June 16, 2021

Augustana University plans to add a men’s hockey program that would compete at the NCAA Division I level, the university confirmed today.

It’s part of the broader strategic plan looking toward 2030, which includes “an effort to provide student-athletes the opportunity to compete at a higher level, elevate the university’s profile and inspire Sioux Falls to enthusiastically embrace Augustana as its hometown team by serving the community and integrating our mission with its needs,” the university said in a statement.

The program will be the first of its kind in the state and make Augustana one of about 60 schools nationwide offering Division I men’s hockey.

A lead donation from philanthropist Denny Sanford is helping facilitate what Augustana called an extraordinary and game-changing opportunity.

The university plans to share more information later this summer or early fall as more details for the new athletics program are finalized, it said.

There are six conferences in collegiate men’s Division 1 hockey, including the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, which geographically is closest to South Dakota. It has gone through an evolution in recent years, and in mid-2020, it was announced that the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota would become the eighth member. The other schools are in Minnesota, Michigan and Ohio.

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