Augsburg Honor Athletes -- 1997-2007
1997
Augsburg College recently selected Dan Lewandowski as its male senior honor athlete and Rebekah Ormsby as its female senior honor athlete for 1996-97. Both Lewandowski, a Hastings native, and Ormsby, a Pine Island native, were all-americans on the field and in the classroom.
Dan Lewandowski, a 3.48 computer science major, was a two-time national wrestling champion at 190 pounds. He wrestled in four national tournaments, twice on team champions, and was a three-time all-American. This past season, Lewandowski was selected to the second team of the GTE/CoSIDA academic All-American team. He is 11th all-time at Augsburg with 126 career wins and only one of two wrestlers to win back-to-back titles.
Rebekah Ormsby, a 3.84 chemistry/history major, became the school's first cross country all-American in her junior season when she finished 10th in the NCAA meet. This past season she qualified for the NCAA race but was unable to compete because of injury. In track, she is the holder of several school records and a four-time all-MIAC competitor. She is equally popular in the classroom, as is evidenced by her dean's list marks every semester of her college career. Ormsby volunteers her time with several community and campus organizations.
1998
Ted Schultz (Sr., Hudson, Wis.) and Henry Gerten (Sr., Rosemount, Minn.) were named Men's Honor Athletes, and Stefanie Lodermeier (Sr., Goodhue, Minn.) and Stephanie Simones (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn./Southwest HS) were named Women's Honor Athletes. Honor Athletes are recognized on a vote of coaches in the men's and women's athletic departments.
Ted Schultz
Schultz, a tight end for the Auggie football team, was one of only seven Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football players to start every game of their college careers. Schultz finished his career as one of the best receivers in school history, catching 152 passes (second all-time) for 1,662 yards (sixth all-time) and 13 touchdowns (fifth all-time). This year, in earning All-MIAC honors for the second time, he caught 67 passes for 643 yards and five touchdowns, helping to lead the Auggies to their first MIAC football championship in 69 seasons and a berth in the NCAA Division III national playoffs for the first time ever. The Auggies finished 10-2, among the final eight teams in the nation. Schultz, who holds a 3.78 grade-point average and majors in secondary education, history and coaching, was named a third team GTE-CoSIDA Academic All-America this season. He also earned Augsburg a $10,000 general scholarship fund donation as a Burger King National Scholar Athlete of the Week. Schultz was also named to the American Football Coaches Association's "Good Works" team for his record of community service and leadership. He also earned an NCAA post-graduate scholarship, the only one given to an MIAC football student-athlete this year.
Henry Gerten
Gerten, a two-year captain for the Augsburg wrestling team, became just the fourth Augsburg wrestler to win two individual national titles, repeating as NCAA Division III national champion at 118 pounds. He finished his three-year Augsburg career (transferring from the University of Wisconsin after his freshman year) with a record of 104-7 -- the best all-time wrestling winning percentage in school history. Last year, Gerten went 44-0 -- the only Augsburg wrestler ever to go through a season unbeaten -- and had a 32-2 record this season. Gerten was a three-time MIAC champion and three-time All-American. Augsburg won its second Division III team national title in a row this season and its fifth in the 1990s, tying two other schools for the most national titles in the 25-year history of the Division III national wrestling championships. Gerten won titles in all 16 tournaments entered during his junior and senior seasons, including a win in the Orange Bowl Sunshine Open this season, where he was named the tournament's outstanding wrestler after beating the bronze medalist in the 1996 Olympics from Cuba. In the classroom, Gerten maintains a 3.52 grade-point average with an elementary education major. Gerten was also recently named as one of three finalists for the Midwest Sports Channel Sports Salute Division III Athlete of the Year award.
Stefanie Lodermeier
Lodermeier completed her career as one of Augsburg's best women's basketball players ever, holding most of Augsburg's major school records. She holds career records for most points scored (1,599 points), scoring average (16.2 ppg, 99 games), rebounding (956), rebounding average (9.7 per game, 99 games), field goals (560), field-goal percentage (49.8 percent), free throws (418) and free-throw percentage (76.8 percent). She ended her senior season with a 32-game consecutive double-figures scoring streak, and a record of scoring in double figures in 81 of her 99 collegiate games. Lodermeier, named team most valuable player for the second straight year, averaged 17.3 points and 10.6 rebounds per game this season, earning first-team All-MIAC honors for the third straight season, and was an important part of Augsburg's 8-17 record, the Auggies' best mark in a decade. Lodermeier was named a preseason All-America by the Women's Basketball Journal this season, and earned postseason All-West Region honors from Columbus Multimedia and honorable mention Team of the Year honors from Division III Basketball Online. Lodermeier carries a 3.215 grade-point average and majors in health education and physical education. She has received Academic All-MIAC honors once, and received the Joyce Pfaff Academic Award, an Augsburg women's student-athlete award, three times.
Stephanie Simones
Simones excelled in both track and field and cross country during her four seasons at Augsburg. In cross-country, Simones earned All-MIAC honors in her junior year with a sixth-place finish in the conference meet, while also qualifying for the NCAA Division III national meet the same year. In her senior season, she placed in the top 10 three times, including a win in the Martin Luther Invitational, before placing 20th at the MIAC championships. In track and field, Simones won the 5,000-meter run at the MIAC outdoor championships in her junior year, while reaching the NCAA championships in the 10,000 meters the same season and earning All-MIAC honors three times. She was a three-year captain in both sports. Simones earned Academic All-America honors twice in cross country. She maintains a 3.49 grade-point average with majors of elementary education and special education. Simones was named to the Academic All-MIAC squad, in addition to receiving the Joyce Pfaff Academic Award three times in her career.
1999
Scott Hvistendahl (Sr., Cannon Falls, Minn./Randolph HS) and Jim Peterson (Sr., Eyota, Minn./Dover-Eyota HS) were named Men's Honor Athletes, and Tasha Hamann (Sr., Perham, Minn.) and Jodie West (Sr., Menagha, Minn.) were named Women's Honor Athletes. In addition, the men's athletic department honored Devean George (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret HS) as the recipient of the department's first Male Athlete of the Year award for his achievements this season for the Auggie men's basketball team.
Scott Hvistendahl -- Hvistendahl, a wide receiver for the Augsburg football team, set NCAA records for career receiving yardage (4,696 yards) at both the Division III and all-divisions level, the latter breaking a 14-year-old mark previously held by Jerry Rice. Hvistendahl was named the recipient of the 1998 Gagliardi Trophy, given to the Division III football national player of the year, in addition to being named the most valuable player in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. In addition to setting nearly every record for receiving at Augsburg, Hvistendahl also was a three-year starting centerfielder for the Auggie baseball team, leading the team in hitting each season he played for the Auggies. A marketing/management information systems major, Hvistendahl has a grade-point average of 3.148. He earned GTE Academic All-America honors twice in his career.
Jim Peterson -- Peterson earned three All-America honors as a middleweight for the Augsburg wrestling team, including the NCAA Division III national championship at 167 pounds in 1998. Peterson also finished second in 1999 and seventh in 1997. Peterson finished his wrestling career with a record of 129-36, the 10th-most victories in school history. Teams Peterson wrestled on never finished lower than second in the NCAA Division III national championships. In addition, Peterson was a three-year starting fullback for the Auggie football team. A management information systems major, Peterson has a 3.534 GPA. He earned National Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar All-America honors three times and GTE Academic All-America honors once.
Tasha Hamann -- Hamann, a four-year starting setter and two-year captain for the Auggie volleyball team, rewrote the school's record book for assists, setting both the single-season (1,193 in 1997) and career (3,926) school marks, the career mark among the top 20 all-time in the history of NCAA Division III volleyball. Named an All-MIAC setter three times, she also had 1,071 digs, 375 kills, 168 service aces and 114 blocks in her career, playing in all but one game of every match during her collegiate career (123 matches, 448 games). She also played women's golf her first two years at Augsburg. A biology major, she carries a 3.766 GPA and will graduate Magna Cum Laude from Augsburg. She received MIAC Academic All-Conference honors three times in her career and GTE Academic All-District honors once.
Jodie West -- West, a four-year starter at second base and team captain in 1999 for the Augsburg softball team, ended her career on the top-10 career record list in numerous statistical categories, including stolen bases (44, third-best), base hits (137, third-best), batting average (.362, fifth-best). She earned All-MIAC honors three times in her career (first team in 1999) and National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Midwest Region third-team honors three times. A biology major, West carries a 3.448 GPA and will graduate Cum Laude from Augsburg. A dean's list and multiple honor society member, she was named MIAC Academic All-Conference this season, in addition to earning NFCA Scholar All-America honors in 1998 and GTE Academic All-District honors this season.
1999 Men's Athletics -- Augsburg Male Athlete of the Year
Devean George -- George was considered one of the best players in Division III men's basketball this season, finishing third in the nation in scoring (27.5 points per game) and eighth in rebounding (11.3 per game), making him one of only three Division III players nationally to average a double-double in scoring with at least 20 points per contest. He ended up second in school history in career scoring (2,258 points) and rebounds (868), in addition to setting a school and MIAC record for single-game scoring with 52 points in a game at Carleton. He was named a Division III All-America by no less than nine organizations and publications in the preseason and postseason. He is a prime candidate to become the first Division III player drafted by an NBA team since 1991.
2000
Josh Cagle (Sr., Faribault, Minn.) and Jake Kern (Sr., Faribault, Minn.) were named Men's Honor Athletes, and Carrie Lind (Sr., Coon Valley, Wis./Westby HS) and Jodi Soule (Sr., Cannon Falls, Minn.) were named Women's Honor Athletes. In addition, the men's athletic department honored Kevin Van Rossum (Sr., Green Bay, Wis./Preble HS) as the recipient of the department's second Male Athlete of the Year award for his achievements this season for the Auggie men's basketball and men's golf teams.
Josh Cagle -- Cagle earned All-America honors three times for the Auggie wrestling team, which won the Division III national championship three times and finished second once during Cagle's tenure. Cagle finished fourth in the nation at 142 pounds in 1998 and second in the nation at 149 pounds in 1999. This season, en route to winning the national championship at 149 pounds, Cagle became just the second Auggie in school history to go through a single season unbeaten, finishing 40-0. He also set single-season and career school records for technical falls, with 23 this season and 49 on his career. His 139-17 career record places him seventh in school history in career wins. He also won three Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference individual titles. A two-time team captain and an accounting major with a 3.7 grade-point average, Cagle earned MIAC Academic All-Conference Honor Roll honors three times. He was also named to the National Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar All-America team three times and earned GTE Academic All-America honors twice (second team 1999, first team 2000). Cagle is the son of Larry Cagle and Jane Whillock of Faribault, Minn.
Jake Kern -- Kern, a free safety for the Auggie football team, corralled 12 interceptions in his four-year career at Augsburg, the third-highest total in school history. He also finished his career with 221 tackles, leading the team in tackles his last two seasons. After his sophomore season, when he netted seven interceptions to lead Augsburg to its first MIAC title since 1928, Kern was honored by being named to the Hewlett-Packard Division III All-America team. He was named to the All-MIAC first team and all-region teams each of his last three seasons, and following his senior year, he was named to the Hewlett-Packard Division III All-America honorable mention team, D3Football.com Team of the Year and the Lutheran Brotherhood Lutheran College All-America first team. In the classroom, Kern carried a 3.75 grade-point average with a physics major. He earned MIAC Academic All-Conference Honor Roll honors three seasons, in addition to being named to the GTE Academic All-District squad twice. Kern is the son of Terrance and Christine Kern of Faribault, Minn.
Carrie Lind -- Lind transferred to Augsburg from Wisconsin-La Crosse before her junior season and made an immediate impact on the women's track and field team, earning second-place honors in the nation in the indoor 20-pound weight throw in both the 1999 and 2000 seasons. She set the school's record for the weight throw in her first collegiate meet, and continued to build on the mark until reaching a then-MIAC-record 57-feet, 10-1/4-inch effort last season. This season, Lind had to battle a chronic foot injury, but automatically qualified for the national indoor meet in her first meet of the year. So far in the outdoor season, Lind has provisionally qualified for the national meet in the women's hammer throw, just shy of automatically qualifying with two meets to go before nationals. In the classroom, Lind carries a 3.88 grade-point average with majors of youth and family ministry and psychology. She is active in Augsburg's campus ministry program. Lind earned MIAC Academic All-Conference Honor Roll honors this season. Lind is the daughter of Rebecca and Charles Lind of Coon Valley, Wis.
Jodi Soule -- Soule played women's basketball at Augsburg for three seasons, after playing at the College of St. Benedict in her freshman year. Primarily a reserve guard to start her Auggie career, Soule fought chronic knee injuries her first two sesaons. A starting guard as a senior, Soule led the Auggies in scoring, averaging 12.2 points per game, while also contributing 28 steals and 41 assists, as Augsburg doubled its win totals from a season ago. Soule scored in double figures in 18 of her 25 games her senior season, including nine of her last 10 games. In a late-season game against St. Benedict, Soule tied a school record by going a perfect six-for-six from three-point range. She earned All-MIAC first-team honors this season. A communication major with a 3.73 grade-point average, Soule earned GTE Academic All-District third-team honors this season, while earning MIAC Academic All-Conference Honor Roll honors her junior and senior years. Soule will graduate with departmental honors in communication this spring. Soule is the daughter of Sheryl and Jim Soule of Cannon Falls, Minn.
2000 Men's Athletics -- Augsburg Male Athlete of the Year
Kevin Van Rossum -- Van Rossum excelled in both men's basketball and men's golf at Augsburg. In basketball, Van Rossum finished his career 15th on Augsburg's career scoring list with 1,025 points, part of Auggie teams that won the MIAC title and advanced to the NCAA Division III national playoffs twice and to the MIAC playoffs all four years of his tenure. Van Rossum set Augsburg's career record for three-point field goals with 239, the second-most three-pointers ever by any MIAC player. This season, he earned All-MIAC honors for the first time. In men's golf, Van Rossum was a consistent four-year player. In the fall, he became the fourth Auggie golfer to ever earn medalist honors at the MIAC championships, and this spring, he became the first Auggie since 1997 to qualify for the NCAA Division III national championships. The national meet will be held May 15-18 in Battle Creek, Mich. A marketing major with a 3.0 grade-point average, Van Rossum is the son of Randy and Judy Van Rossum of Green Bay, Wis.
2001
Five Auggies earned Honor Athlete designation, the highest honor the college gives its senior student-athletes -- male athletes Todd Boerboom (Sr., Oak Grove, Minn./St. Francis HS), Nik Lewandowski (Sr., Hastings, Minn.) and Mike Schwalen (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn./Richfield HS), and female athletes Jaime Kingsley (Sr., Harmony, Minn./Fillmore Central HS) and Angie Rieger (Sr., Courtland, Minn./New Ulm Public HS). Earning Augsburg Leadership in Women's Athletics awards were seniors Brenda Selander (Sr., Oakdale, Minn./Tartan HS) and Cassi Van Ausdall (Sr., White Bear Lake, Minn.), and earning Augsburg Male Athlete of the Year honors were Ben Bauer (Sr., Faribault, Minn.) and Ryan McIntosh (Sr., Calgary, Alberta/Bishop Grandin HS).
2000-01 Augsburg Honor Athletes
Todd Boerboom -- A four-year starter in football, Boerboom was a part of an offensive line that helped the Auggies gain 13,846 yards of total offense (346 yards per game) while allowing just 103 sacks (2.6 per game) during his career. He was a team co-captain his senior year. A marketing and management double major with a 3.652 grade-point-average, Boerboom earned MIAC Academic All-Conference honors three times, as well as Verizon Academic All-District honors twice.
Jaime Kingsley -- A team leader in women's basketball and cross country, Kingsley was a team co-captain in both sports her senior year. In cross country, she was the team's consistent No. 4 runner, as well as a member of the track and field team two years. In basketball, Kingsley became one of the top forwards in the MIAC, averaging 11.3 points and 7.9 rebounds per game her senior year to earn All-MIAC first-team honors. She ended her career with 742 points and 579 rebounds. An Augsburg Presidential Scholar and biology (pre-med) major with a 3.844 GPA, Kingsley was a Dean's List honoree multiple times, as well as earning MIAC Academic All-Conference Honor Roll honors three times. She was a Verizon Academic All-District first-team selection in basketball this season.
Nik Lewandowski -- Just the fourth Augsburg wrestler ever to earn All-America honors four times in his career, Lewandowski capped his career with a dramatic run to the 184-pound NCAA Division III national championship this season, after finishing second in the nation twice and third once in his career. He finished his career with a 124-34 record and earned four MIAC individual championships, a feat just three other Auggies have ever accomplished. He was a part of three Division III national title teams and a national runner-up squad in his career. A management information systems major with a 3.0 GPA, Lewandowski earned National Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar All-America honors twice, and was team co-captain his junior and senior seasons.
Angie Rieger -- An All-MIAC selection in both volleyball and women's hockey, Rieger earned multiple honors during her career in both sports. In volleyball, Rieger ended her career with 1,030 kills and 1,052 digs, to go with 232 blocks and a .303 attack percentage, arning All-MIAC honors twice and Lutheran Brotherhood Lutheran College All-America honorable mention honors her senior year. In women's hockey, Rieger rewrote the Augsburg record book, holding every single-season and career scoring record, including 68 goals and 52 assists for 120 points against varsity opponents in her career. She earned All-America honors three times and National Player of the Year finalist honors twice, in addition to being named MIAC Player of the Year her junior and senior years. An international business major with a 3.767 GPA, Rieger earned MIAC Academic All-Conference Honor Roll honors three times in both volleyball and hockey, and became the first Augsburg student-athlete to earn Verizon Academic All-District first-team honors in two sports in a single school year, earning the honors in volleyball and fall/winter at-large (hockey) in 1999-2000.
Mike Schwalen -- A four-year starting infielder for Augsburg's baseball team, Schwalen finished his senior season with a .336 batting average, second-best on the team. He had 50 hits -- one of three Auggies to reach the 50-hit plateau this season -- scored 27 runs and had a team-high 14 stolen bases. Schwalen, who earned All-MIAC honors in 1999, had a career batting average of .349, totaling 165 career hits, 100 runs, 78 RBI and 47 stolen bases. His batting average never dipped below .336 throughout his career. A business administration major with a 3.689 grade-point average, Schwalen has earned MIAC Academic All-Conference Honor Roll honors three times, as well as earning Dean's List honors each semester of his college career. He has earned Verizon Academic All-District honors his last two seasons, including first-team honors this year.
2000-01 Augsburg Leadership in Women's Athletics Award-Winners
Brenda Selander -- Augsburg's only three-sport athlete (women's soccer, hockey and softball), Selander was the team's leading scorer three seasons in women's soccer, earning All-MIAC first-team honors her senior season and honorable mention honors her junior year. She finished her career with 15 goals and four assists. She was a forward for Augsburg's women's hockey team and a two-year starting centerfielder for the softball team. A health and physical education major with a 3.3 GPA, Selander has served as a student-athlete mentor and representative at the NCAA Foundation Leadership Conference last year.
Cassi Van Ausdall -- A four-year starting outside hitter for the volleyball team, Van Ausdall earned All-MIAC second-team and Lutheran Brotherhood Lutheran College All-America second team honors her senior season. She finished her career with 351 kills, a school-record 1,718 digs and 155 service aces. A history major with a 3.8 GPA, Van Ausdall earned Verizon Academic All-District second-team honors in volleyball her senior year, in addition to MIAC Academic All-Conference Honor Roll honors three times. She is active in Augsburg's Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter, as well as working on a history research grant project on Christian perspectives in history education.
2000-01 Augsburg Male Athletes of the Year
Ben Bauer -- Bauer excelled in both wrestling and track and field at Augsburg. In wrestling, he became just the fifth Augsburg wrestler ever to win two Division III national titles, when he earned heavyweight top honors this season, finishing 36-3. His career record of 136-16 is ninth-best in school history. He won MIAC individual titles at heavyweight three times in his career. In track and field, Bauer was the first MIAC athlete ever to finish in the top eight in a single conference meet in three different weight disciplines -- shot put, discus, and weight throw -- when he accomplished the feat his junior season. He is an elementary education major.
Ryan McIntosh -- A four-time All-MIAC first-team selection in men's hockey, McIntosh finished his Auggie career as one of the top goalies in school history, amassing a 3.18 career goals-against-average, a .909 save percentage and 47-36-13 career record. He earned All-America honors his freshman year, and was MIAC Player of the Week five times and U.S. College Hockey Online National Player of the Week twice in his career. This season, he finished with a 12-8-2 individual record, 3.11 GAA and .910 save percentage. He made his professional debut in April with the Quad City Mallards of the United Hockey League, recording a shutout in his first pro game and just two goals in his second game before returning to Augsburg to finish his studies. He is a biology major.
2002
Four Auggies earned Honor Athlete designation, the highest honor the college gives its senior student-athletes -- female athlete Kristi Brusletto (Sr., Basalt, Colo.) and male athletes Tony Abbott (Sr., Inver Grove Heights, Minn./St. Thomas Academy HS), Brent Peroutka (Sr., Faribault, Minn.) and Kevin Rasmussen (Sr., Owatonna, Minn.). Earning Augsburg Senior Athlete of the Year honors were male athletes Darin Bertram (Sr., Herman, Minn./Herman-Norcross HS), Matt Chappuis (Sr., Faribault, Minn.) and Nick Slack (Sr., Belle Plaine, Minn.), and female athletes Chrissy Baune (Sr., Marshall, Minn.) and Rachael Ekholm (Sr., Richfield, Minn.).
2001-02 Augsburg Honor Athletes
Tony Abbott -- A two-time All-American in wrestling, Abbott won the NCAA Division III national championship at 165 pounds this season, after finishing fourth in 2001. He won MIAC individual titles twice and was a part of three consecutive national championship teams. His career record of 124-29 is 18th-best in school history, and his 60 career pins are second-best in career history. Abbott is a communications and education double major with a 3.309 GPA, and earned NWCA Scholar All-American honors twice.
Kristi Brusletto -- A four-year starter on defense in women's hockey, Brusletto scored 13 goals and 26 assists for 39 career points, eighth-best all-time in points and third-best among defenders. She earned All-MIAC honors her junior season and all-conference honorable mention honors her senior year, and was a part of hockey teams that won MIAC titles twice. She is a psychology major with a 3.2 grade-point average.
Brent Peroutka -- A four-year starter in the defensive backfield in football, Peroutka earned All-MIAC second-team honors his sophomore, junior and senior seasons. His 11 career interceptions is the fifth-best in school history. He completed his career with 136 tackles. A business finance major with a 3.780 GPA, Peroutka earned MIAC Academic All-Conference Honor Roll honors three times, Verizon Academic All-District honors twice and Verizon Academic All-American honors in 2001.
Kevin Rasmussen -- A two-time All-American in wrestling, Rasmussen placed fifth in the nation at 197 pounds this season, after finishing sixth nationally the year before. He won the MIAC title his senior season, closing his career with a 92-26 overall record. A physics major with a 3.526 GPA, he earned MIAC Academic All-Conference Honor Roll honors twice and NWCA Scholar All-American honors twice.
2001-02 Augsburg Senior Athletes of the Year
Chrissy Baune -- A leader on the Auggie track and field and cross country teams, Baune earned All-MIAC honors 12 times in her career, three times in cross country and nine times in track. She finished her cross country career with an All-Region finish (19th) at the NCAA Division III Central Regional, and this spring, has provisionally qualified for the NCAA Division III track and field national championships in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase. She holds five individual and three relay school records. Baune is a business management major.
Darin Bertram -- One of the most dominant lightweight wrestlers in school history, Bertram earned All-American honors three times in his career, finishing second in the NCAA Division III national championships at 125 pounds his freshman and sophomore seasons and winning the national title his junior year. He was one of 10 wrestlers ever to win four MIAC individual championships. His career record of 132-15 is the 12th-best in school history. He is a health and physical education major with a 3.192 GPA.
Matt Chappuis -- A four-year starter on the defensive line in football, Chappuis earned All-MIAC honors three times, earning second-team honors his sophomore year and first-team honors his junior and senior seasons. In 2001, he earned Football Gazette All-Region first-team honors, and was voted by MIAC coaches as winner of the Mike Stam Award, given to the outstanding lineman in the MIAC. He finished his career with 138 tackles and 22.5 career sacks, the fourth-best sack total in school history. He is a health and physical education major.
Rachael Ekholm -- A four-year starter in softball and three-year letterwinner in basketball, Ekholm was a significant part of the record books in both sports. As a three-time All-MIAC pitcher in softball, Ekholm holds school records for career (350) and single-season (106) strikeouts, and she holds most of the power-hitting school records, including career (18) and single-season (11) home runs. She earned All-Region honors her sophomore and senior seasons. In basketball, Ekholm holds the single-game (7) and single-season (53) records for three-pointers, while she is second on the school's career three-pointer list with 102. She is a physical education major.
Nick Slack -- One of the top upper-weight wrestlers in school history, Slack earned All-American honors three times in his career, finishing second in the NCAA Division III national championships at 174 pounds his junior and senior seasons, while winning the national title with a 31-0 record in 2000. He was one of 10 wrestlers ever to win four MIAC individual championships. His career record of 130-13 is the 13th-best in school history, though he lost just three matches his final three seasons. He is a marketing major with a 3.166 GPA.
2003
Four Auggies earned Honor Athlete designation, the highest honor the college gives its senior student-athletes -- female athlete Jennifer Lemke (Sr., Kenyon, Minn./Kenyon-Wanamingo HS) and male athletes T.J. Bramwell (Sr., Tomah, Wis.), Ricky Crone (Sr., Apple Valley, Minn.) and Jay Howard (Sr., Burnsville, Minn.). Earning Augsburg Senior Athlete of the Year honors was male athlete Jaro Cesky (Sr., Prague, Czech Republic).
2002-03 Augsburg Honor Athletes
T.J. Bramwell -- A three-year starter at running back on Augsburg's football team, Bramwell earned All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference second-team honors in 2002, gaining 937 all-purpose yards (646 rushing, 291 receiving), while scoring a team-high eight touchdowns. He gained 1,179 rushing yards and 444 receiving yards, and scored 15 touchdowns in his career. He was a team co-captain in 2002 and received the football team's Auggie Award. A biology major (pre-med emphasis) with a 3.611 grade-point average, Bramwell earned Academic All-MIAC honors and Verizon Academic All-District third-team honors in both his junior and senior seasons. After graduation, Bramwell intends to enroll in medical school with a goal of becoming a doctor.
Ricky Crone -- Crone earned All-American honors in his two wrestling seasons at Augsburg, after transferring from Division I Northern Iowa. He finished second nationally at 184 pounds in 2002 and third at 184 in 2003, losing just two matches in national tournament competition. In his two seasons at Augsburg, Crone was 72-10. He earned MIAC and Great Lakes Regional championships and was team co-captain his senior season. He earned the team's Auggie Award, and was a part of teams that won the NCAA Division III national title in 2002 and finished second in 2003. A marketing major with a 3.20 grade-point average, Crone warned National Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar All-America honors in 2003 and was a member of an academic national team that finished sixth nationally with a team GPA of 3.335.
Jay Howard -- A three-year starter in men's basketball, Howard transferred to Augsburg from the University of Minnesota after his freshman year. A dominant low-post player, Howard earned All-MIAC honorable-mention honors his junior and senior seasons. He led the Auggies in scoring (14.8 points per game), rebounding (5.6 per game), blocked shots (35), three-point baskets (35) and field-goal percentage (44.8 percent). He was 10th in the MIAC in scoring his senior season (14.1 points per game in league games), 18th in rebounding (5.3 per game) and thid in blocked shots (1.45 per game). In his Auggie career (60 games), he averaged 11.0 points, 5.95 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. A business management major with a 3.593 grade-point average, Howard earned Academic All-MIAC honors his junior and senior seasons.
Jennifer Lemke -- A four-year starter in softball at catcher and first base, Lemke served as team co-captain for two seasons. Through games of April 22, she has started 123 of 130 career games, with a career batting average of .213. She has 75 hits, 11 doubles, one triple, 45 RBI and 22 runs scored, along with a .981 fielding percentage. Her 631 career putouts are tops in school history. She has served as an Augsburg Student-Athlete Mentor for two years and represents Augsburg¹s women¹s athletics program as a member of the MIAC Student Athlete Advisory Committee. An elementary education major with a 3.0 grade-point average, she plans to become a science teacher at the junior high level. She has served as president of the Augsburg College Education Students (ACES) association, and she is a two-time recipient of the Joyce Pfaff Academic Award for women¹s athletics.
2002-03 Augsburg Senior Athlete of the Year
Jaro Cesky -- A four-time All-MIAC first-team recipient in men's hockey, Cesky earned American Hockey Coaches Association Division III All-American first-team honors in 2002-03, Augsburg's 27th All-American honor in men's hockey. He was named MIAC Player of the Year for 2002-03, scoring 42 points (18 goals and 42 assists). He played in 102 of 104 Augsburg games in his four seasons (53-40-9 in games he played). In his career, Cesky scored 63 goals and 77 assists for 140 points, leading the Auggies in scoring each year. He was voted team Rookie of the Year his freshman season and team Most Valuable Player his senior year. In March, Cesky was drafted by the Quad City Mallards of the United Hockey League (UHL), a minor league two steps below the National Hockey League. Cesky is an international business major.
2004
Three Auggies earned Honor Athlete designation, the highest honor the college gives its senior student-athletes -- female athlete Melissa Lee (Sr., Cannon Falls, Minn./Randolph HS) and male athletes Brandon Fox (Sr., Springfield, Minn.) and Mathew Shannon (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn./Washburn HS). Earning Augsburg Senior Athlete of the Year honors were female athlete Kristen Lideen (Sr., Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park HS) and male athlete Joe Moon (Sr., Ellendale, Minn./New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva HS). Lee was also given the Julie Ellingson Leadership in Women's Athletics award, an honor given periodically to female athletes who have displayed qualities of outstanding leadership and service to Auggie athletics. The award is named for Ellingson, a former softball catcher (1995-98), who was a devoted worker in many aspects of Augsburg's athletic department.
2003-04 Augsburg Honor Athletes
Brandon Fox -- A three-year starter and four-year letterwinner in football, Fox earned All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference second-team honors in both his junior and senior seasons. His senior year, he led the Auggies in tackles with 103, the first Auggie to reach the century mark in tackles since 1996. He had the second-most tackles in the MIAC in 2003, and led both the conference and team in tackles for loss. He added 2.5 sacks, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries his senior year. He was named the team's Outstanding Player on Defense, Most Valuable Player and earned the Edor Nelson Auggie Award in 2003. A business management major with a 3.63 grade-point average, Fox earned Academic All-MIAC honors twice and was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District second team in 2003.
Melissa Lee -- Lee was a four-year starter in softball and also played basketball for two seasons at Augsburg. In softball, Lee has started every game of her collegiate career, a streak that now stands at 136 straight games. She has a career .294 batting average (115-for-391), a .368 slugging percentage and .356 on-base percentage. She currently stands 11th in school history in both career hits and total bases, ninth in career doubles and second in being hit-by-pitch. Considered one of the top third-basemen in school history, Lee has a .961 career fielding percentage (22 errors in 568 chances). A health and physical education major with a 3.507 GPA, Lee has earned Academic All-MIAC and National Fastpitch Coaches Association Scholar Athlete honors three times. She is a Student-Athlete Mentor, co-president of the Augsburg College Education Students (ACES) program, and has been active as a student worker in many aspects of Augsburg's athletics program.
Mathew Shannon -- A 17-time All-MIAC performer, Shannon became the first Augsburg men's track and field athlete to ever earn All-American honors in both indoor and outdoor events in the same year, when he finished fourth in the indoor men's 400-meter dash and third in the outdoor 400 in 2003 at NCAA Division III national championship events. This season, Shannon placed fifth in the indoor 400 at the national meet, and has already provisionally qualified for the outdoor national meet with a time that is currently the fifth-fastest in the country and tops among MIAC athletes. He also has the current second-fastest times in the MIAC in both the 100- and 200-meter dashes. A three-time MIAC titlist, Shannon earned both the Outstanding Indoor Championships Performance and Indoor Track Athlete of the Year honors from MIAC coaches this season. He also was recently named USA Track and Field Minnesota Co-Athlete of the Month. A business and communication major with a 3.155 GPA, Shannon has earned Dean's List honors. Shannon is also a member of Augsburg's Scholastic Connections program, a unique effort that pairs students of color with alumni mentors in the community.
2002-03 Augsburg Senior Athletes of the Year
Kristen Lideen -- Lideen emerged as two-sport star at Augsburg. In soccer, Lideen earned All-MIAC honorable-mention honors three years in a row as one of the top sweepers in the conference. A defender, she has played in 50 games in three seasons of soccer, scoring two goals with three assists for seven points. Her junior season, Lideen led a defense that allowed just seven goals, the fifth-best defense in Division III. In softball, Lideen has become one of the best shortstops to ever play at Augsburg, currently holding career school records in three different categories -- batting average (.453), hits (175) and doubles (38) -- and is in the top 10 in school history in seven other career listings. Lideen is one of four players in school history to ever go through a single season without a strikeout, and has a current streak of 196 plate appearances and 177 at-bats without a strikeout. Lideen earned All-Region and All-MIAC first-team honors each of her first three seasons in an Auggie uniform, and in 2003, she became the sixth Augsburg player to ever earn NFCA All-American honors. Lideen is a philosophy major at Augsburg.
Joe Moon -- Moon won his first national title in wrestling this season with a dramatic performance at the Division III national championships, dispatching perennial nemesis Cody Koenig of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in the semifinals, and dominating defending national titlist and four-time All-American Eduard Aliakseynka of Montclair State (N.J.) 13-6 in the 174-pound national title match, earning the meet's Outstanding Wrestler honors in the process. Moon finished 39-2 his senior season and 105-14 in his three-season career at Augsburg. A two-time All-American in wrestling, Moon finished fifth nationally last season at 174 and earned the team's Outstanding Freshman honors his first season at Augsburg. A marketing major, Moon was also a member of two academic national teams at Augsburg which finished sixth (3.335 team GPA) and third (3.393 team GPA) among Division III wrestling schools nationally in consecutive seasons.
2005
Five Auggies earned Honor Athlete designation, the highest honor the college gives its senior student-athletes for accomplishment, leadership and character on the playing field and in the classroom -- Lauren Chezick (Sr., Hastings, Minn.), Joe Cullen (Sr., Coon Rapids, Minn.), Hannah Dietrich (Sr., Luverne, Minn.), Adam Hoffmann (Sr., Hastings, Minn.) and Mark Matzek (Sr., Ellsworth, Wis.). Three Auggie student-athletes were named Men's Athletes of the Year -- Mike Elcano (Sr., Sparks, Nev./Bishop Manogue HS), Jeremy Nelson (Sr., Maplewood, Minn./Roseville HS) and Jamell Tidwell (Sr., Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy HS).
2004-05 Augsburg Honor Athletes
Lauren Chezick -- Chezick rewrote the record book in women's hockey at Augsburg, establishing career records for points (137) and assists (82) in her four-year career, while ranking second in school history for goals (68). The Auggie forward played in 102 career games, setting single-season school records for points (57) and assists (32) in the 2002-03 campaign as part of the top scoring forward line in school history.
A three-year captain on teams that qualified for the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference playoffs each of her final three seasons, Chezick became just the sixth women's hockey player in conference history to earn first-team All-MIAC honors each of her four seasons. Chezick earned MIAC Player of the Year and American Hockey Coaches Association Division III All-American honors following her sophomore campaign in 2002-03, as she ranked second nationally in points-per-game (2.19) while leading the country in total points (57). She also earned MIAC Player of the Week honors in 2002-03 and MIAC All-Rookie Team honors in 2001-02.
Academically, Chezick has a 3.562 grade-point-average and is a pre-law/communications major. She earned Dean's List honors five semesters, Academic All-MIAC honors three times and the Augsburg women's athletics Joyce Pfaff Academic Award three times. She earned American Women's Hockey Coaches Association Division III National Scholar-Athlete recognition in 2002-03, in addition to earning CoSIDA Academic All-District honors. She also volunteers for Habitat For Humanity, serves as an Augsburg Student-Athlete Mentor and works in the school's facilities office. She earned Freshman Snow Week Princess honors in 2002.
Joe Cullen -- A two-sport athlete, Cullen earned honors in both football and wrestling in his Auggie career. In football, Cullen developed a reputation as one of the top defensive linemen in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, earning All-MIAC first-team honors in 2004 after earning all-conference honorable-mention honors in 2002 and 2003. He became just the fifth Auggie to record at least 20 career sacks, finishing fifth on the school's record list with 20.5. He accumulated 182 total tackles, 40.5 tackles for loss, four fumble recoveries and four forced fumbles. His senior season, Cullen ranked fifth among MIAC defenders (overall) with 7.5 sacks, while his 15.5 tackles for loss ranked second-best in the league. He finished with 51 tackles, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in 2004.
In wrestling, Cullen earned NCAA Division III All-American honors in the 2003-04 season, as he earned a varsity spot at 197 pounds and finished seventh at the Division III national tournament with a 34-10 record. A member of Auggie teams that won two national team titles (2002, 2005) and two runner-up honors (2003, 2004), Cullen compiled an 87-44 career record, earning the wrestling team's Auggie Award his senior season.
Academically, Cullen is a mathematics major with a 3.500 grade-point-average. He has earned National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III Scholar All-America honors three times, while earning Academic All-MIAC honors twice in football. He earned CoSIDA Academic All-District honors twice in football and once in wrestling, and was a member of Augsburg academic national teams in wrestling that ranked sixth twice (2003, 2005) and third (2004) in team grade-point-average nationally.
Hannah Dietrich -- Dietrich played in three sports during her Auggie career, a four-year member of Augsburg's cross country and track and field teams and a two-year member of Augsburg's women's hockey team. In women's hockey (2001-03), she appeared in 42 career games with 13 points (six goals, seven assists).
In cross country, Dietrich served as a team captain and No. 3 runner her senior season on an Auggie squad that recorded its best finishes in conference and regional competition in more than a decade, finishing sixth at the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference meet and ninth at the NCAA Division III Central Regional. She earned All-MIAC honorable-mention honors with a 23rd-place finish at the league meet, while taking 40th at the regional meet.
In track and field, Dietrich has been one of Augsburg's top middle-distance runners in recent years. She has earned three MIAC championships in her career so far, claiming the individual conference crown in the indoor 800-meter run this season, while earning titles as a part of relays in indoor and outdoor competition last year. She is a five-time All-MIAC honoree in track, and has earned MIAC Track Athlete of the Week honors three times in her career. She earned NCAA Division III All-American honors last season as a part of Augsburg's distance-medley relay squad that finished seventh at the indoor national meet, and competed at the indoor national meet in the 800-meter run this season. In the current outdoor season, she is edging closer to NCAA Division III national meet provisional-qualifying times in both the 800- and 1,500-meter runs, while also ranking among the top runners in the MIAC in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. She holds seven school records, three as an individual (indoor 600-meter run, indoor 800-meter run, outdoor 800-meter run) and four as a member of relays.
Academically, Dietrich has a 3.672 grade-point-average and is a psychology major. She will graduate with departmental honors in psychology and has earned national honor society and leadership society recognition in her academic discipline. She has earned Dean's List honors each of her seven semesters, Academic All-MIAC honors three times and the Augsburg women's athletics Joyce Pfaff Academic Award three times. She has been part of cross country teams that have earned national scholar-athlete designation twice. On campus, Dietrich has worked in several departments, including buildings and grounds, the training room and the athletic office. She has served as an orientation leader, AugSem mentor and as a resident assistant in the residence halls. She has been an Augsburg Student-Athlete Mentor for two years, a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes leadership team, a classroom tutor and a student leader in a variety of avenues. She earned Homecoming Queen honors on a vote of her peers this past fall, and she earned the Dean’s Award for student leadership in 2004.
Adam Hoffmann -- A three-year offensive line starter in football, Hoffmann developed a reputation as the top center in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference during his career. He earned All-MIAC honorable-mention honors in 2002, All-MIAC second-team honors in 2003 and All-MIAC first-team honors in 2004. In addition, Hoffmann was named to the Division III Preseason All-America team by the D3football.com website in 2004, and was named to the Football Gazette Division III All-West Region third team at the conclusion of his senior campaign. A two-year captain, Hoffmann was voted the team's top lineman by his teammates each of his final three seasons, and earned the football team's highest honor, the Edor Nelson Auggie Award, in 2004.
He served as a leader on an Augsburg offensive line that averaged 328.2 yards of total offense per game during his three years as a starter, accumulating 9,846 yards of total offense. In 2004, the Auggies averaged 341.3 yards of total offense per game (4.7 yards-per-play average), including 1,861 rushing yards (4.2 yards-per-carry), as the team shifted to a multiple offense that featured the run more prominently.
Academically, Hoffmann has a 3.770 grade-point-average and is a finance major. He earned CoSIDA Academic All-District honors in football, team Outstanding Academic Achievement honors three times and Academic All-MIAC honors three times. He is an Augsburg Presidential Scholar, an Augsburg Student-Athlete Mentor, and is a member of the Augsburg Business Organization.
Mark Matzek -- One of the top lightweight wrestlers in school history, Matzek won NCAA Division III individual national titles at 133 pounds his junior and senior campaigns, while earning NCAA Division III All-American honors three times and compiling a 129-21 career record. He had 17 pins, 18 technical falls and 19 major decisions in his career.
Earning a varsity spot for the first time in his sophomore season, he qualified for the national tournament and earned All-American honors for the first time with a fourth-place national finish in 2002-03 and a 40-7 record. In 2003-04, Matzek finished 35-4 and won his first national title, earning the crown with a dramatic 4-3 victory in the national title match on a takedown with 14 seconds left in the third period.
Finishing his collegiate career with a 42-match winning streak, Matzek dominated his weight class in the 2004-05 campaign, finishing 34-0 on the season to repeat as national champion at 133 pounds, one of four Auggies to repeat as national champions with unbeaten campaigns. In the process, he joined a select group of nine Auggie wrestlers in school history to win multiple national championships. He earned the team's Coaches Award his senior season, was the team's Auggie Award winner his junior season and earned the team's Most Improved Wrestler award his sophomore season.
Academically, Matzek is a mathematics and secondary education major with a 3.408 grade-point-average. He has earned National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III Scholar All-America honors three times, while earning CoSIDA Academic All-District honors twice. He was a member of Augsburg academic national teams in wrestling that ranked sixth twice (2003, 2005) and third (2004) in team grade-point-average nationally.
2004-05 Augsburg Athletes of the Year
Mike Elcano -- Elcano has been a team leader throughout his career for Augsburg’s men’s soccer team. The 2004 season was the best of his career, as he set a single-season school record for goals with 14, leading the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in overall scoring with 33 points. He finished his career with Augsburg’s all-time record for goals with 35, while ranking third all-time in assists with 16 and second all-time in total points with 86. He earned first-team All-MIAC honors in 2004 and honorable mention all-conference honors in 2002. He is a finance major at Augsburg.
Jeremy Nelson -- Nelson has emerged as one of the top pitchers in recent years for Augsburg’s baseball team, a squad currently in pursuit of its first-ever Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference postseason playoff berth. He has been Augsburg’s No. 1 starter throughout his four seasons, and has accumulated a 16-18 career record, with a 4.17 earned run average and 115 strikeouts against just 48 walks (as of April 28). His statistical numbers have improved each season, and he currently ranks sixth among MIAC pitchers with an overall ERA of 2.79, a 5-2 record and 29 strikeouts against just seven walks in his nine starts. Last year, Nelson earned All-MIAC honors for the first time in his career. Nelson is a Dean’s List honoree, an Augsburg Student-Athlete Mentor and is a marketing major.
Jamell Tidwell -- Tidwell has been one of the most dominant wrestlers in school history, as a four-year starter on the varsity squad and a four-time qualifier for the NCAA Division III national championships. He earned All-American honors three times, finishing third his sophomore year with a single-season school record 50 victories, and second the past two seasons at 141 pounds. This season, he finished with a 34-5 record, with 25 of his 34 wins earning bonus points for the Auggies. He finished with seven pins and team highs of eight technical falls and 10 major decisions. In his career, he finished with a 155-17 career record, the wins ranking second all-time in school history. He is a health and physical education major, and this season, he was one of 10 members of an Augsburg academic national team that finished sixth nationally in team grade-point-average (3.319 team GPA).
2006
Three Auggies earned Honor Athlete designation, the highest honor the college gives its senior student-athletes for accomplishment, leadership and character on the playing field and in the classroom -- Darren Ginther (Sr., Crystal, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS), Millie Suk (Sr., Rochester, Minn./Mayo HS) and Ryan Valek (Sr., Belle Plaine, Minn.). Four Auggie student-athletes were named Senior Athletes of the Year -- Tonnisha Bell (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn./Washburn HS), Troy Deden (Sr., Northfield, Minn.), Chike Ochiagha (Sr., Savage, Minn./Holy Angels HS) and Brad Tupa (Sr., Dundas, Minn./Faribault HS).
2005-06 Augsburg Honor Athletes
Darren Ginther -- Ginther excelled at two positions for the Augsburg baseball team -- third base and pitcher. He competed for three seasons as an Auggie, after transferring from Division I Valparaiso (Ind.) following his freshman season. He earned a reputation as one of the top hitters in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and region, earning All-MIAC and All-Midwest Region (second-team) honors his junior season and All-MIAC honorable-mention honors his senior year. He was one of the team leaders for Augsburg squads that went 58-60-1 in his tenure, reaching the MIAC playoffs his junior season.
In his three seasons at Augsburg (108 games), he compiled a .389 batting average (151-of-388), with 100 runs scored, 33 doubles, 16 triples, six home runs, 85 runs batted in, a .603 slugging percentage and a .468 on-base percentage. He also had 10 stolen bases in 12 attempts and an .889 fielding percentage. Ginther hit .413 in his junior season, while hitting .373 his sophomore year and .378 his senior season. As a pitcher, Ginther compiled a 13-14 record in 32 appearances, including 13 complete games and three shutouts. He had a 4.74 earned-run average in his career, with 96 strikeouts against just 54 walks.
Academically, Ginther was an economics and education studies major with a 3.78 GPA. He earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District honors twice (second team in 2006, first team in 2005), and was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America first team in 2005. He was also a two-time Academic All-MIAC recipient and a Dean's List honoree.
Millie Suk -- Suk will be remembered as one of the top women's soccer players in school history, leading a renaissance in the sport during her career at Augsburg. She earned All-MIAC first-team honors all four years of her career, the only women's soccer player in the MIAC during her tenure to be able to make that claim. She earned All-West Region third-team honors her junior and senior years, was named MIAC Player of the Week three times in her career, was voted the team's MVP on offense her freshman year and Auggie Award winner her senior year, and was team captain her junior and senior years.
She set Augsburg career records for total points (93) and goals (38), while standing sixth in school history in assists (17). She competed in 67 career games and contributed 16 game-winning goals. She led the team in goals scored each of her four seasons, with four of the top 15 single-season goal-scoring efforts in school history. Augsburg went 40-21-11 in her four seasons, the second-best four-year record in school history, reaching the MIAC postseason playoffs her junior and senior seasons.
Academically, Suk graduated with a 3.88 grade-point average, majoring in political science and graduating in three-and-a-half years. She graduated Magna Cum Laude, was an Alpha Chi Honor Society member as one of the top 10 percent of the graduating class, and was a member of the Omicron Delta Kappa Leadership Honor Society. She earned Dean's List honors every semester of her college years, and earned Sabo Scholar honors from the Political Science department. She was a three-time Academic All-MIAC honoree and was an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District honoree twice (second team in 2006, first team in 2005).
Ryan Valek -- A three-time All-American wrestler at Augsburg, Valek was an individual national runner-up twice at 165 pounds in his career, finishing 41-4 in 2005-06 and 34-7 in 2004-05. He also finished seventh nationally in 2003-04 with a 38-10 record. He finished his career with a 133-39 record, accumulating 39 pins, four technical falls and 20 major decisions, and was a part of Auggie teams that won a national title in 2004-05, while finishing second twice (2002-03, 2003-04) and third in 2005-06. Valek had a 28-match winning streak during his senior season.
Academically, Valek was an accounting major with a 3.74 grade-point average. Valek became just the fourth Augsburg student-athlete to earn ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America honors twice, as he earned first-team honors in 2006 and third-team honors in 2005. He was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V first team in both 2005 and 2006.
He earned National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III Scholar All-America honors in 2004, 2005 and 2006, and was a Dean's List honoree throughout his Auggie seasons. He was a team co-captain his senior season.
2005-06 Augsburg Athletes of the Year
Tonnisha Bell -- Bell finished her career as one of the most decorated track and field athletes in school history. A sprinter, she finished her career with five All-American honors. At NCAA Division III national championships in 2006, Bell finished fourth in the outdoor 100-meter dash and fifth in the outdoor 200-meter dash, while placing second in the indoor 55-meter dash. She also finished sixth nationally in the indoor 55-meter dash twice, in 2005 and 2003. She qualified for every indoor and outdoor NCAA championship meet -- eight -- during her Auggie career. In Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference meets, Bell won 11 conference championships (six indoor, five outdoor), earned All-MIAC honors 15 times (nine indoor, six outdoor) in her career, and was named MIAC Athlete of the Week eight times, while setting six individual and two relay school records. Bell earned MIAC Indoor Most Outstanding Performance honors twice, and in her senior season, she was named MIAC Outstanding Female Indoor Track Athlete and U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Division III Central Region Women's Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year. A health and physical education major, she served on the Augsburg Student Government Executive Board in 2003, attended the TRIO Student Leadership Conference, was a Student-Athlete Mentor, and was a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Council and the Pan-Afrikan Student Union. She also served as a student assistant trainer.
Troy Deden -- Deden transferred to Augsburg from St. Mary's after his freshman season and became a key component of Augsburg’s baseball team, helping to lead the Auggies to the MIAC playoffs in 2005. As a three-year starter at catcher, he appeared in 108 career games, with a .345 career batting average (118-for-342), 18 doubles, 10 triples, two home runs, 83 runs batted in, and 65 runs scored. He finished with a .474 slugging percentage and .418 on-base percentage. Defensively, he finished with a .987 fielding percentage, with just six errors in 445 chances. He hit .352 his senior year, .364 his junior year and .314 his sophomore season. He earned All-MIAC first-team honors in both his junior and senior seasons, and was named All-Midwest third-team in 2005. He also played two years of football as a quarterback and defensive back, and was a special education major at Augsburg.
Chike Ochiagha -- Ochiagha was one of the key components of Augsburg’s football team during his career. As a defensive tackle, he patrolled the interior of the line and claimed 101 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks in his 30-game career, including three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. As a nose guard his senior season, he had 47 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks, earning All-MIAC second-team and Football Gazette All-West Region honorable-mention honors. He also earned all-conference honorable mention honors in 2004. A business and marketing major, he earned Academic All-MIAC honors, as well as football academic club honors twice. He was a student-athlete mentor, served as a team co-captain his senior.
Brad Tupa -- Tupa was a model of persistence and determination throughout his career. As an upper-weight wrestler, he battled injuries that forced him to medically redshirt one season and miss part of his senior season with knee surgery. But he recovered and battled back his senior season to qualify for the NCAA Division III national tournament for the second time in his career, earning his second straight fourth-place national finish at 184 pounds to earn All-American honors for the second time. He finished his career with a 74-25 record, winning the Great Lakes Regional twice. In 2005-06, he finished 21-5 with seven pins, six technical falls and three major decisions as a team co-captain. He also earned Outstanding Wrestler and Most Falls in Least Time honors at the Sunshine Open his senior season, claiming four pins in eight minutes and 14 seconds. Tupa is a history major.
2007
Seven Auggies earned Senior Honor Athlete designation, the highest honor the college gives its senior student-athletes for accomplishment, leadership and character on the playing field and in the classroom -- Emily Anderson (Sr., Hudson, Wis.); Jared Evans (Sr., Blue Earth, Minn./Blue Earth Area HS), Erik Helgerson (Sr., Chisago City, Minn./Chisago Lakes HS), Andrew Johnson (Sr., New Hope, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS), Critter Nagurski (Sr., International Falls, Minn.), Andrew Neumann (Sr., Somerset, Wis.) and Shannon Olson (Sr., Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy HS). Three Auggie student-athletes were named Senior Athletes of the Year -- Aaron Johnson (Sr., Plymouth, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS), Marcus LeVesseur (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn./Bloomington Kennedy HS) and Mike Matson (Sr., Cedar, Minn./St. Francis HS).
2006-07 Augsburg Senior Honor Athletes
Emily Anderson -- Anderson finished her career as one of the top forwards in Augsburg women's soccer history, part of a team that went 39-22-11 in her four seasons -- the third-best record of any senior class in the 22-season history of the sport at Augsburg -- while qualifying for the MIAC postseason playoffs three straight seasons. She earned All-MIAC first-team honors in her sophomore and junior seasons, while earning All-MIAC honorable-mention honors her freshman and senior years. Anderson played a season of basketball at Wisconsin-Eau Claire before transferring to Augsburg, and she played part of one season of basketball at Augsburg.
Anderson ranks third on the Augsburg women's soccer career record lists in three different categories -- goals (28), assists (20) and total points (76). In her 71 career games at Augsburg, she scored game-winning goals 13 times. She finished among the top three on the team in scoring during each of her four seasons. A biology major and chemistry minor with a 3.39 grade-point average, Anderson earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District third-team honors in 2005 and was an Academic All-MIAC honoree in 2004. She has also been a Dean's List honoree and was a member of the Tri-Beta national honor society for biology students.
Jared Evans -- Evans earned All-American honors three times as a 149-pound wrestler at Augsburg, finishing seventh his sophomore season (23-7 individual record), fourth his junior season (38-8) and fourth in his senior season (37-5). He finished his career with a 139-37 record, including 23 pins, four technical falls and 19 major decisions. He was a part of Augsburg teams that won national titles in 2004-05 and 2006-07, while finishing second once and third once.
Academically, Evans was a health and physical education major with a 3.27 grade-point average. He earned National Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar All-America honors in his sophomore, junior and senior seasons.
Erik Helgerson -- Helgerson was a key member of an Augsburg men's golf program that showed tremendous growth during his four seasons. The Auggies finished fifth as a team in the MIAC championships each of his first two seasons, then finished third his junior year and second his senior season. Helgerson cut his stroke average nearly five points from his freshman to his senior campaigns, finishing with a career stroke average of 78.21 (81 rounds), including a team-best 75.83 this season. Helgerson earned All-MIAC honors with top-10 finishes in the league meet three times, finishing ninth his freshman and junior campaigns and seventh in his senior season.
Academically, Helgerson was an accounting and finance major with a 3.51 grade-point average. He earned Academic All-MIAC honors his sophomore, junior and senior seasons, and was a Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar last season.
Andrew Johnson -- Johnson was a key member of an Augsburg men's golf program that showed tremendous growth during his four seasons. The Auggies finished fifth as a team in the MIAC championships each of his first two seasons, then finished third his junior year and second his senior season. Johnson cut his stroke average almost four points from his freshman to his senior campaigns, finishing with a career stroke average of 78.11 (83 rounds), including a personal-best 76.30 this season. Helgerson earned All-MIAC honors for the first time this season, finishing fourth at the 2006 conference meet.
Academically, Johnson was a business administration and economics major with a 3.72 grade-point average. He earned Academic All-MIAC honors his sophomore, junior and senior seasons, and was a Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar last season.
Critter Nagurski -- One of the top scoring forwards in the MIAC throughout his career, Nagurski earned All-MIAC first-team honors his sophomore, junior and senior seasons, while earning All-MIAC honorable-mention honors his freshman campaign. In 2006-07, Nagurski finished second on the team in scoring with 40 points, including a team-high 17 goals to go along with 23 assists, as the Auggies finished third in the MIAC regular-season standings and returned to the conference's postseason playoffs after a three-year absence.
In his career (98 games) at Augsburg, he finished with 60 goals and 58 assists for 118 points. He also earned Preseason All-USCHO honors from U.S. College Hockey Online twice in his career. Academically, Nagurski was a business management major with a 3.30 grade-point average.
Andrew Neumann -- Neumann shined in both football and wrestling at Augsburg. In football, he finished his career as one of the top tight ends in school history. He finished his career second in all-time receptions (186) and fourth in receiving yards (2,006), leading the conference's tight ends in receiving each of the last two seasons. He was named to the All-MIAC first team in both 2005 and 2006, and was named an all-region selection by D3footbal.com and Football Gazette during his career.
In wrestling, Neumann competed twice at the NCAA Division III national tournament at heavyweight, earning All-American honors with a fifth-place finish this season (39-10 individual record). He finished his career with a 93-40 record, including 19 pins, six technical falls and 13 major decisions.
Academically, Neumann was an elementary education major with a 3.46 grade-point average. He earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District first-team and ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America second-team honors in football in 2006, and earned National Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar All-American honors in both 2006 and 2007.
Shannon Olson -- Olson was a defender of an Augsburg women's soccer team that went 39-22-11 in her four seasons -- the third-best record of any senior class in the 22-season history of the sport at Augsburg -- while qualifying for the MIAC postseason playoffs three straight seasons. She anchored an Auggie backfield that allowed just 70 goals over the past four seasons, claiming 30 shutouts in 72 games. Olson earned All-MIAC first-team honors her senior season, leading an Auggie defense that ranked fourth among MIAC teams by allowing just seven goals in 11 conference games. Overall, the Auggie defense ranked second among MIAC teams and 35th among all Division III teams nationally, allowing just 12 goals.
Academically, Olson was a marketing and communications major (public relations/advertising emphasis) with a 3.66 grade-point average. She earned Academic All-MIAC honors in 2005 and 2006 and was a multiple Dean's List honoree. She was also a two-year member of the Augsburg Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and earned a Dean's Award for Student Leadership in 2006.
2006-07 Augsburg Senior Athletes of the Year
Aaron Johnson -- One of the top forwards in Augsburg men's hockey history, Johnson is one of only four Auggies in school history to earn All-American honors twice, as a first-team selection his junior and senior campaigns. This season, he earned MIAC Player of the Year honors, as he finished the season with 15 goals and team-highs of 27 assists and 42 points, as the Auggies finished third in the MIAC regular-season standings and returned to the conference's postseason playoffs after a three-year absence. This season, he had either a goal or assist in 20 of Augsburg's 26 games, with multiple-point efforts 11 times. He tied the school's single-game point record of seven twice this season. Johnson, who transferred to Augsburg after playing at Division I Michigan Tech his freshman year, earned All-MIAC honors his sophomore, junior and senior years. In his career (81 games, 76 at Augsburg), Johnson finished with 126 points (38 goals, 88 assists). He led the nation's Division III players in both assists per-game (1.44) and total points per-game (1.96) his junior season. He was also selected to compete in the 2007 NCAA Pontiac Frozen Four Skills Challenge at the Division I men's hockey Frozen Four in St. Louis, Mo., one of just two NCAA Division III players to be selected among the 32 participants. Johnson was also named a Preseason All-USCHO Division III West Region honoree this season by U.S. College Hockey Online. He is a health and physical education major at Augsburg.
Marcus LeVesseur -- One of the top competitors in the history of small-college wrestling, LeVesseur became the first Division III wrestler ever to win four individual national championships, winning the 165-pound national title in 2007 after winning 157-pound national crowns in 2003, 2004 and 2005. He became the second college wrestler ever to finish his career unbeaten and untied, with a 155-0 career record (Cael Sanderson went 159-0 during his career at Iowa State from 1998-2002, winning four Division I national titles). LeVesseur recorded 73 pins, 12 technical falls and 29 major decisions among his 155 victories -- a total of 114 matches (73.5 percent) counting for bonus points for his team. LeVesseur became the seventh wrestler in NCAA history to win four national titles competing in one division, and the 10th NCAA wrestler to win four or more national titles. Six wrestlers have accomplished the four-championship feat in NAIA history. He also played parts of two seasons of football at Augsburg as a quarterback, and in 2004, he set all of the school's single-season rushing records -- yardage (1,024), carries (256) and rushing touchdowns (10). He became just the second Auggie ever to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season and just the third Auggie to accumulate more than 200 carries in a season. LeVesseur is a health and physical education major at Augsburg.
Mike Matson -- Matson was one of the top linebackers in the MIAC during his football career, earning All-MIAC second-team honors in 2005 and first-team honors in 2006, while also earning All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team honors his senior campaign. In 2006, he was named to the Preseason All-Division III first team by Lindy's National College Football Preview magazine, and earned D3Football.com All-West Region second-team honors and Football Gazette All-West Region second-team honors. Last year, he earned D3Football.com All-America third-team and All-West Region second-team honors, while also being named to the Football Gazette All-West Region third team. Matson finished his career with 355 tackles (146 solo), including 21.0 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, three fumble recoveries, four forced fumbles and three blocked kicks. He reached the century mark in tackles in both his junior and senior seasons. In 2006, Matson led the Auggies with 110 tackles (46 solo), including 7.5 tackles for loss, one sack, three fumble recoveries and a blocked kick. For the second season in a row, Matson led the MIAC in both overall and conference-games-only (90) tackles. He had 28 more tackles than the second-place finisher in the MIAC's overall statistics, and was the lone MIAC player to average double-figure tackle totals per-game in both overall (11.0) and conference-games-only (11.2) play. His 11.0 tackles-per-game average ranked 20th-best nationally among NCAA Division III players at the end of the regular season.
