RACINE, Wis. – Coach Seth Tegtmeier's Augustana squad will be one of three competing next weekend when the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin crowns its 2021 bowling champion. The second-seeded Vikings opened tournament play with a 2-1 record on Saturday to improve to 23-4 on the season. They will need a win over sixth seed Carthage and then two over top seed Marian on Saturday, March 20 to claim the first ever CCIW title.
 
Augustana started the day with a 749-590 win over seventh-seeded Illinois Wesleyan. Senior Alex Buffington (Harlem HS, Loves Park, Ill.) paced the Vikings with a 179.
 
In the second round, Tegmeier's bunch faced Carthage for the first time this year. Freshmen Alexis Munch (Sycamore HS, Sycamore, Ill.) and Rose Klinger (York HS, Elmhurst, Ill.) led the way with respective scores of 192 and 168 as Augustana posted an 822-752 win over the Firebirds.
 
That advanced the Vikings into a showdown with Marian. The top-seeded Sabres brought a 21-1 head-to-head record into the matchup and despite missing its season traditional-game high by just 12 pins, Augustana fell by a score of 917-837. Senior Taylor Kies (Oswego HS, Oswego, Ill.) rolled a 192, Munch a 185 and Buffington a 175 to lead the Vikings.
 
Augustana, Carthage and Marian will be back at Castle Lanes on March 20 to wrap up the tournament. The Vikings and Firebirds will square off in the day's first game, with the Sabres awaiting the winner. Either would need to defeat Marian twice to capture the championship.