2018 MIAC FOOTBALL AWARDS
MINNEAPOLIS -- Eight Augsburg University football players have earned postseason honors from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for their performances during the 2018 season, it was announced on Tuesday.
Two Auggies earned All-MIAC First Team honors: wide receiver
Nick Heenie (SR, Victoria, Minn./Waconia HS) and punter Jake Kraft (SR, Hutchinson, Minn./Hutchinson HS). Two Auggies earned All-MIAC Second Team honors: offensive lineman
Christopher Lemke (SR, Glencoe, Minn./Glencoe-Silver Lake HS) and linebacker
Derek Glynn (JR, Lonsdale, Minn./Faribault HS). Three Auggies were named as All-MIACÂ Honorable Mention: offensive lineman
Aaron Austin (JR, Red Wing, Minn./Goodhue HS), linebacker
Barclay Bates (SR, Sauk Rapids, Minn./Sauk Rapids-Rice HS) and defensive back
Camdin Carlson-Mathies (FY, Sauk Rapids, Minn./Sauk Rapids-Rice HS). Linebacker
Clayton Byrd (SR, Circle Pines, Minn./Centennial HS) was named to the All-MIACÂ Sportsmanship Team.
Heenie was an All-MIAC First Team selection last year and a All-MIAC Second Team selection in 2016, while Lemke was an All-MIAC Second Team selection last year and an All-MIAC Honorable Mention selection in 2016. Glynn was an All-MIAC Honorable Mention pick in 2017, and it's the first conference football postseason honors for Kraft, Austin, Bates, Carlson-Mathies and Byrd.
Heenie became a member of an elite club, as he was one of five MIAC players in 2018 to earn all-conference first- or second-team honors three straight years. According to the conference, just 93 players have earned all-conference first- or second-team recognition three times in MIAC history, dating to the 1920 season.
For the second straight year, Heenie was the MIAC's top receiver, leading the
MIAC's overall statistics in receptions (84), receiving yardage (1,154) and receiving yards per-game (115.4). His 11 receiving touchdowns were second-most among MIAC players, and his 13.7 yards per-catch average was seventh-best. He was one of only two MIAC receivers to reach the 1,000-yard mark this season, and the lone receiver to average 100-plus receiving yards per-game.Â
Among NCAA Division III receivers nationally (as of Nov. 17), Heenie stands sixth in receiving yards per-game, seventh in total receiving yards and ninth in receptions per-game.
Heenie recorded six games with 100-plus receiving yards in 2018, tying a single-game school record with a 20-catch, 275-yard, four-touchdown effort against Carleton on Oct. 13. In his 32-game Augsburg career, Heenie finished with 201 receptions for 2,739 yards (85.6 yards per-game, 13.6 yards per-catch) and 29 touchdowns. His 84 catches this year were tied for the fourth-most in a single season in school history. He finished his career tied for sixth in school history in pass receptions, fifth in pass receiving yards and fourth in receiving touchdowns.
A pitcher on the Augsburg baseball team, Kraft joined the football team this season for his first collegiate campaign. Kraft was the MIAC's top punter in 2018,
averaging a league-best 35.2 yards per-punt. His 53 punts and 1,863 punting yards were both second-most among MIAC punters. He had two punts of 50-plus yards and placed nine punts inside the opponent 20-yard line, against just five fair catches and no touchbacks.Â
A three-year starter at center for the Auggies, Lemke was part of an offensive line that enabled the team to average 270.4 yards per-game (825 rushing yards, 1,879 passing yards), while allowing 84 tackles for-loss and 30 sacks. He has appeared in 34 games over his Augsburg career, including all 30 games in the last three seasons.
During his 34 career games, Augsburg has produced 11,211 yards of total offense (329.7 yards per-game), including 3,518 rushing yards and 7,693 passing yards, while allowing 262 tackles for-loss and 93 sacks.
Last week, Lemke was named to the
Google Drive (CoSIDA) Academic All-District team for the third straight year, after earning
Google Drive (CoSIDA) Academic All-America first-team honors last season. He is a chemistry major with a 3.96 grade-point average, and has served as a team co-captain the last two seasons.
For the second straight year, Glynn led the Auggies in tackles, accumulating 82 (38 solo), including four tackles for-loss. He also had a forced fumble, three fumble recoveries, two pass breakups and a quarterback hurry this season.Â
Among MIAC players in overall statistics, Glynn ranked fourth in both total tackles and tackles per-game (8.2). He led MIAC players in tackles last season.Â
Starting 29 of his 30 career games, Glynn now has 232 tackles (94 solo), including 18.5 tackles for-loss, 7.0 sacks, three fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles, three pass breakups and three quarterback hurries. Last week, Glynn was named to the
Google Drive (CoSIDA) Academic All-District team. He is an exercise science major with a 3.83 GPA.
Starting all 30 games of his collegiate career for the Auggies, Austin was part of an offensive line that enabled the team to average 270.4 yards per-game (825 rushing yards, 1,879 passing yards), while allowing 84 tackles for-loss and 30 sacks.
In his 30 career games, Augsburg has produced 8,837 yards of total offense (294.6 yards per-game), including 2,196 rushing yards and 6,641 passing yards, while allowing 246 tackles for-loss and 91 sacks.
A versatile player who saw action at both linebacker and defensive line this season, Bates compiled 51 tackles (23 solo) in 2018, including 5.5 tackles for-loss and a sack. He also had an interception and a fumble recovery this season. He had a season-best nine tackles against Carleton on Oct. 13, with two tackles for loss and a sack.
Bates played in 36 career games at Augsburg, starting all 30 games in his final three seasons. He finished his career with 180 tackles (73 solo), with 24.5 tackles for-loss, 6.5 sacks, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and a blocked kick.
Camdin-Mathies shined in the defensive backfield in his first collegiate campaign, finishing second on the team with 63 tackles (38 solo), including 3.0 tackles for-loss and a sack. He collected an interception, three pass breakups and two quarterback hurries in 2018, and also had
a conference-best four blocked kicks, tied for the sixth-most total among NCAA Division III players nationally.
Byrd was named to the All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team, as part of the conference's sportsmanship initiative. Members of the All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team are selected by their coaches and teammates as individuals who demonstrate ideals of positive sportsmanship both on and off the field of competition.
In eight games played this season, Byrd finished sixth on the team with 35 tackles (19 solo), and had a team-best 11.0 tackles for-loss, tied for fourth-most
among MIAC players. In 33 career games (20 starts), Byrd finished with 116 tackles (51 solo), with 21.0 tackles for-loss, 4.0 sacks, an interception, four pass breakups, five forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
Under 14th-year head coach
Frank Haege, Augsburg finished 2-8 overall, 0-8 in MIAC play in 2018.Â
