Pepperdine University Athletics

From the 2008 Hall of Fame program:

Born in St. Cloud, Minn., Ginger Helgeson first started playing tennis when only six years old, following the example of her brothers who played on the court in their front yard.  By age nine she was competing in tournaments, and she continued to develop her skills at Edina (Minn.) High School, where she won three state championships. At the time, she ranked in the top 20 of all players in the country 18 and younger. By this time she was ranked 18th in the country for players 18 and younger.
 
After moving out to California to attend Pepperdine, Helgeson became a four-year member of the University’s women’s tennis team (1987-90) and was a three-time All-American. She ended her senior year ranked #4 in the country in singles, and reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA singles tournament as a junior and senior. She won three WCC singles titles. Helgeson helped Pepperdine reach the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament in each of her final three seasons. In Pepperdine’s records book, she still ranks #1 in career winning percentage (.837) and #2 in career wins (77).
 
From 1987-98, Helgeson-Nielsen played on the professional tour. One of her career highlights was making the quarterfinals in doubles at Wimbledon in 1998. She was also a quarterfinalist in the French Open in doubles and the U.S. Open in mixed doubles, and once reached the fourth round in singles at the Australian Open.
 
Helgeson-Nielsen posted wins against such established tennis players as Anna Kournikova and Monica Seles in doubles, and wins against Mary Joe Fernandez, Conchita Martinez, and Martina Navratilova in singles. Her highest world ranking was 29th in singles and 40th in doubles.
 
In 2002, she was inducted into the Edina High School Hall of Fame.
 
She and Todd Nielsen were married in 1994 and currently reside in Alpine, Calif., with their two children, Garret, 8, and Trent, 6. Nielsen has built a tennis court at her home and teaches individual tennis lessons part-time in addition to being a full-time mom.