Augsburg's Alex Hildebrandt named NSCAA/Adidas Division III All-American in men's soccer; Hildebrandt, James See * named to NSCAA/Adidas All-Far West Region teams
NSCAA/ADIDAS NCAA DIVISION III ALL-AMERICAN TEAMS
NSCAA/ADIDAS NCAA DIVISION III ALL-FAR WEST REGION MEN'S SOCCER TEAMS
MINNEAPOLIS (12/12/08) -- Augsburg College men's soccer player Alex Hildebrandt (JR, St. Paul, Minn./Highland Park HS) was named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Division III All-America team as a second-team recipient, it was announced on Thursday. Also on Thursday, Hildebrandt and teammate James See (SR, Richfield, Minn./Holy Angels HS) were named to the NSCAA/Adidas All-Far West Region men's soccer squads.
Hildebrandt is Augsburg's first-ever NSCAA Division III All-America selection, and the second All-America selection in the past three years for the program. In 2006, goalkeeper Pascaul Venter (JR, Rochester, Minn./John Marshall HS) was named a D3Kicks.com second-team All-American.
The All-America award caps an offseason of multiple honors for Hildebrandt, who also earned All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team honors this season. A finance major with a 3.86 grade-point average, Hildebrandt was named an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American third-team honoree this year, in addition to earning ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District first-team honors.
A defender, Hildebrandt finished second on the Augsburg men's soccer team in scoring, with four goals and six assists for 14 points, including one game-winning goal and a penalty-kick goal. In his career at Augsburg (54 games, 52 starts), Hildebrandt has 10 goals and nine assists for 29 points, including three game-winning goals.
The All-Far West Region honor for See is his first, after earning All-MIAC first-team honors each of the past three seasons as one of the top central midfielders in the league. Starting all 22 games this season, See finished with one goal and two assists for four points as the leader of the team's midfield. In his career, See started 65 of 72 Augsburg games, with two goals and six assists for 10 points, including one game-winning goal.
Hildebrandt and See were leaders of an Augsburg squad that allowed just 13 goals this season (0.52 team goals-against-average) with 13 shutouts -- totals all second-best among MIAC teams this year. Augsburg's 0.52 team GAA was ninth-best among NCAA Division III teams this season, and its shutout total was 14th-best.
Under fifth-year head coach Greg Holker, Augsburg finished 12-4-7 overall, 7-2-1 in MIAC play, qualifying for the NCAA Division III national playoffs for the first time in school history. The Auggies reached the "Sweet Sixteen" round of the NCAA tournament this season, while also reaching the MIAC men's soccer tournament for the second time in the last three seasons.
