Augustana Athletics

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Basketball had another misstep as strong Concordia squads swept both teams this weekend.  Despite Coach Dave Drabiuk being hospitalized, the men started out strong on Thursday night, leading by as many as 6 before eventually falling 92-80. Mike McCorquindale and Kevin Barnes led the offence with 19 and 18 points respectively. The following night, however, the men took a step backwards dropping the game 96-74. McCorquindale lead the Vikings once again with 16 points, while Alex Butts contributed 14 points and 11 rebounds. With the losses, both teams now sit in sixth place on the North. They’ll be looking to rebound this weekend as they host the Grande Prairie Wolves, starting Friday night.

Height: 5’11
Year: 1
Position: Left Side
Hometown: Camrose
High School: Camrose Composite
Favorite Sports Movie: Remember the Titans
Favorite Professional Athlete: Kara Lang
Pregame meal: Pasta
Pregame Ritual: Mental focus and visualization

Back in high school, Meredith Carlson had no aspirations about playing volleyball.

“Growing up my main sport was soccer,” says Carlson, “However I tore my ACL and after I finished rehab I switched to volleyball.”

This would lead to playing club volleyball in Edmonton where she played on one of the top programs in the province. After taking a two year break upon graduation, during which she spent six months in Australia, Carlson has returned to the sport, in her home town no less, with the Vikings women’s volleyball team. 5’11 left side hitter has been integral to the Vikings’ success. As of November 7, she leads the league in total kills and sits second in kills per-game. Stats take a back seat to winning, however, as she has just one opportunity to win an ACAL championship.

“I’m planning on taking nursing at Grant MacEwan next semester, so I want to make the most of this season,” says Carlson, “plus, everyone on our team has high expectations, so anything less than winning won’t do.” She’ll get that chance this weekend, as the girls head off to Calgary for ACAL Final Four at Ambrose.

Basketball had another misstep as strong Concordia squads swept both teams this weekend. The women were a step behind the Thunder both nights; losing 87-41 on Thursday and 92-60 on Friday. Amy Tweedie led the Vikings in scoring with 11 on Thursday and 16 on Friday.

Despite nearly giving up a significant lead in the third, the Vikings hockey team came a way with a win in their lone league game this past week. Taking on the Portage Voyageurs, the Vikings held a 6-1 lead going into the third yet allowed the Voyageurs to get back into the game. Fortunately, they were able to hang on for the 6-4 win. Quinn Amiel scored four goals, including three on the power play, (tying a league record), while Colin Stebner made 35 saves for the win. The Vikings now prepare for an important matchup with the Concordia Thunder at Encana Arena on Wednesday night, as they will contend for sole possession of third place in the ACAC.

Both volleyball squads ended the regular season with 3-1 wins over the Portage Voyageurs. Team Captain Tamara Armstrong was named player of the game for the girls and veteran Luke Lindholm was given the honor for the guys. The focus now shifts to ACAL Final Four, which will be hosted by Ambrose University College on Nov. 20-21. The women finished the season in second place with a record of 12-2, which matches them against the Olds Broncos. The girls look to avenge their disappointing loss to Olds earlier this season. This will be Coach Jordana Tigchelaar’s last championship appearance. A five set loss to Ambrose was the lone blemish on the men’s season as they finished the season at 11-1, tops in the ACAL. To set up an ideal rematch with rival Ambrose, they will first have to get through Portage.

The Augustana Campus of the University of Alberta hosted the CCAA Cross Country Running Championships November 14th on the Rotary Trails here in Camrose. This was the highest quality field in history of nationals, some of best young runners in Canada. For the first time all 5 conferences were represented in extraordinarily good conditions given the time of year. Camrosians turned out in record style to support the Vikings side. The event featured a cultural side as well as Viking food, drink and a Viking ship were part of the action.

The Augustana team competed in an extraordinary fashion as almost everyone of the Vikings Runners posted a personal best. An incredible feat in a very difficult sport.

For the Augustana women Kathryn Stone led the way with a personal best placing 10th, helping to lead her conference to a gold medal. Patricia Leighton followed this with a personal best, beating her previous times by 27 seconds in her last race as a Viking.

Emily Cole and Shara Harke posted great results in their 1st nationals for rookies. The women’s team posted a best result this season as they tied Red Deer in points for fourth place at the National Championships.

The Augustana men in a similar fashion did not disappoint. Each of the top six runners improved significantly on their peronal bests. Local talent David Arial placed in the top ten, helping the ACAC to another conference gold medal by beating the Augustana course record by 30 seconds. Andrew Brisbin, after suffering from the flu earlier this month, beat his own personal best on the Augustana course by a full three minutes. The Rookie members of the squad, Devin Woodland and David Shantz also posted incredible times.

As a team the men placed 5th but were only one minute from posting a third place finish. Coach Gerhard Lotz and Robert Renman siad,” We could not have asked for a better effort from our team. Results for the nationals are posted at:http://www.runaugustanaccaa09.ca/en/results/

This Friday November 13th will be Jordana Tigchelaar’s last home game as head coach of the Augustana Vikings Women’s Volleyball team. After 14 years of initiating, establishing and consolidating the finest women’s volleyball program in the ACAL, Jordana will step down to do the same with her young family.

Since the inception of the ACAL in 1996 the Vikings women’s team has won the conference 8 times and been a conference finalist on 3 other occasions. In addition, the Vikings placed second at last year’s Western Canadian Championships.

Countless players have been beneficiaries of a great intercollegiate experience.  She has placed 18 players on All Conference teams (more than twice any other school) and 3 players on Western Canadian All- star teams. She currently has a 159-10 coaching record in the ACAL, which included winning the school’s first 5 titles from 1997-2003, during which her team had a record of 71-1.

Jordana, who hails from Ponoka, has been a passionate supporter of Volleyball in East Central Alberta not only with the Vikings, but also with club volleyball and the Camrose adult leagues. After getting her degree from Augustana and playing for their club team, she was one of the pioneers of the league that the school currently competes in.

“The Augustana Community has been fortunate to have Jordana build such a fine program”, stated Greg Ryan Director of Athletics.

This Friday night all staff are invited to the Convocation Centre Gymnasium for a brief courtside ceremony at 6:20pm. The game will follow at 6:30 with a reception to follow in the lobby immediately following the game.

A search for a Women’s Volleyball Coach will begin shortly.

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The Vikings hockey learned the importance of taking every matchup seriously this past weekend as they split the home and away series with the Macewan Griffins. Coming into Friday’s matchup at Encana, Macewan sat at the bottom of the ACAC, but were able to double up on the Vikings that night, 8-4, for their first win of the season. Saturday night in Leduc showcased a much stronger effort from the Vikings as they steamrolled the Griffins 7-2. The Vikings dominated the from start to finish. Both MacEwan goals were scored on their Power-Play, while Vikings spread out their attack all night. Torrie Dyck was Game Star with 2 more goals (1 short-handed) and an assist as he continues to lead the ACAC in scoring after the first 10 games. Dan Hope added a goal and 3 assists for a 4 point night while Travis Simpson scored his first goal in his ACAC career. Colin Stebner was very solid in goal as he helped the team rebound from Friday's poor performance.

The split moves the Vikings to 6-3-1, and fourth place in League standings.

The road to the ACAL championship will much more difficult this year than it has been in past years for the women’s volleyball team. They started the week strong by cruising to a 3-0 victory at home on Thursday night against CUC. However, the rest of the weeks’ action proved more challenging as they traveled up north to Lac La Biche for a pair of matches, starting with the Olds Broncos.

The girls’ inconsistent execution and the Broncos well rounded play resulted in a 16-14 loss in the fifth set for the Vikings. This is the first time the Vikings have lost two matches in league play in over two years. The girls had little time to reflect on the loss, however, as they were up again right away against the St. Mary’s Lightning. The second match was almost identical to the first other than one notable exception as the girls were able to pull away in the end and take the match 3-2. While the weekend didn’t go well, the girls now know what it will take to repeat as league champs. They end their regular season at home on Friday, November 13, against the Portage Voyageurs.

It wasn’t pretty, but the men’s volleyball team retained their hold on first place this past week with a pair of victories over teams fighting for playoff spots. First up was their matchup against CUC, which the Vikings won 3-1. While the boys were inconsistent, they were still able to put on a show for the fans at home and several rookies took advantage of court time by putting in a solid effort. The team then traveled up to Lac La Biche, where they faced the Olds Broncos in a mini tournament. After cruising through the first two sets with ease, the Vikings lost focus in the third, dropping the set 28-26. Fortunately, they refocused and took the match 3-1. The guys can clinch first place with win against Portage in their final league match on Friday night.

Height: 5'11"
Position: Left side
Year: 3
Hometown: Calgary
High School: Sir Winston Churchill
Degree: Double major in Phys. Ed. and History
Pregame Ritual: You will have to ask John
Favorite Sports Movie: The Replacements
Favorite Professional Athlete: Gilberto Amaury de Godoy Filho

Jon McCorquindale’s return from injury back on October 31 was familiar territory for the third year left side hitter. After being sidelined most of last season with a foot injury, McCorquindale rejoined the starting lineup for the ACAL final against the Ambrose Lions where he played an integral part in the Vikings win, posting 10 kills, as well as chipping in with several digs and blocks. After sitting out the Vikings first meeting with the Lions this year, (which they lost 15-13 in the fifth set), he hit the floor again last weekend in fine form and pounded in 13 kills to help the Vikings four set victory.

“It’s been nice this year, being able to play front row,” says Jon, “I’ve finally started to jump as high as I could in my first year.”

The return to form is coming just in time, as both volleyball teams are anticipating the jump to ACAC next year. This will be especially rewarding for the ACAL all star, as he did not plan on playing volleyball when he first began attending Augustana.

“I just wanted to go somewhere that was a change from Calgary and had small class sizes” says Jon, “But after meeting Tom I decided to join the team and it’s been a lot of fun since then.”

In preparation for the change, the team’s culture and roster have undergone several changes, which have been difficult to adapt to, but will pay off in the long run.
“It’s been hard seeing friends go and having so many new faces come in,” says Jon, “but now everyone on our team can step in and get the job done when asked, and with having more intense practices, this will help us in preparing for next season.”

Until then, however, there is a pair of trophies to defend.

“As much as I’m looking forward to next year, there are still things to settle,” says Jon, “I’d love to go out a winner and beating Ambrose in their own gym would be a good place to start.”

Trivia:

• Hometown: Leduc
• Height: 5’9
• Position: Leftside
• Year of study: third
• Degree: Bachelor of Management
• Sports background: Grew up involved in several sports, particularly in hockey and ringette, in the 8 grade she finally gave in to her coach’s pleadings for her to join the volleyball team.
• On the difference between this team and last year: Being a veteran is a fun change. It’s nice to see the experience and composure from the veteran’s combine with the tenacity and energy of the rookies.
• On the campus and city: Love the campus and city. Living on campus is the best way to meet people and this campus is particularly great. It’s also great that the community takes an active interest in the school.
• Personal goal: to provide motivation and support for all the girls and to be a good captain.
• Team goal: Win ACAL and Western’s.
• Favorite sports movie: Remember the Titans, because the history and the story of perseverance.
• Plans for Future: Immediate, take management or marketing position with a WHL or AJHL hockey team. Eventually, would like to attain same position with either Hockey Canada or IIHF.
• Favorite athlete: Hayley Wickenheiser, for keeping humble roots, showing patriotism, and persevering through tough times.
• Pregame routine: Don’t eat much, just some fruit, and play music and focus.
• Playing style: Gritty, work hard on defence, make shots to get kills, tool blocks.
• Thoughts on ACAC next year: excited

Article:
As the prospect of competing in the ACAC next year looms over the Vikings women’s volleyball team, Tamara Armstrong can’t wait.“I’m excited for next year,” says the third year outside hitter, “it will be nice to compete against good teams every night instead of once or twice a year.”

Hailing from Leduc, Alberta, Tamara was involved in competitive sports throughout her childhood, but back then, if someone said she would one day play college volleyball, she would probably have scoffed at the idea.

“I played hockey and ringette growing up,” says the 5’9 Armstrong, “and I thought volley ball was lame, but I gave in to my 8th grade coach’s badgering and gave the sport a try. I was fairly successful thanks to my height, and I fell in love with it.”

Volleyball, and the opportunity to attain a degree in Management, has led her to the Vikings, were she has been a consistent performer and dependable leader for the program, leading to her new responsibility as captain.

“I haven’t found it to be a big change from last year,” says Armstrong, “outside the court I was already an organizer last year. The most important thing this year is to provide constant support and motivation to my teammates and do my part on the court.” And on the court she has not disappointed, as evidenced in the women’s home opener against the Concordia Thunder, where she helped the team to a 3-1 victory through spectacular serving and consistent back row play while chipping in on offense with 12 kills.

Armstrong is enrolled in Bachelor of Management and hopes to eventually get a management/marketing position with a hockey federation.

The Augustana Campus of the University of Alberta is pleased to announce the appointment of Hans Skinstad as Interim Head Coach of the Vikings Biathlon team. This is the second time Hans has served as Head Coach of the team, acting as Head Coach from 1980-1986 of the Camrose Lutheran College Vikings.

Hans brings tremendous experience to the Biathlon program, holding 32 National Championship medals as an athlete. He skied in two World Championships and represented Canada as a Cross Country Skier in the Olympic Games in 1976. Hans got his start in Biathlon by serving in Norway’s Biathlon National Guard from1978 and served to 1991.

Over the years Hans has placed 11 athletes on the National Biathlon team including Olympians Glenn Rupertus, Yvonne Visser and Jane Isakson. He served as the National Biathlon Team Head Coach in the 1988 Olympics in Calgary. He was also the National Women’s Coach for two World Championships. He coached his sons Kai and Jon from 2001-2009 as well as serving as an assistant coach for the Vikings Cross-Country Ski team. “I see great potential in Augustana’s unique Biathlon team,” stated Hans. “Augustana is the only post-secondary Biathlon program in the country, thus allowing student athletes to pursue their passion for biathlon”.

“I am pleased to have Hans take over the reins of a program that has been served so well by the previous Biathlon coaches” Said Director of Athletics Greg Ryan. Athlete Alicia Hurley expressed the following sentiment, “ We are looking forward to the experience and technical background that Hans can bring to the team in both skiing and shooting. The new and returning athletes will all benefit from the depth of his knowledge.”

Despite a valiant effort, injuries and illness prevented the Vikings hockey team from achieving their desired result. After overcoming a two goal deficit late in the third period on Wednesday to earn a 4-4 tie, the Vikings were unable to a hold a one nothing lead in third on Friday, resulting in a 5-2 loss. Augustana now sits in fourth in league standings and are three points out of first place.

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While the women fared better than the men this weekend, they were still unable to come up with a win against the Grant MacEwan Griffins. The scores were GMU 63- Vikings 52 and GMU 72 Vikings 60.

The Augustana men’s basketball team battled themselves more than their opponent this past weekend, as they took on Grant Macewan in a home and away series. The Vikings stayed with the Griffins for most of Friday’s contest but fell to the Griffins 79-87. On Saturday night, the Vikings were still in the game after the first half trailing by nine, but were unable to keep up with Macewan, losing 54-95.

Height: 5'6"
Year: 5
Hometown: Edson
High School: Parkland Comp.
Major: Mathematics & Physics
Favorite Sports Movie: Space Jam

Most college athletes come to school after being recruited and preparing themselves for the physical challenge of competition. Reba Murphy’s journey however, was anything but.

“I’ve been a closet runner for sometime,” says the fifth year student and second year cross-country runner, “But I had never really considered competing. Last year however, after a lot of encouragement, I decided to try out for the running team. And I’ve had a blast since.”

Murphy came to Augustana hoping to enjoy the sense of community that comes from a small campus. Cross-country running has been icing on the cake.

“I just hope that I can do part to consistently improve and peak by the time we host nationals.”

That period will soon end for Murphy, as Augustana will host cross-country running nationals Nov. 14. For Cross Country Fans you can watch the event from anywhere near Stoney Creek park on November 14th. Race times are 12:30 women and 1:30 men.