Trevon Johnson of Dawson-Boyd/Lac qui Parle/Montevideo United has committed to wrestling for Augustana University following his upcoming senior season.
Augustana Vikings
DII grants winter athletes further season-of-competition relief
Division II winter sport student-athletes who compete during the 2020-21 academic year will receive an additional season of competition through a waiver the Division II Management Council approved this week. In addition, student-athletes eligible for this waiver also will receive an extension of eligibility, according to a waiver previously approved by the Division II Administrative Committee.
The same flexibility was provided to spring sport athletes after their 2020 seasons were canceled and to fall student-athletes after the Division II Championships were canceled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Previously, the Administrative Committee approved a pair of waivers permitting all student-athletes who competed during the 2020-21 academic year an additional year of eligibility and season-of-competition opportunities if their team completed 50% or less of their sport’s maximum contests/dates of competition. That flexibility still applies for spring sport student-athletes in the 2021 season.
NSIC Cancels Fall Competition & Championships; Suspends All Sports Competition Through December 31
BURNSVILLE, Minn. – In light of the NCAA Board of Governors’ decision to direct all institutions and conferences to meet specific requirements to conduct fall sports and the NCAA Division II Presidents Council’s announcement that all NCAA Division II fall championships are canceled, the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference’s Board of Directors has canceled NSIC fall competition & championships, and has suspended all athletic competition through December 31, 2020.
The NSIC recognizes the value an NCAA championship experience provides for student-athletes and that was a factor in the analysis. However, health and safety concerns prevailed in the league’s decision. Additionally, current recommendations for testing, exposure, and quarantine make it very difficult for a season to be successfully completed at an institution or across the conference without severe disruptions.
Seven Home Matches Highlight 2020-21 Augustana Schedule
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – A seven-match home wrestling schedule and 14 regular season dates are part of the 2020-21 Augustana wrestling schedule announced Thursday.
The Vikings, coming off a second-place finish in the 2019-20 NSIC standings, open their season with a pair of open tournaments with the Jimmie Open (Nov. 7) and DWU Open (Nov. 14).
The home debut of the 2020-21 squad has Augustana hosting North Dakota State on Nov. 20 inside the Elmen Center, a facility that saw the Vikings go 6-1 in last season. Augustana makes it back-to-back matches with Division I foes, and members of the Big XII, as the Navy and Gold travel just up I29 to South Dakota State on Nov. 11.
Kelvington Awarded NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship
INDIANAPOLIS – Augustana wrestler Ben Kelvington has been awarded the prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship the NCAA recently announced.
The NCAA awards up to 126 postgraduate scholarships annually to student-athletes who excel academically and athletically and who are at least in their final year of intercollegiate athletics competition. The one-time $10,000 award is given three times a year, corresponding to each sport season (fall, winter and spring).
Kelvington, the NCAA Elite 90 winner and NSIC Elite 18 winner for holding the highest GPA at each championship event, was nominated by Dr. Marcia Entwistle, the Augustana faculty athletics representative (FAR).
“Ben exemplifies what it means to be an Augustana student-athlete,” Dr. Entwistle said. “Ben is a gifted athlete, talented scientific researcher, and impactful leader.”
Kelvington and Burnett Earn NWCA All-America Honors
MANHEIM, Pa. – The National Wrestling Coaches Association has announced the 2020 Division II All-America teams highlighted by Augustana’s Ben Kelvington and Hunter Burnett. This year’s selections were based on each wrestler’s overall body of work through the Super Regional Tournaments and up to the national championships, which were canceled due to COVID-19.
“With the cancellation of the national tournament the NWCA Division II leadership group thought it was still very appropriate to name All-Americans this year,” Jason Warthan, NWCA Division II President said. “The leadership group did a great job of weighing different options and polling the membership. We are happy that we can make the most out of an incredibly unfortunate situation.
NWCA Division II Coaches Group Announces 2020 All-America Teams
Manheim, PA – The National Wrestling Coaches Association has announced the 2020 Division II All-American teams. Each year the NWCA recognizes the outstanding work of the DII Student-athletes by naming the All-Americans based on their achievements in the national championship, however, this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic the championships were canceled.
All-American honors were based on each wrestler’s overall body of work through the super-regional tournaments and up to the national championships.
Augustana Wrestling Tabbed Fifth in NWCA Scholar All-America Rankings
MANHEIM, Penn. — The awards keep rolling in for the Augustana wrestling team after a fantastic 2019-20 campaign that featured a second-place finish in the NSIC standings and saw three wrestlers qualify for nationals. This time, the Vikings are being honored in the classroom, with the fifth-best team GPA in the country (3.336) which earned the Vikings NWCA Division II Scholar All-America honors the NWCA announced Monday afternoon.