In the second round of Augustana basketball’s playoff run, the Vikings defeated Hope College by a score of 95-83. The Vikings were led by Senior Dylan Sortillo, who scored a season high 30 points while going 7-10 from three point land.
At the end of the game, those stats show up in the box score, and it was apparent on the court that Sortillo had the three ball working.  However, what didn’t show up in the box score was what Sortillo did the night before. According to Junior and fellow captain Nolan Ebel, Sortillo shot more than 800 shots alone in the gym before that game.
“Dylan does a lot of the little things. He does all the things that people don’t really realize and don’t get on the stat sheet, the intangible things. He is a leader in the lockerroom, and he is always the first one to help someone on defense and dive on a loose ball,” said Ebel.
These little things have turned into big things for the Senior from Bettendorf. Sortillo is the Augustana all-time leader in games played with 119 and wins with 98.  Sortillo has contributed to four straight CCIW championships.  Along with four deep postseason runs concluding in two division 3 runner up finishes and two elite eight appearances.
Sortillo’s success started in his freshman year when he found his role on a start studded team as a shooter, a skill that wouldn’t leave him during his career.
“My freshman year when I was trying to get in the lineup. My job was to come in and make shots. I got scared at one point that I would stop playing, but coach G talked to me and told me I was doing a lot of other things really well and that’s where doing anything to win came into play and it carried me for the rest of my career,” said Sortillo.
The three point line has been Sortillo’s friend since his time began at Augustana, and has lead to him being called the team’s “best shooter” by many of his teammates, and the numbers back that up in a big way. Sortillo entered his senior season tied for ninth in Augustana history in three pointers made with 116. Sortillo added 68 more this season to move him into second all time in three pointers, finishing his career 184-470 (.497) on three pointers.
“I’m not the most gifted athlete and I’m not super fast or super strong so I had to find a way to contribute. I think some maturity for me was realizing I didn’t have to make shots to contribute. being a good leader and doing the things it takes to win allowed me to impact the game other ways,” said Sortillo. 
When reflecting back on his career, which ended Saturday night after a 95-88 loss to University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Sortillo was disappointed with the finish, but its not so much the basketball portion that he will miss, its the people.
Ebel has become one of Sortillo’s best friends on the team, and their chemistry on the court can be attributed to their relationship off the court.
“Dylan is one of my best friends. He even drove all the way out to Colorado this year to visit me at my home. Us being so close is one of the reasons I think we jive together so well on the court. He is my main shooter so when I drive and kick he is the person I look to,” said Ebel.
Although Sortillo could not complete his ultimate goal to bring a National Championship to the Quad Cities his impact on his teammates and his name in the record books is something that can’t be taken away.
“I just want to say thank you to everyone along the way from classmates to faculty. Everyone at Augustana’s support has been unbelievable. I couldn’t be more thankful for the way my Augustana career has played out. I have said it before, but coming to Augustana was the best decision I have ever made,” said Sortillo.