Athletics advance under Viking Bold
Plan creates academic, performance goals for student athletes
This is the third part of a continuing series of Viking Bold.
Augustana’s new 154,000 square-foot arena has captured the attention of many campus community members in recent weeks after it first opened to the public on Jan. 26. Midco Arena, though, is only one focus of the athletic pillar of Augustana’s 10-year strategic plan.
Viking Bold’s athletic pillar outlines goals of elevating the academic and athletic experiences of student athletes and engaging the Sioux Falls community in Augustana Athletics.
Academic Initiatives
Part 1a of the pillar centers on deepening the balance between athletics and academics by creating liaison support in the Student Success Center, developing a missed class time policy, expanding summer scheduling options and developing internships for students.
“While [we’ve] had this competitive excellence, the academic piece has kept up too,” Josh Morton, vice president of athletics, said. “Our athletes continue to do wonderful things in the classroom.”
Tim Homan, a career and academic planning specialist in the Student Success Center, currently works with student athletes to provide academic support and bridge any communication gaps between athletics and academics. Before his arrival in 2019, Augustana did not have a designated CAP specialist for working with student athletes.
“What is really emphasized, and the coaches emphasize, is that I’m there to help students if they’re having trouble,” Homan said.
According to Homan, some of his responsibilities include helping students with their academic planner and class schedules, as well as attending as many sporting events as possible.
“Just ensuring that we don’t lose sight of why [student athletes] are here and that is to get a great degree from Augustana,” Emily Punt, assistant athletics director for strategic partnerships, said. “Tim having the athletic background that he does, I think [he] is just kind of the perfect person.”
Since Homan began working at Augustana, he has helped structure the missed class time policy, which is a set of procedures that outlines how student athletes and professors account for and make up missed class time due to travel and sporting events.
According to Morton, such procedures have existed before Viking Bold but have recently been formalized due to NCAA encouragement.
“It’s about the communication with each other, and faculty have been very, very good at working with students and coaches,” Homan said.
Fifth-year football player Haden Wallace said the missed class time policy has streamlined communication for everyone involved.
“With such a small campus, the professors are very understanding, and they’ll help you as long as you are making an effort too,” Wallace said
The recent increase in the scheduling options for summer classes offers student athletes additional academic opportunities.
Senior Caroline Sudbeck, a track and field and cross country athlete, said summer classes have allowed her to take classes she never thought possible, like “Native American Social Systems” and an environmental studies study abroad course in Alaska.
“The ‘Native American Social Systems’ class was really nice to have available in the summertime so that I did not have to take it as a night class during the school year,” Sudbeck said. “If I would have taken it as a night class, it would have been very difficult to make it in time from practice and supper.”
According to Morton, the expansion of summer courses has differentiated Augustana from other institutions and provided flexibility for students who stay in Sioux Falls throughout the summer months.
“We do find that more and more of our athletes stay here for the summer because they can get a good job,” Morton said. “They can get an internship because of our community size and the way they support Augustana, so how can we make it kind of a win-win to be able to allow them to take credits at the same time?”
As well as expanding summer course options, Augustana Athletics has expanded its in-house internship opportunities. For example, according to Punt, students have opportunities to help with event management, fan experience and marketing.
“While there’s tons and tons of opportunities out there for students to take advantage of, we don’t want them to forget that they can still learn a lot at Augustana, and there’s a lot of opportunities with Augustana Athletics,” Punt said.
Health, performance training
Part 1b of the Viking Bold athletic pillar discusses expanding student-athlete health and performance training through partnerships, such as those with Sanford Health, GreatLIFE and Prairie Farms.
According to Morton, Augustana’s partnership with Sanford Health has existed for decades and provides student athletes with access to an orthopedic surgeon, a team doctor and multiple athletic trainers.
“It’s just a lot of layers to the relationship, and that team is as strong as it has ever been,” Morton said.
Punt said the Sanford Health partnership is crucial to Augustana Athletics and continues to deepen as the Viking Bold plan develops.
“As we grow and add sports and add student athletes, the need for medical support and athletic training support continues to grow,” Punt said. “There are a lot more athletes to take care of and prevent injuries and help when there are injuries.”
Junior soccer player Delaney Kost and senior softball player Gracey Brink said the partnership has benefited the function of their respective teams.
According to Kost, the partnership has made communication between her trainer and doctor more effective and personalized to her performance needs.
“It’s super nice that we have it on campus, and they’re readily available everyday, so if something random just does pop up, you have that choice to go there and see it and then get it fixed rather than having to worry about scheduling or anything like that,” Brink said.
In addition to increased medical staff, the performance training model also includes an increase in staff and facilities. Since the beginning of Viking Bold, Augustana has added the Midco Arena, which includes an ice rink, weight room and other amenities for student athletes.
The GreatLIFE Strength and Conditioning Center is a weight room available for all athletic teams to use and includes a mix of weight training equipment and cardio machines.
Wallace said he thinks the new strength and conditioning center will allow Augustana sports programs to be the best they can. Brink said she wishes this addition could have happened sooner.
“I wish I could have had it all five years, but it has been awesome to be able to be in there now,” Brink said. “It’s brand new and sparkly. The tools that we have available now with that is just really cool.”
The weight room also includes cabinets and counter space, known as the Prairie Farms Fueling Station, which allows athletes to grab a snack or drink post-workout. Options include chocolate milk provided by Prairie Farms and beef jerky provided by the South Dakota Beef Industry Council.
In addition to the construction of the Midco Arena, Bowden Field — the softball stadium — has received a renovation since the beginning of Viking Bold. The facility now has new turf, grandstands and dugouts with a team room.
“It makes it super easy because we can have our lunches there between games or keep our snacks in there during practice,” Brink said.
Brink said she and her team are enjoying the facilities, and she believes it will appeal to prospective students, which President Stephanie Herseth Sandlin seconded.
“When you have nice facilities, it enhances the student athlete experience, especially for the teams that are traveling,” Herseth Sandlin said.
