SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The 2016-16 Augustana University men's basketball National Championship team and head coach Tom Billeter have been honored by the South Dakota Sportswriters Association with year-end awards. The men's basketball team was named the College Men's Team of the Year while Billeter was named the College Men's Coach of the Year.
 
Billeter was named the 2016 UPS National Association of Basketball Coaches' Division II Coach of the Year last season after leading Augustana to its first men's basketball national championship in school history. Billeter was also named NSIC Coach of the Year and the National Coach of the Year by Division II Bulletin.
 
Augustana won a school record 34 games in 2015-16, compiling a 34-2 record. The Vikings were named the South Dakota Sportswriters Association College Men's Team of the Year in 2015 after finishing 31-3.
 
The Vikings made their seventh NCAA Tournament appearance under Billeter in 2015-16, including the programs first ever trip to the Elite Eight. Augustana has won 20 or more games in a season five times in his career. Augustana won back-to-back NSIC Regular Season and Tournament titles in 2014-15 and secured the first region championship in program history in 2015-16.
 
Daniel Jansen was named the NSIC Player of the Year in 2015-16 before being named the NABC Division II Player of the Year by the NABC and Division II Bulletin. Casey Schilling earned NSIC Defensive Player of the Year honors for the second straight season last year. Jansen and Schilling finished their careers first and second all-time in scoring at Augustana. Jansen scored 2,255 points in 130 career games and Schilling finished with 2,054 points in 121 career games.
 
The Vikings hosted the NCAA Central Region Championship for the second time in program history in 2015-16 and secured its first ever regional title. Augustana defeated Northwest Missouri State 80-78 in the region final to advance to the Elite Eight. The Vikings took on Tarleton State in the first round of the Elite Eight without Daniel Jansen, who suffered an injury in its first shoot around in Frisco, Texas. Augustana erased a 10-point second-half deficit to advance to the Final Four against Western Oregon.
 
Jansen, who missed the first game of his career against Tarleton State, returned against Western Oregon and came off the bench to spark the Vikings to a 74-55 win and a match-up with Lincoln Memorial in the National Championship game. Seniors Alex Richter, Jansen and Schilling each put up 20-plus points in the title game and the Vikings defeated Lincoln Memorial 90-81 to secure Augustana's first ever men's basketball national championship.
 
Richter, Jansen and Schilling were named to the Elite Eight All-Tournament Team and Richter was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Elite Eight.