2009 NSCAA TEAM ACADEMIC AWARD LISTING
MINNEAPOLIS -- With a 3.42 team grade-point average, Augsburg College recorded the 10th-best team GPA in the nation among collegiate men's soccer programs nationwide, earing the school the National Soccer Coaches Association of America's Team Academic Award for the fourth straight season.
A total of 141 men's soccer teams in all NCAA and NAIA divisions posted team GPAs of 3.00 or higher on a 4.00 scale to earn NSCAA Team Academic Award honors. There were a total of 571 programs in college soccer (141 men, 330 women) to earn NSCAA Team Academic Award honors with team GPAs of 3.00 or higher. Just 14 of the 141 men's soccer programs had team GPAs of 3.40 or higher.
Augsburg was tied for 10th among all men's soccer programs in the ranking, and was tied for the No. 5 spot nationally among NCAA Division III institutions in the men's soccer ranking. Amherst (Mass.) and Mount Union (Ohio) tied for the highest team GPA overall and among the Division III institutions with a 3.47 GPA. There are a total of 1,006 four-year collegiate men's soccer programs nationwide (404 in NCAA Division III, 182 in NCAA Division II, 204 in NCAA Division I, 216 in NAIA).
It is the fourth straight year that Augsburg's men's soccer team has earned the NSCAA academic honor, after recording a 3.29 team GPA in 2008, a 3.20 team GPA in 2007 and a 3.08 team GPA in 2006.
Augsburg finished 8-8-1 overall, 3-7-0 in MIAC play this season, the sixth under head coach
Greg Holker.
Earlier this season, Auggie defender
Alex Hildebrandt (SR, St. Paul, Minn./Highland Park HS) was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America team for the second straight year, marking the third straight campaign that an Augsburg men's soccer player earned Academic All-America honors. Hildebrandt also earned Academic All-District honors for the second straight year.
Augsburg had the highest team GPA of the four Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference men's soccer programs in the Team Academic Award rankings (Carleton 3.39, St. Olaf 3.36, St. John's 3.05). Three MIAC women's programs also earned Team Academic Award honors (Carleton 3.53, Hamline 3.24, St. Olaf 3.56).
