Augustana’s men’s basketball team has had its ups and downs over the past two seasons but one thing remains the same – the Vikings continue to hold down a spot among the nation’s best.
The Vikings were ranked 20th in the nation in the Feb. 7th NCAA Division III poll, giving them a run of 25 straight weeks in the top 25. That streak survived a three-game losing streak in early January and the departure of 6-foot-9 junior starter Luke Scarlata after 10 games.
Augustana's Brandon Kunz of Lake Zurich, collides with an official while waiting to enter a recent game against North Central College. (Jeff Vorva/Tribune)
Last year the team, based in Rock Island, finished 27-4 and tied the school record for most wins in a season. This year, the Vikings were 17-5 through their first 22 games and assured themselves of their 12th straight winning season.
TribLocal athletes have had a hand in keeping the team among the nation’s elite.
Brian DeSimone, a senior guard who graduated from Buffalo Grove High School and is a Wheeling native, averaged 7.5 points per game and had a team-high 76 assists through 22 contests.
Brandon Kunz, a 6-foot-7 junior from Lake Zurich, was averaging 6.6 points, six rebounds and had 17 steals and a team-high 14 blocked shots coming mostly off the bench.
Other TribLocal-area athletes on the Vikings roster include Hersey’s Griffin Dwyer, Lyons Township’s Austin Lusson, Downers Grove South’s Danielius Jurgutis, a Darien native, Maine South’s Kevin Schlitter and Downers Grove North’s Kameron Norton.
Augustana's Elizabeth Phillips, a Lake Villa native and Grayslake North graduate, attempts to get by a North Central defender. (Jeff Vorva/Tribune)
The Vikings women’s team has been streaky this season, opening the season winning four straight and nine of its first 13 before dropping seven straight. The losing skid came after a 66-65 home victory over North Central Jan. 7 and ended with a 67-55 win over North Central in Naperville Feb. 4.
Downers Grove South’s Gianna Pecora, a junior guard and native of Darien, was averaging nine points per game and popped in a team-high 26 3-pointers through 21 games as the Vikings posted a 10-11 mark.
Other TribLocal-area players on the roster include Wheaton North’s Lauren Hoffman, a Winfield native, Vernon Hills’ Brianna Skeens, a Libertyville native, Grayslake North’s Elizabeth Phillips, a Lake Villa native, Willowbrook’s Jenna Dalton, a Lombard native, West Chicago’s Jessica Baids, Barrington’s Shelby Whigham, and Glenbard South’s Devon Di Iorio, a Glen Ellyn native.
