Two former Wildcat athletes are pursuing their sports in Europe on the professional level after record-setting careers at the University.
Amelia Simmons
Amelia Simmons, class of 2010, the only basketball All-American (Division II) in WilmU’s history, has played in Germany, Greece and Malta in the past six years. Now a resident of Msida, Malta, Simmons was picked to play for the Malta National Team this summer.
A 5-10 small forward, the native of Long Island set many records during her four years at Wilmington. She averaged 19.4 points a game on her way to becoming the school’s all-time leading scorer, with 2,267. She had many memorable moments at the University, but she says she especially cherishes “the love and support from the faculty and coaches and the family atmosphere.”
Simmons is enjoying her Euro-pean career. “Traveling to different cities, meeting new people, exploring various cultures — it’s amazing,”
she says.
Meanwhile, golfer Andreas Lunding, who earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Management in 2016 and a master’s in Sports Management last year, just turned professional. Based in his native Denmark, Lunding began to play in Germany in April in the Nordic League, a Scandinavian golf tour that includes Denmark, Sweden and Norway.
Andreas Lunding
While at Wilmington, Lunding was elected to the All-CACC team all four years, and as a senior was named a Division II PING Honorable Mention All-American. During his junior and senior years, he worked in the Athletic Department as an athletic assistant, and he was an assistant coach with the golf team while pursuing his master’s.
“My fondest memories from WilmU is all the places we traveled to with the golf team, and all the people I’ve gotten to know in the Athletic Department through my job there,” Lunding says.
He has opened a business in Denmark — Andreas Lunding Golf — and is looking for sponsors. The website is andreaslunding.com. Fair warning: it’s in Danish.
—Bob Yearick