[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Pages 3833-3834]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     CONGRATULATING THE AUGUSTANA UNIVERSITY MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM

 Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I wish to congratulate the 
Augustana University men's basketball team as they celebrate winning 
their first National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA, Division II 
men's basketball championship.
  The Augustana Vikings men's basketball team had an outstanding 
season, finishing with a school record 34 wins and only 2 losses. Their 
formidable opponents in the championship game, the Lincoln Memorial 
Railsplitters, were on a 24-game winning streak before facing 
Augustana. The first half of the game was close, with the two teams 
exchanging the lead. The Vikings maintained their lead throughout the 
entirety of the second half, however, and eventually won 90-81.
  The Vikings are coached by Tom Billeter, who has led the Vikings to 
seven NCAA tournament appearances during his 13-year career with the 
school. Three senior Vikings players, Alex Richter, Daniel Jansen, and 
Casey Schilling, were named to the Elite Eight All-Tournament team, and 
all three scored more than 20 points during the championship game. 
Richter was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament, and 
Jansen was recognized as the 2016 National Association of Basketball 
Coaches' Division II Player of the Year.
  On behalf of the State of South Dakota, I am pleased to congratulate 
the Augustana Vikings men's basketball team on this impressive 
accomplishment. I commend the players and coaching staff for all of 
their hard work and wish them the best of luck in future 
seasons.

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