Best sports stories of 2015
December 31, 2015
1. Augustana said farewell to women’s cross country head coach Fred Whiteside who coached the team for 33 years.
2. Augustana men’s basketball takes second in NCAA Division III National title game. The Augustana men’s basketball team was defeated by University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in the NCAA Division III National title game, with a final score of 70-54.
3. Women’s lacrosse headed to the Sweet Sixteen. Head coach Meredith Newman started her first year at Augustana and led to team to the Sweet Sixteen, where they traveled to Cortland, New York to face SUNY Cortland. They lost 21-2 to the team that won the championships.
4. Men’s track and field 4×400 meter relay wins the indoor national championships. The team was comprised of David Voland, Keith Cline, Isaac Smith, and David Devore.
5. Sam Frasco invited to the Arizona Cardinals. He will be attending a training camp at Northwestern University to compete for a spot on the team.
6. Paul Olsen reaches his 50th year as head cross country coach.
7. Men’s Lacrosse team goes to NCAA tournament. The team’s season ended in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, when Albion scored in the final minute for a 13-12 win.
8. David Voland named CCIW Man of the Year. Voland was a track athlete, part of the 4×400 meter relay that won at the Indoor National Meet and an 11-time All-American and 11-time CCIW champion.
9. Grey Giovanine becomes the winningest coach in Augustana history. He achieved the record after earning his 315th win over defending national champions, the University of Wisconsin-Stephen’s Point.
10. Former senior Lawrence Palmer was named the Most Outstanding Player in the CCIW and was also a first team all-conference selection for the third year in a row.
11. Current Senior Marissa Pezzopane was named to the All CCIW women’s basketball team.
12. The men’s cross country team qualified as a team for the National Meet for the first time since 2008.
13. Former Vikings baseball pitcher Seth Davis was drafted to the New York Mets in June. He is currently playing for the minor league affiliate of the Mets, the Kingsport Mets.
14. Senior Kelly Farell was named to the NCAA Division III All-Central Region team by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. This was her third appearance on the team.
15. Women’s tennis earned their first CCIW title in 8 years after winning three singles and two doubles flights and earned second-place finishes in the other four brackets.