While there are a number of sights to see in the beautiful city of Rock Island, Illinois, it’s hard to overstate the sheer beauty that lies beyond the county line, especially if you decide to look outside of the United States. Luckily for a select few Augustana Athletic programs, they were able to go out and see those beauties of the world with their own eyes.
Five programs, five different trips and countless stories to tell about their time away from the campus of Augustana College.
Kicking off this expedition, the football program traveled to Greece and Italy, getting to gaze upon
the charming scenery in picturesque lands such as Athens, Sorrento and Rome.
The Vikings got to showcase the work they’d done in the offseason when they took on members of the First Italian Division in the Italian Football League (IFL), the Lazio Marines, in a scrimmage where they walked away with an unofficial win. Senior defensive back Toby Splitt spoke highly of having the opportunity to go abroad and play the game he loves in a scenario he’s never experienced.
“That was a really cool experience for both sides,” Splitt said. “We’ve never played outside of America before, so getting to spread that culture of playing football, which we all love, was incredibly amazing.”
The next destination for the Vikings saw the Augustana women’s golf squad tackle the Eden Course in St. Andrews and the Elie Golf House Club in Elie and Earlsferry, both of which are documented on the official women’s golf Instagram page. Their offseason adventure seems to be paying off as they picked up a first-place finish at the Highland Championship and look to continue their success as the season continues.
Next, the women’s basketball program took their talents to Spain, taking advantage of the time they had overseas by making stops in Madrid, Valencia, Barcelona and Toledo, getting to traverse those cities and experience the beautiful landscapes as a team. When senior Cali Papez was asked about her experience, she made sure it was noted how much the time she spent with her teammates meant to her.
“I have to say my favorite part was getting to do it all with my team and getting to experience the different culture and see so many cool things,” Papez said. “It was nice getting to grow closer to my team and have it hopefully carry over into the season.”
Next, Augustana sent the softball program down to Costa Rica to take on their country’s national team, a contest that concluded after six innings in a 13-9 victory.
The Vikings took home more than just a victory, they also took home an experience of a lifetime, filled with the fun of whitewater rafting and snorkeling, as well as an outlet to learn more about an immensely magnificent culture.
The last stop takes the women’s lacrosse team to Portugal, where they took on the Spanish and Portuguese national teams for their scrimmages. As the other programs have mentioned, many of their takeaways were from not only the chance to see parts of the world they had never had the opportunity to, but also from embracing the culture they were spending much of their summer in. That remains true for the women’s lacrosse team.
Whether it be bonding with the Spanish and Portuguese national teams and participating in a “jersey swap” or trekking through the stunning landscapes that Lisbon, Sevilla and the Algarve Region all had to offer, the women’s lacrosse program made sure they made the most of their time. What they couldn’t find overseas, senior Elena Bechard said they found with themselves, as she couldn’t find a better group to spend that experience with.
“My biggest takeaway was just the impact my teammates had on me,” Bechard said. “They were all just being themselves, they know how to make me laugh. The amount of times I actually legitimately laughed and enjoyed myself with them, whether it was on the bus rides going to our new destinations, that was my biggest takeaway, my favorite part of it all.”
