Augustana Golfer, Michael Harrison is the first ever Viking golfer to be invited to compete in the USport Championship. This Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference Player of the Year, Vikings Captain and 3rd Year Physical Education student, will compete in the Canadian University/College Championship from Tuesday, May 29 to Friday, June 1, 2018 at the Chilliwack Golf Club.

Harrison, from Camrose, is hoping to gain the important experience of competing on the national level, "I believe this will benefit me as I try to improve as an athlete going forward into my 4th year of ACAC and CCAA eligibility. More importantly, I hope to represent Augustana and the Camrose community as best I can."

"The biggest challenge I'll be facing is being able to adequately prepare for this event. Because it is so early in the year and because I am from Alberta, our golf season doesn't start until May (fingers-crossed)", explains Harrison. "This tournament will be challenging because I will be competing against very skilled players from much larger Universities in Canada and I'd expect the scoring to be very low, forcing me to be at my very best to make the cut and contend for the championship."

The tournament is organized by Golf Canada and is a counting event for World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR). This will be a 72-hole championship, 4-day event with a cut after the third round (54 holes). To make the cut as an individual, Harrison will have to either be in the top-10 individually after 54 holes of play or within 15 strokes of the leader. Nineteen University and College golf teams from across Canada will participate in this event, with over 100 male golfers vying for the Championship.

To help make participation in this national event possible, Harrison is seeking philanthropic support. The cost to travel and compete, without coaching staff, is approximately $1,225, and with the golf program being self-funded, student athletes on the Vikings Golf Team are responsible for these costs. If you'd like to help send Michael to the USport Championship this spring by supporting the "Adopt-a-Viking Program", please visit our giving website at http://www.govikings.ca/community/adopt_a_viking, or call the Augustana Development Office at 780-679-1558.