As a sophomore, Corrie Reiley has made a name for herself on the Augustana women’s basketball team. Being only 5’4”, she has had to overcome many obstacles to get to the place she is at now.
So far, Reiley has scored 86 points in six games. Her season high of 20 points came during the team’s game against Coe College. Those points helped the Vikings to keep their winning streak alive.  The Vikings are currently 6-0 for the season after their game against North Park University this past Saturday, where Reiley scored 10 points.
Reiley started playing basketball when she was in third grade. In high school, she ran cross country and track and played basketball. She continues to run track at Augustana, but chose to play basketball over running cross country because she has always loved the game.
“The thought that I only have three more years [to play basketball] makes me really sad and makes me want to work even harder,” Reiley said. “After those three years, I can run by myself, but I can’t play basketball competitively.”
Head coach Mark Beinborn first heard about Reiley when she was in eighth grade because he was coaching her sister at the time. Beinborn kept an eye on Reiley, even though he emphasized that she is “too small” for the sport. With her work ethic and drive for success, she was able to show Beinborn her capabilities. He jokingly called Reiley “the little engine that could.”
“When you tell her that you don’t think she’s capable of doing something, she’s going to work twice as hard to show she can,”  Beinborn said.
As a Biology/Pre-Nursing major, Reiley said she has a lot to balance with her schoolwork and playing two sports. It is stressful, Reiley admits, but she doesn’t mind the added work. Beinborn described Reiley as being “confident, driven and hard-working.” These traits allow Reiley to focus on and accomplish her goals.
“That work ethic and mentality has helped define what it means to be a Viking,” Beinborn said.
Since playing at the collegiate level, Beinborn said Reiley has grown a lot as an athlete. He talked about how she has learned how to play with more control as she becomes more experienced. Last year, she was a point guard and now she is a shooting guard. Reiley even puts in an extra hour of work some days so she can work on improving her shooting skills since her position change.
Reiley said that the team has bonded a lot more since last year. She enjoys being able to play with all her teammates and she believes that they all have to work together to have the best result.
“It’s not all about individual players. It’s about how five players can play together to win the game,” Reiley  said.
Beinborn has been impressed with the talent that Reiley has shown on the court while at Augustana. However, he anticipates much more success from her in the future.
“I would like to think that her defining moment hasn’t happened yet,” Beinborn said.