ROCK ISLAND -- The Augustana Vikings men's water polo team completed the 2025 season with an 18-9 overall record and a third-place finish at the USA Water Polo Division III National Tournament, while rewriting the record books in one of their strongest seasons in their very brief history.

The Vikings opened the season at the Air Force Rare Air Invite, facing a tough early slate against Cal State Fullerton, Whittier, and Air Force. Augustana responded with its first win of the year in a 14-12 home victory over McKendree before competing at the Gary Troyer Tournament in California, where the team collected wins over UC Merced, La Verne, and Occidental.

Momentum carried them into the McKendree Mini, where the Vikings earned victories over Gannon and Ottawa (Ariz.), followed by a strong MPSF Weekend I performance in Erie, where Augustana went undefeated with wins over Austin, Mercyhurst, Wheaton (Mass.), Washington & Jefferson, and Penn State Behrend. The Vikings continued that success into MPSF Weekend II, adding wins over Penn State Behrend, Connecticut College, and Washington & Jefferson before a narrow overtime loss to Johns Hopkins.

At the MPSF Championships, Augustana earned wins over Washington & Jefferson, Austin, and Johns Hopkins while falling to Stanford in tournament play. The Vikings then advanced to the USA Water Polo Division III National Tournament in Claremont, where they dropped a semifinal matchup against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps before rebounding with a 14-13 victory over MIT to finish third in the country.

As a team, the Vikings set program records with 397 goals, 323 assists, 879 shots, 108 field blocks, and 391 saves, while also finishing among the program's top ten in steals (287) and drawn exclusions (200). .

Individually, Stevan Rasic ranked second in program history with 66 goals in a single season, while Oskar Bannister added 42 goals to finish in the program's top ten single-season scoring totals. Bannister also set a new program record with 58 assists, the highest single-season total in school history.

Defensively, Declan Hutton anchored the Vikings with a program-record 273 saves while also finishing second in program history with 49 steals. Lawson Soukup added 118 saves, ranking among the top single-season performances in program history.

Multiple Vikings earned postseason recognition, including ACWPC All-America honors for Mark Addison, Oskar Bannister, Rhys Lomax, Stevan Rasic, and Declan Hutton. On the All-MPSF teams, Addison and Hutton earned First Team honors, Bannister, Rasic, and Lomax were named Second Team or Honorable Mention selections. Addison was also named MPSF East Player of the Year, while Addison, Bannister, and Lomax earned CSC Academic All-District recognition.

The updated record book can be viewed HERE. The Vikings open the fall campaign on Sept. 12 against McKendree. The full 2026 schedule can be viewed HERE.