A member of the Lady Lions’ tennis team from 1976-80, Bodine won the Missouri Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (MAIAW) title as a senior after posting a 16-1 record. She was voted Most Valuable Plyer by her teammates following her junior and senior years. In 1980, Bodine placed third at the CSIC Tournament in singles and doubles and second in doubles at the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) Regional Tournament. Bodine, who received a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education, was also the first recipient of the Lionbacker Award of Excellence, given to a student-athlete who has excelled in the classroom, on the playing field, and in the community.
After graduating from Southern, she went on to earn a master’s degree in elementary education from Pittsburg State. Unable to stay away from the game, though, Bodine came back to serve as tennis coach for Missouri Southern from 1988-94.