Competition comes at a cost for student-athletes, and for some, like Augustana's
Rhianna Gullickson, there is a surcharge.
Countless hours of conditioning and practice are required after signing a letter of intent. For Gullickson, there has been the added burden of pain…a lot of pain.
The 6-foot junior post player from Alexandria, S.D., has endured six surgeries…three on each of her knees. At one point she had more operations than minutes played.
No one would have questioned Gullickson had she decided to wave a white flag. But, she loves basketball, she enjoys being part of a team, and she is one tough Viking.
Gullickson's first three seasons in the Augustana women's basketball program were a wash. She spent the first year as a redshirt after tearing her right ACL with five games remaining in her senior year at Hanson High School.
The next season she tore the ACL in her left knee in the preseason and was awarded a medical redshirt. Season three concluded early when she re-tore the left ACL.
"The third tear really tested me," Gullickson said. "I knew people would think I should stop, but I wanted it to be my decision and I really didn't want those rehabs to be for nothing."
In between the ACL surgeries, there were procedures to repair a meniscus tear in her right knee and remove scar tissue in the left knee. Undaunted, Gullickson was determined to play in 2012-13.
"More than once I thought the handwriting was on the wall as far as Rhianna's playing," Augustana head coach
Dave Krauth said. "But you just have to give her a lot of credit for sticking with it; and she still has the quickness to battle kids that might have a size advantage."
Filling a supporting role last season, Gullickson made it through the entire schedule. She will always be part of the Augustana team that set a school record for wins, won the first conference crown in Krauth's 25 years as head coach, and advanced to the NCAA Division II Final Four for the first time in school history."
"We had four great senior leaders that carried us all season," Gullickson said. "To have a full year was great and to have Alex (Feeney) and Lydia (Nelson) to practice against really helped me develop as a player. It was so cool to be a part of that and it made it all worthwhile."
Last April, with the memorable season fresh in her mind, Gullickson was on a training run when her right knee started hurting. Another meniscus procedure followed.
"Everyone at the Orthopedic Institute knows me," she joked
She was ready when the 2013-14 season began and earned the role as starting post. After the first ten games Gullickson was third in scoring and first in rebounds and field-goal percentage. Against Concordia-St. Paul she scored a career-high 21 points. And she helped secure Krauth's 500th win in a hard fought game with Minnesota State.
Her resurgence has not been without discomfort. She compensates with "a lot of ice and heat."
Graduation and personal choices depleted the ranks of Augustana's post players after last season, but the Vikings are not about to fold in the fast and furious Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
"If we can minimize the turnovers and capitalize on the things we do well we can compete with anybody," Gullickson said. "We are undersized and will have to rely on our quickness."
Gullickson played the post at Hanson High School and it was her size and ability to run the floor that caught Krauth's attention. With Gullickson in the lineup, Hanson finished third and fifth in state tournament appearances. In addition, she helped Hanson to state Class B track championships in 2007 and 2008. Individually, she won high jump and triple jump titles.
She was named to the Class B All-State first team in 2009 in addition to being named the Mitchell Daily Republic's Player of the year.
Augustana is a good fit for Gullickson. She liked the smaller size, the short distance from home, and the style of play Krauth teaches. And it didn't hurt that her Alexandria neighbor and high school teammate, Megan Doyle, played for Krauth.
"Megan was always dropping me hints about coming to Augustana."
Gullickson is majoring in psychology and also preparing for a career in pharmacy. "In order to interact with people in the pharmacy profession, you have to learn to communicate. I believe psychology has a lot to do with that."
Will there be a sixth season with Augustana's basketball program?
"A lot depends on how the knees hold up," Gullickson said.
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