Augustana ties for 15th at NCAA Division III Indoor Championships; five Viking athletes earn All-America honors; Tanner Osing's third place in the 3000 is top performance; Augustana wins six events and finishes second at CCIW meet; Isaac Smith named Outstanding Track Athlete for the second straight year
 
Led by senior Tanner Osing's (Havana HS, Havana, Ill.) third-place 8:21.58 in the 3000, a total of five Augustana athletes earned All-America honors at this year's NCAA Division III Championships in Naperville, Illinois. In addition to Osing, classmate Isaac Smith (Marion HS, Marion, Iowa) took seventh in the 400 (:50.18) and anchored a fifth-place effort in the 4x400 relay (3:17.62). Juniors Alex LaMendola (Dixon HS, Dixon, Ill.), Kyle Hucker (Wauconda HS, Wauconda, Ill.) and Josh Yamamoto (Fremd HS, Palatine, Ill.) ran the first three legs of the 1600 relay and garnered All-America recognition as well. Another highlight of this year's indoor season was Smith winning CCIW Track Athlete of the Meet for the second straight year. Behind six winning efforts, Coach Paul Olsen's Vikings finished second at the conference meet.
 
The season opened on January 14 at Dubuque's Sol Butler Classic. Behind great depth and a win by Travon Aldridge (Rock Island HS, Rock Island, Ill.), Alec Lidinsky (Sandwich HS, Sandwich, Ill.), Camilo Duarte (Kimberly HS, Kaukauna, Wis.) and Hucker in the 4x200 relay, Augustana bested 10 other squads for the team title.
 
The Vikings won five individual events and a relay a week later at Monmouth's Midwest Invitational, where no team scores were kept. Aldridge (60), Smith (300), Zachary Gray (Moline HS, Moline, Ill.) (800), Mitchell Johnson (Pleasant Plains HS, New Berlin, Ill.) (mile) and Brandon Wilkerson (Tri-Point HS, Stelle, Ill.) (5000) were individual winners, while Hucker, Clayton Sommers (Saydel HS, Des Moines, Ill.), Gray and Smith captured the 4x400 relay.
 
At Wisconsin-Whitewater's Squig Converse Invitational on January 27, Augustana finished fourth in a loaded nine-team field which included five squads that would finish in the top 15 at the national meet. Smith won the 400 and Olsen's distance medley relay of Justin Verlinden (United Township HS, East Moline, Ill.), Lucas Campbell (East Peoria HS, East Peoria, Ill.), Teddy Eckhardt (Prospect HS, Arlington Heights, Ill.) and Allan Daly (Winnebago HS, Winnebago, Ill.) also posted a victory.
 
The Vikings got wins from senior Marckus Simmons (Downers Grove North HS, Westmont, Ill.) in the weight throw and the 4x400 relay team (LaMendola, Yamamoto, Hucker and Smith) at the Olivet Nazarene Invitational on February 4. No team scores were compiled.
 
Smith, in the 400, and sophomore Patrick Crompton (Hood River HS, Hood River, Ore.), in the pole vault, were winners at Grinnell's Darren Young Classic on February 11, as Olsen's bunch came out on top of an 11-team field.
 
Augustana's 4x400 relay (Yamamoto, LaMendola, Hucker and Smith) and distance medley relay of Verlinden, Omar Medina (Batavia HS, Batavia, Ill.), Mike Mankowski (Gardner-South Wilmington HS, Gardner, Ill.) and Joseph Teresi (Minooka HS, Channahon, Ill.) copped victories at Dubuque's Spartan Invitational on February 17. The Vikings finished third among eight squads in the team standings.
 
At the CCIW Championships at Illinois Wesleyan on February 24-25, Smith defended his 200-meter title and won the 400 as well, earning Athlete of the Meet honors for the second straight year and helping the Vikings take second place in the team standings. Osing won the 3000 and led off a winning effort in the distance medley relay, where he was followed by Jeffrey Swanson (Winnebago HS, Winnebago, Ill.) and Gray, with Johnson anchoring. Aldridge and Simmons were conference champions as well, in the triple jump and weight throw, respectively. Aldridge was also CCIW indoor triple jump champ in 2015.
 
Behind the three All-America performances at the national meet on March 10-11, the Vikings tallied 12 points to tie with Wisconsin-River Falls for 15th in the team standings. It was Augustana's ninth indoor top-20 national finish under Olsen since 1995 and the fourth in the last five years. Simmons and Ethan Ehlers (St. Joseph HS, Kenosha, Wis.) also qualified, finishing 13th in the weight throw and 14th in the shot put, respectively.
 

2017 CCIW INDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIP
February 24-25*** Illinois Wesleyan University *** Bloomington, Illinois
TEAM SCORES: 1. North Central 195.5; 2. AUGUSTANA 142; 3. Carthage 80; 4. Wheaton 76; 5. Illinois Wesleyan 47.5; 6. Millikin 42; 7. Carroll 34; 8. North Park 28; 9. Elmhurst 18
 
INDIVIDUAL EVENT WINNERS
60 – Victor Ogbebor, Elmhurst :06.96
200 – Isaac Smith, AUGUSTANA :22.30
400 – Isaac Smith, AUGUSTANA :48.46
800 – Grant Marton, Carroll 1:53.22
Mile – Kieran DeGroot, Carroll 4:19.92
3000 – Tanner Osing, AUGUSTANA 8:23.80
5000 – Dhruvil Patel, North Central 14:38.22
60 Hurdles – Tommy Cole, Wheaton :08.30
4x400 Relay – North Central 3:20.50
Distance Medley Relay – Tanner Osing, Jeffrey Swanson, Zachary Gray, Mitchell Johnson, AUGUSTANA 10:24.87
High Jump – Collin Gray, Wheaton 6' 7½"
Pole Vault – Luke Winder, North Central 17' 5½"
Long Jump – Jacob Segrest, Millikin 23' 3½"
Triple Jump – Travon Aldridge, AUGUSTANA 45' 8½"
Shot Put –  Jacob Menard, Carthage 50' 2¾"
Weight Throw –  Marckus Simmons, AUGUSTANA 58' 11½"
Heptathlon – Rasmus Elfgaard, North Park 4,828
 
2017 AUGUSTANA SUPERLATIVES
FINAL INDOOR NATIONAL DUAL MEET RANKING – 4th
FINAL INDOOR MIDWEST REGION DUAL MEET RANKING – 4th
NCAA DIVISION III NATIONAL INDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIP – Tanner Osing, 3000 – 3rd (8:21.58); Alex LaMendola, Kyle Hucker, Josh Yamamoto, Isaac Smith, 4x400 relay – 5th (3:17.62); Isaac Smith, 400 – 7th (:50.18); Marckus Simmons, Weight throw – 13th (56' 5¾"); Ethan Ehlers, Shot put – 14th (50' 2¾")
NCAA DIVISION III NATIONAL MEET QUALIFIERS – Tanner Osing (3000); Alex LaMendola, Kyle Hucker, Josh Yamamoto, Isaac Smith (4x400 relay); Isaac Smith (400); Marckus Simmons (Weight throw); Ethan Ehlers (Shot put)
INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL RECORDS – None
NCAA DIVISION III CHAMPIONSHIPS –Tied for 15th with 12 points
CCIW MOST OUTSTANDING TRACK PERFORMER – Isaac Smith
CCIW JACK SWARTZ AWARD WINNER: Isaac Smith
COLLEGE CONFERENCE OF ILLINOIS & WISCONSIN ACADEMIC ALL-CONFERENCE – Travon Aldridge, Kevin Barbian, Austin Burant, Tyler Burns, Kevin Claus, Patrick Crompton, Rashaun DeBord, Eric DeMattia, Kevin Donovan, Camilo Duarte, Logan Enstrom, Zachary Gray, Daniel Herrera, Kyle Hucker, Stephen Lavelle, Alec Lidinsky, Mike Mankowski, Tanner Osing, Christopher Saladin, Lester Sander, Whitaker Siaw, Isaac Smith, Jeffrey Swanson, Joseph Teresi, Justin Verlinden, Nathan Wendt, Cody Wheeler, Brandon Wilkerson, Rob Williams
COLLEGE CONFERENCE OF ILLINOIS & WISCONISN "ATHLETE OF THE WEEK" – Isaac Smith (Track – 01/31/17); Marckus Simmons (Field – 02/07/17)
TEAM INVITATIONAL TITLES – Sol Butler Invitational (12 teams), Dubuque, Iowa, 01/14/17; Darren Young Indoor Classic (11 teams), Grinnell, Iowa, 02/11/17
 
INVITATIONAL INDIVIDUAL & RELAY CHAMPIONS
Sol Butler Classic in Dubuque, Iowa on 01/14/17 – 4x200 relay (Travon Aldridge, Alec Lidinsky, Camilo Duarte, Kyle Hucker) 1:31.61
 
Midwest Indoor Invitational in Monmouth, Illinois on 01/21/17 – 60 (Travon Aldridge) :07.20... 300 (Isaac Smith) :34.89... 800 (Zachary Gray) 2:00.20... Mile (Mitchell Johnson) 4:27.42... 5000 (Brandon Wilkerson) 16:00.85... 4x400 relay (Kyle Hucker, Clayton Sommers, Zachary Gray, Isaac Smith) 3:25.43
 
Leonard "Squig" Converse Invitational in Whitewater, Wisconsin on 01/27/17 – 400 (Isaac Smith) :49.68... Distance medley relay (Justin Verlinden, Lucas Campbell, Teddy Eckhardt, Allan Daly) 11:25.92
 
Olivet Nazarene Invitational in Bourbonnais, Illinois on 02/04/17 – Weight throw (Marckus Simmons) 58' 7½"... 4x400 relay (Alex LaMendola, Josh Yamamoto, Kyle Hucker, Isaac Smith) 3:21.04
 
Grinnell Darren Young Indoor Classic in Grinnell, Iowa on 02/11/17 – Pole vault (Patrick Crompton) 14' 7¼"... 400 (Isaac Smith) :48.93
 
Spartan Invitational in Dubuque, Iowa on 02/17/17 – 4x400 relay (Josh Yamamoto, Alex LaMendola, Kyle Hucker, Isaac Smith) 3:18.00... Distance medley relay (Justin Verlinden, Omar Medina, Mike Mankowski, Joseph Teresi) 10:57.91
 
Carthage Qualifier in Kenosha, Wisconsin on 03/03/17 – Shot put (Ethan Ehlers) 53' 10½"