Jennifer King Soderquist concluded her 30th season as a college coach and 27th season at Wheaton College in 2012. In 26 seasons under Soderquist's direction, Wheaton has won more than 24 matches nine times and over 30 three times, participated in two NCAA Division III National Tournaments, won a CCIW Tournament championship and placed second four times.
With Soderquist's guidance, Wheaton has produced 17 All-CCIW first team, 15 All-CCIW second team and 23 All-CCIW third team or honorable mention selections, eight All-Midwest picks, two GTE/CO-SIDA Academic All-Region picks (Shelly Detmer, 1987, and Erica Lindh, 1991), and two Second Team All-Americans (Cheryl Lindberg, 1987 and Kathleen Kepley, 1996). Rachel Haworth was named CCIW Player of the Year in 1993, Wheaton's first such honor. Kathleen Kepley earned All-CCIW first team and All-Midwest Region honors in 1995 and 1996, and All-America second team honors in 1996, but injuries forced her to end her collegiate career.
Soderquist's 1989 team was seeded number one and won the CCIW Tournament after posting a 7-1 record in the regular CCIW season. The team was ranked in the NCAA Division III top 25 and finished with a 34-17 record, led by All-Midwest and All-CCIW selections Bo Grandfield and Monica Anderson.
Going further back, Soderquist's 1987 team was 37-17 and finished second in the CCIW Tournament behind Elmhurst, winning a bid to the NCAA Division III National Tournament, the first NCAA bid in Wheaton volleyball history. Lindberg, Detmer, and Cheryl Wisely were the team's top players that season. The 1986 team, Soderquist's first at Wheaton, was 33-15 and finished second in the CCIW Tournament. One of her former players, Kim Everswick Hall, is the head volleyball coach at North Carolina State University.
Soderquist began her career at John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, where her teams won 30 and lost 59 in three seasons (1983-85). She is a 1977 graduate of Wheaton College and was a member of the women's basketball and volleyball teams. She was the leading scorer in basketball every year except her freshman season and was inducted into Wheaton College's Athletic Hall of Honor in 1991.
Soderquist has led six Wheaton volleyball teams on international sports evangelism tours, including a 1987 ministry to Guatemala and Central America, a 1990 ministry tour to Czechoslovakia, Poland, and the Soviet Union, and a 1994 ministry trip to the People's Republic of China and Hong Kong. She also led trips in 1999 to Guatemala and El Salvador, to Guatemala and Costa Rica in 2006, and to Guatemala in 2009. The teams competed against local and national teams and shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ with those with whom they came into contact.
Soderquist was awarded the 1998 P. Kenneth Gieser Award, recognizing her for commitment to using athletic competition to cross cultural boundaries in sharing the gospel. The award is given in memory of Dr. P. Kenneth Gieser (Wheaton class of 1930), who was a medical missionary in China and founder of the Wheaton Eye Clinic, the Christian Medical and Dental Society, and the Missionary Furlough Homes.
Soderquist, and her husband, Mark, married since 1988, reside in Chicago and are the parents of two sons. Mark serves as U.S. Director of Urban Ministries for International Teams. The Soderquist's goal is to help local churches reach their communities. They serve under the local leadership of Westlawn Gospel Chapel. The church provides children's and tutoring programs and summer day camp opportunities.
In addition, Jennifer uses her musical talents to lead a children's choir at the church and also has cut her first CD album. She hopes that their ministry will become a way for Wheaton students to be exposed to the needs of the people in inner-city areas. "I see sports as a means to an end," adds Soderquist. "Excellence is one thing, but the things these athletes learn along the way will be something they take with them for a lifetime."
