Augustana University Vikings

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Augustana University Vikings
Augustana University Vikings logo.svg
University Augustana University
Conference Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference
NCAA NCAA Division II
NCAA Division I (Ice Hockey)
Athletic directorJosh Morton
Location Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Varsity teams14
Football stadium Kirkeby-Over Stadium
Basketball arena Elmen Center/Sanford Pentagon
Baseball stadiumKarras Park
Softball stadiumBowden Field
Soccer stadiumMorstad Field
Other arenas Howard Wood Field
Sanford Gymnasium
NicknameVikings
ColorsNavy and gold [1]
   
Website www.goaugie.com

The Augustana Vikings are the athletic teams that represent Augustana University, located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Vikings compete as members of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference for all 14 varsity sports. The Vikings joined the NSIC from the North Central Conference, which folded in 2008.

Contents

In December 2018 Augustana announced its intentions to transition to NCAA Division I by 2030 at the latest. However, they hope to receive a bid to join a conference by 2020, according to Sioux Falls newspaper The Argus Leader. Multiple regional media reports in 2018 indicated that Augustana's likeliest Division I destination was the Sioux Falls-based Summit League. Many of the school's boosters are tied to Sanford Health, a hospital company also based in Sioux Falls that has long been a major sponsor of the Summit League. The conference moved its headquarters in 2018 to an office complex owned by Sanford. [2] [3] On May 22, 2020, the Summit League commissioner, Tom Douple, informed Augustana president Stephanie Herseth Sandlin that the conference would not be adding more new teams "at this time." [4]

Varsity sports

List of teams

Football

Kirkeby-Over Stadium, seats over 6,500 fans Kirkeby-Over Stadium 1.jpg
Kirkeby–Over Stadium, seats over 6,500 fans

On September 26, 2007, it was officially announced that Bob and Kari Hall were making a $7.1 million donation for an on-campus football stadium. The stadium is to bear the name Kirkeby–Over Stadium in honor of Kari Hall's parents. Construction began on November 12, 2007 [5] with the official groundbreaking taking place on November 16, 2007. Augustana University recently completed the Hall Football Complex; complete with its own locker rooms, weight room, and football meeting rooms. The head football coach is Jerry Olszewski.

Augustana players who have had significant NFL careers include Les Josephson (Los Angeles Rams 1964–1974), Bryan Schwartz (Jacksonville Jaguars 1995–1999), Corbin Lacina (1993–2003), Kevin Kaesviharn (2001–2009), and C. J. Ham (Minnesota Vikings 2016–present). [6]

Wrestling

In 1976–77, 2004–05, and 2009–10, the Augustana wrestling team finished second in the NCAA Division II Championship. The Elmen Center serves as the home for both the volleyball team and the wrestling team.

Basketball

In 2015–16 the men's basketball team coached by Tom Billeter finished the season 34-2 and won the NCAA Division II National Championship. On November 6, 2015 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, the Vikings upset the Iowa Hawkeyes of the Big Ten Conference 76–74 in an exhibition game on a buzzer-beating right-handed jumper by Daniel Jansen. [7] Led by Jansen, the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference's Player of the Year, [8] [9] [10] [11] the Vikings were 21–1 in the Northern Sun, then won the NSIC tournament title and captured the Central Regional title with an 80–78 victory over Northwest Missouri State to qualify for the Elite Eight, which was played at Dr Pepper Arena in Frisco, Texas. Augustana defeated Lincoln Memorial 90–81 in the championship game on March 26. [12] Augustana's Arvid Kramer [13] [14] [15] [16] and Brett Szabo [17] both played in the NBA.

The 2012–13 women's basketball team played at San Antonio in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.

The Sioux Falls Arena serves as the home court for the men's and women's basketball teams.

Baseball

The 2018 Augustana baseball team won the NCAA Division II College World Series, defeating Columbus State 3–2 in the final. They finished the year 52–9, a school record. [18]

Ice Hockey

On October 5, 2021 Augustana University announced that it will add men's ice hockey starting in the fall of 2023. The team will compete at the NCAA Division I level. The announcement was made at the groundbreaking ceremony for Midco Arena which will serve as the team's home. [19]

Related Research Articles

Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference

The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the western Midwestern United States. Nine of its members are in Minnesota, with three members in South Dakota, two members in North Dakota, and one member each in the states of Iowa and Nebraska. It participates in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)'s Division II level. It was founded in 1932. With the recent NSIC expansion, the original six member schools have been reunited. With the inclusion of the several new member institutions, it is one of the largest Division II conferences in the country with 16 members.

Summit League American college athletic conference

The Summit League, or The Summit, is an NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletic conference with its membership mostly located in the Midwestern United States from Illinois on the East of the Mississippi River to the Dakotas and Nebraska on the West, with additional members in the Western state of Colorado and the Southern state of Oklahoma. Founded as the Association of Mid-Continent Universities in 1982, it rebranded as the Mid-Continent Conference in 1989, then again as the Summit League on June 1, 2007. The league headquarters are in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Augustana University Private Lutheran university in Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Augustana University is a private Lutheran university in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The university identifies 1860 as the year of its founding, the same as its Rock Island, Illinois Swedish-heritage sister school, Augustana College. It derives its name from the Confessio Augustana, or Augsburg Confession, a foundational document of Lutheranism. Prior to September 2015, the university was known as Augustana College.

Sioux Falls Arena

Sioux Falls Arena is a 7,500-seat multi-purpose arena located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The facility was built in 1961. It seats 6,113 for basketball games and 4,760 for indoor football and hockey.

Midco American telecommunications company

Midco is a regional cable provider, providing a triple play service of Cable television, Internet and telephone service for both North Dakota and South Dakota, along with much of Minnesota, and several communities in Kansas and Wisconsin. The company's business-class service also provides direct fiber-optic communications services via leased data circuits for larger companies.

South Dakota State Jackrabbits

The South Dakota State Jackrabbits are the 19 intercollegiate teams representing South Dakota State University that compete in the U.S. National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. SDSU is currently a member of the Summit League, the Missouri Valley Football Conference, the Big 12 Conference and Varsity Equestrian. The university won numerous conference championships and several national titles including the NCAA College Division national title in men's basketball in 1963 and the NCAA Division II national title in women's basketball in 2003.

Minot State Beavers

The Minot State Beavers are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Minot State University (MSU), located in Minot, North Dakota. The Beavers currently in the process of transitioning from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) to the NCAA Division II. The university was previously a member of the NAIA's Dakota Athletic Conference (DAC) and competed as an independent as a provisional member for the 2011–12 academic year before joining the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) in 2012. Minot State Beavers men's and women's ice hockey teams currently play in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA), the men's team plays as is an independent team at the ACHA Men's Division I level and women's team at the ACHA Women's Division II level.

Sanford Health Hospital network in the United States

Sanford Health is a non-profit, integrated health care delivery system, with its headquarters in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, with additional offices in Fargo and Bismarck, North Dakota, and Bemidji, Minnesota.

Minnesota State Mavericks Intercollegiate sports teams of Minnesota State University

The Minnesota State Mavericks are the college athletic teams of Minnesota State University, Mankato. More than 600 students participate each year in athletics for the university. Most of the university's athletic teams compete at the NCAA Division II level in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). The men's and women's ice hockey teams compete at the Division I level, respectively in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) and Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA). Minnesota State began competition in the NSIC in 2008–09, due to the dissolution of the North Central Conference. It was also one of the seven WCHA men's hockey members that left that league after the 2020–21 season to reestablish the CCHA, a move that led to the demise of the men's side of the WCHA.

Northern State Wolves College athletic program

The Northern State Wolves are the athletic teams that represent Northern State University, located in Aberdeen, South Dakota, U.S., in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Wolves compete as members of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference for all 13 varsity sports. Northern State has been a member of the conference since 1978, and they also have the second-smallest enrollment of the 14 member schools. In the 1990s, all members of the NSIC solely became members of NCAA Division II, after spending many years with dual membership with the NAIA.

Sioux Falls Cougars

The Sioux Falls Cougars are the athletic teams that represent the University of Sioux Falls. They currently compete in NCAA Division II after participating in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics through 2011. They were formally members of the Great Plains Athletic Conference from 2000 to 2011 and the South Dakota Interstate Conference (SDIC) until the year 2000. The university is a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).

St. Cloud State Huskies Intercollegiate sports teams of St. Cloud State University

The St. Cloud State Huskies are the athletic teams for St. Cloud State University. The university is primarily a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC), and currently sponsors 18 NCAA Division II teams. SCSU also sponsors a women's Nordic skiing team through membership in the CCSA, as well as men's and women's Division I ice hockey teams that are members of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (men) and Western Collegiate Hockey Association (women). The teams go by the nickname Huskies, and the school's mascot is a husky named Blizzard.

Sanford Pentagon Multi-purpose arena in Sioux Falls, South Dakota

The Sanford Pentagon is an indoor arena located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The Pentagon opened in September 2013 and has a seating capacity of 3,250 spectators. It hosts the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA G League. The facility is known for hosting a wide range of sporting events including: regional youth basketball tournaments, NCAA Division I basketball games, NCAA Division II basketball games and tournaments, mixed martial arts events, and occasional concerts.

Minnesota State–Moorhead Dragons

The MSU Moorhead Dragons are the athletic teams that represent Minnesota State University Moorhead, located in Moorhead, Minnesota, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Dragons generally compete as members of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference for all 14 varsity sports.

The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Men's Basketball Tournament is the annual men's conference basketball championship tournament for the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. The tournament has been held annually since 2000. It is a single-elimination tournament and seeding is based on regular season records.

Daniel Jansen is an American professional basketball player who last played for MZT Skopje of the Macedonian League. He played college basketball at Augustana University from 2012–2016.

Tom Billeter is an American college basketball coach, currently the head coach at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He previously has been the head coach at North Dakota State University, as well as holding assistant coaching roles at a number of NCAA Division I colleges. He led Augustana to the 2016 NCAA Division II national championship and was named the national coach of the year in that season.

2017–18 Northern State Wolves mens basketball team American college basketball season

The 2017–18 Northern State Wolves men's basketball team represents Northern State University in the 2017-18 NCAA Division II men's basketball season. The Wolves were led by eighth year head coach Paul Sather and played their home games at Wachs Arena in Aberdeen, South Dakota. They competed as members of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. After winning the NSIC Tournament, the Wolves received an automatic bid into the 2018 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament. They were berthed with the #2 seed in the regional tournament and beat Minnesota State by a score of 90–83 to win the Central Region Tournament and move on to the Elite Eight. The Elite Eight was held in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The Wolves beat East Stroudsburg and Queens to move on the National Championship game where they lost to the Ferris State Bulldogs by a score of 69–71.

The Augustana University Vikings men's ice hockey is an announced NCAA Division I ice hockey team that is set to begin play in the fall of 2023.

The Midco Arena in Sioux Falls, South Dakota is a planned 3,000-seat ice hockey arena on the campus of Augustana University. The arena broke ground on October 5, 2021.

References

  1. ↑ "Augustana University Athletics Quick Facts" . Retrieved February 13, 2017.
  2. ↑ Gaskins, John (May 23, 2018). "Summit League Chief: Sanford-tied Augustana boosters lobbying for move to Div. I". Sioux Falls, SD: KELO-TV . Retrieved December 30, 2018.
  3. ↑ Kolpack, Jeff (July 28, 2018). "Kolpack: All vital signs pointing to Augustana joining Summit League". Grand Forks Herald . Retrieved December 30, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Summit League snub sends Augustana back to reality". Sioux Falls Argus Leader/USA Today. June 29, 2020. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  5. ↑ "Site Work on Kirkeby-Over Stadium to Begin Monday". Augie.edu. Retrieved 2013-02-11.
  6. ↑ "Vikings in the Pros". Augie.edu. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  7. ↑ "Vikings stun Iowa with buzzer beater by Jansen in exhibition finale". goaugie.com.
  8. ↑ "High ambitions led Jansen to become Augustana career scoring leader". siouxcityjournal.com. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  9. ↑ "Dan Jansen leaves mark as one of the best to ever play at Augustana". argusleader.com. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
  10. ↑ "Augustana's Daniel Jansen named 2016 Division II National Player of the Year by the NABC". basketballcatalyst.com. Archived from the original on 18 August 2017. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  11. ↑ "Augustana's Daniel Jansen Named NSIC Player of the Year". keloland.com. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  12. ↑ "Augustana wins 2016 NCAA Division II men's basketball championship". NCAA.com. Retrieved 2016-05-17.
  13. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2004-07-08. Retrieved 2004-07-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. ↑ "Arvid Kramer Stats".
  15. ↑ "The San Diego Union-Tribune - San Diego, California & National News".
  16. ↑ Goldaper, Sam (24 June 1988). "Miami Chooses 'Who?' First". The New York Times.
  17. ↑ "Brett Szabo Stats".
  18. ↑ "Augustana Baseball Wins 2018 National Championship". goaugie.com.
  19. ↑ "Augustana University Formally Announces Addition of Men's Hockey Program, Breaks Ground on Midco Arena". Augie.edu. Retrieved 2021-10-06.
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