NEW SPORTS COMING TO AU: Beginning in Fall 2021

NEW SPORTS COMING TO AU

| BY D.J. IRWIN, GRADUATE ASSISTANT, AUGUSTANA ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS

In November of 2020, Augustana University announced the addition of two sports set to begin with the 2021-22 academic year. Men’s swimming & diving and the NCAA emerging sport of women’s acrobatics & tumbling will bring the Vikings’ athletics offerings to 21 sports.

“A key part of our strategic plan, Viking Bold: The Journey to 2030, is to provide new opportunities for students that also help fuel enrollment growth,” President Stephanie Herseth Sandlin said. “These two sport additions do just that, and we’re excited about the student-athletes these programs will attract as we continue building momentum here at Augustana.”

Augustana Men’s Swimming & Diving will be led by the current Augustana Women’s Swimming & Diving Head Coach Lindsie Micko. Micko started the women’s team from scratch after being hired in 2015. Since then, she has coached two student-athletes to three All-America honors, one NSIC Swimmer of the Year and three NSIC Freshmen of the Year, along with 27 All-NSIC honorees. Augustana Men’s Swimming & Diving will be the 10th men’s sport at the university and the only Division II men’s program in South Dakota. The future of the Augustana Men’s Swimming & Diving team is undoubtedly in great hands as it builds its first squad in 2021. The addition, however, will not only benefit future male swimmers and divers, but also the women’s swimming & diving team at the university. “The women are extremely excited to add the men’s team,” Micko said. “Not only does it bring more swimmers and divers to campus, it creates a great training environment for both men and women. “As club swimmers, they swim together and doing the same at the collegiate level will only enhance both programs. It will also open up opportunities for women who only want to look at schools that have swimming and diving as a co-ed sport.” While adding an entire team to an athletics department requires a lot of work behind the scenes, coach Micko is confident that after adding the women’s team just five years ago, the addition of the men’s team will be a little less strenuous. She has a clear vision for men’s swimming & diving at Augustana and is already focused on building team culture, leadership, rules, expectations, travel and competitions. “Adding the men’s team will open up competition opportunities for both teams. Most co-ed teams look to invite other teams that are also co-ed,” added Micko. In addition to the new men’s team, the women’s team officially signed its first diver in the fall of 2020 and is set to begin diving competition in the fall of 2021, after fielding a swimming-only team since 2016. “It’s an important part of the program,” Micko said. “As we build our diving program, we will become more competitive in dual meets, conference championships and NCAA meets. Our team is excited to add divers and see how we can continue to grow as a program.” “Men’s swimming & diving will be a great complement to what coach Micko has been building on the women’s side,” Director of Athletics Josh Morton said. “It’s also exciting to add an NCAA emerging sport for women at the same time.

BEGINNING IN FALL 2021

“Acrobatics & tumbling will be a great addition not only for the Augustana community, but for Sioux Falls as well, and we’re proud to be part of a university that is always looking at unique and innovative ways to grow and serve students.”

The Augustana Acrobatics & Tumbling team will be the 11th women’s varsity sport at the university.

Acrobatics & tumbling was added to the NCAA emerging sports list in August of 2020, after receiving backing from the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics in 2019. Augustana becomes the 36th institution nationwide to offer the sport, the 25th in NCAA Division II and the first in the region. The closest institution to Augustana offering the sport is 519 miles away.

The National Collegiate Acrobatics & Tumbling Association (NCATA) expects increased interest and program announcements, as well as interest within conferences to add acrobatics & tumbling as a championship sport. Current membership includes 34 NCAA programs across all divisions and two National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) members. To be considered for NCAA Championship status, a sport must have a minimum of 40 NCAA members competing.

Acrobatics & tumbling is the evolution of different disciplines of gymnastics, which includes the athletic aspects of competitive cheerleading. Individuals and small groups execute acrobatic lifts, tosses and tumbling. The format was created at the collegiate level to address the interest and abilities of young women competing in this skill set.

With little opportunity throughout the country to continue acrobatics & tumbling in college, combined with strong high school gymnastics and cheerleading programs in the region surrounding Augustana, the athletics department sees great opportunity and value in adding a competitive team at the collegiate level for student-athletes and fans in Sioux Falls and the surrounding area.

“At Augustana, we are always looking at ways to differentiate ourselves, and acrobatics & tumbling fits that mindset,” said Morton. “It’s a fan-friendly, fast-moving sport that I know will bring even more excitement when they compete at the Elmen Center.”

Meets include six events, all of which are held on the floor and in varying group sizes. The team will practice and compete in the aforementioned Elmen Center on Augustana’s campus. Augustana Acrobatics & Tumbling will look to build community relationships with local gymnastics organizations in the Sioux Falls area.

“We are thrilled to welcome Augustana to the National Collegiate Acrobatics & Tumbling Association family, and honored to be part of the growth of their athletics department,” NCATA President Dr. Renee Baumgartner said. “During this challenging time, all new opportunities being created for young women to compete at the collegiate level are important and exciting.”

Augustana Athletics has begun its search for a head coach. n