district performer and the school record holder for service aces. She also lettered in basketball.
Despite playing in just 12 matches for Coach Liesl Fowler as a freshman, Madden posted the best assist-per-game average (7.67) on a Viking club that finished 20-17. As a sophomore in 1999, Madden led Augustana in assists (8.59) and service aces (0.35) per game. She also had a team-high .354 hitting percentage and was second on the team with 313 digs. The Vikings posted a 21-16 record.
Madden had a breakout year as a junior as Augustana set a school record for wins, going 24-10. She earned Lutheran Brotherhood All-America as well as second team All-CCIW and CCIW All-Tournament honors. She set school records for assists per game (10.77) and assists in a match (77) and led the CCIW with an average of 11.73 assists per game in league play. Her .304 hitting percentage and 0.32 aces per game were also team highs and she further demonstrated her versatility by recording 17 blocks in a match versus Millikin—still the sixth-highest total in school history. She was an academic all-district selection as well.
In 2001, Madden and her teammates enjoyed a tremendous season, surpassing the previous year’s record for wins with a 29-5 mark. Fowler’s Vikings went a perfect 7-0 in league play and became the first team in program history to climb into the national rankings—as high as 16th and 24th in the final poll—and reach the NCAA Division III Tournament. Madden was named the CCIW’s Most Outstanding Player and an NCAA Midwest All-Region selection. She led Augustana in assists (10.59) and hitting percentage (.342) and averaged 0.50 aces per game—still tied for fourth-most in school history. Kiersten was named MVP of the Augustana Invitational and to UW-River Falls, Pikes Peak and CCIW all-tournament teams. Her senior season was capped by Verizon/CoSIDA Academic All-District and All-America honors.
After graduating summa cum laude from Augustana in 2002 with a degree in biology, Madden went on to earn her Ph.D. in marine science from the University of Texas in 2007. She worked as a research associate at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute in Port Aransas, Texas from 2008 to 2013, in addition to adjunct professorships at Del Mar College and the University of Houston-Victoria.
In 2013, Madden married Chase Stanzel. The couple settled in Victoria, Texas, where Kiersten opened an environmental consulting firm, Green Wing Environmental, LLC. In addition to being a member of the Junior League of Victoria and an elder at Community Presbyterian Church in Aransas, she has served as a member of the advisory committee at Helping Hands Food Pantry and as a youth coach in both volleyball and soccer.
“Augustana provided me with countless memories and friendships that I continue to cherish to this day,” says Kiersten. “Many of those were the result of my time spent on the volleyball court, traveling on the bus to away games, or working out with teammates in the weight room. I was blessed to be part of a team that set high goals and dedicated themselves to achieving those goals. I am also grateful for every experience I had at Augie and for the way those experiences shaped me into the person I am today.”
