Van Maris competed at the local and national level in Holland for two years, before earning her pro card by winning the lightweight class at the Women's World Amateur Championship in 1984. She then competed for six consecutive years in the Ms. Olympia contests, never finishing lower than ninth. Her best showing came in 1987, when she finished second behind Cory Everson. Van Maris was inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame in 2004.
