A night of cheers, legacy: The Ole’s celebrate Augustana athletes

After months of dedication on the field, court, ice, track and mat, Augustana athletes came together to celebrate the 2024–25 season at the annual Ole’s awards ceremony on Monday, May 5. The beloved ceremony gives awards to student athletes and athletic staff members for a number of different reasons, ranging from male and female “Athlete of the Year,” the “Dynamic Duo” and the “Not Top 10” award.

The Ole’s began in 2022 after a conversation between Senior Associate Athletic Director Kimberly Miller and tennis coaches Marc Kurtz and Eric Weisser sparked the idea for a campus-wide athletic banquet.

“The question was asked, ‘Why did we not have an all student-athlete banquet?’” Miller said. 

They didn’t let the idea remain a ‘what-if’ — they made it happen. With Weisser leading the way with his generosity and selflessness, the plan for the first-ever all-student-athlete banquet in Augustana history was set. And thanks to the dedicated planning of former Augustana athletes and SAAC members Kait Asklund ‘22 and Erika Bute ‘24, student athletes look forward to the Ole’s every year.

This year was no exception. As familiar faces walked through the doors of the Midco Arena in their black-tie attire, the building erupted with excitement. Junior swimmer and photographer Peyton Bartsch manned a candid photo station for students to pose with their friends and teammates. Tasteful food and drinks were provided, and a mix of music and laughter filled the air as the Vikings enjoyed each other's company before the show started. 

Eventually, the students took their seats in the stands. Senior wrestler Kenneth Lenger and graduate student softball player Lexi Lander took the stage that was set up on the ice. 

To start off the night, Lenger and Lander recognized the All-Americans from Augustana sports teams followed by the individual awards. A huge round of applause always erupted for each of the recipients. In total, 23 awards and recognitions were given out.

Age-related awards were then granted to senior distance runner Ella Bakken for being the “Outstanding Senior of the Year” and freshman tennis player Fernanda Sandoval for being the “Rookie of the Year.” 

As the awards ceremony continued, it came time for the anti-award to be presented. The “Not Top 10” award was given to junior distance runner Lindsey Young for her belly-flop during one of her steeple-chase races this year.

However, the student athletes weren’t the only ones receiving awards at the Ole’s; coaches, faculty members and even entire teams took home a few wins as well. While beloved Elmen Center custodian Dale Iverson won the “Marcia Entwistle Faculty Award” and head wrestling coach Jason Reitmeier won “Coach of the Year,” the Acrobatics and Tumbling team was ecstatic to hear their entire team named as the “All-In Team of the Year”: the team that showed the most support for their fellow Augustana athletes throughout the year.

“We’ve been saying this whole year that this is going to be the team everyone can rely on,” Kalena Suquet, sophomore top and tumbler, said. “We wanted to be a fun team and we showed up and showed out.”

To wrap up the night, some big names were called to the stage. As both a National Champion and a DII National Champion, junior wrestler Cael Larson was named “Male Athlete of the Year” and as an All-American in both swimming and track and field, senior Bryn Greenwaldt was named “Female Athlete of the Year.” Finally, the recipient of the ‘Viking Legacy Award’ was none other than senior cornerback for the football team, JayVian Farr. 

“What makes the night so special is that it’s one of the few times all athletes from every sport come together to celebrate each other’s accomplishments,” Sam Scholten, junior receiver on the football team, said. “It’s not just about individual or team success, but about recognizing the effort and moments that defined the year across the whole athletic community.” 

As the buzzer rang out on another unforgettable season, Augustana’s student athletes left the Ole’s with full hearts and sharpened focus — ready to chase new goals, create new memories and return next spring to celebrate it all again.