UNITED SOCCER COACHES DIVISION III MEN'S SCHOLAR ALL-AMERICA TEAMS
UNITED SOCCER COACHES DIVISION III WOMEN'S SCHOLAR ALL-AMERIC TEAMS
UNITED SOCCER COACHES DIVISION III MEN'S SCHOLAR ALL-NORTH/CENTRAL REGION TEAMS
UNITED SOCCER COACHES DIVISION III WOMEN'S SCHOLAR ALL-NORTH/CENTRAL REGION TEAMS
MINNEAPOLIS -- Augsburg University soccer players
Daniel Hedstrom (JR, Hermantown, Minn./Hermantown HS) and
Ashley St. Aubin (JR, Burnsville, Minn./Burnsville HS) were named to the United Soccer Coaches Division III Scholar All-America Teams, Hedstrom as a first-team men's selection and St. Aubin as a second-team women's selection, it was announced on Monday. Both players were also named as Scholar All-North/Central Region first-team honorees.
Hedstrom is a marketing major with a 3.63 grade-point average, while St. Aubin is a mathematics/mathematical economics major with a 3.84 GPA. It is the first time either player has earned United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-Region and/or Scholar All-America honors. Earlier this month, St. Aubin was also named as a
Google Cloud Academic All-America second-team honoree by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), in addition to earning
Google Cloud Academic All-District honors.
The academic honor is the latest in a season of accolades for both players, as they led their teams to incredibly successful campaigns. Augsburg's men's soccer team, under 15th-year coach
Greg Holker, finished 12-4-4 overall, 6-2-2 in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play in 2018, the team's best record since 2010. The Auggie men reached the MIAC playoff championship game and qualified for the NCAA Division III national playoffs this season. Augsburg's women, under 20th-year coach
Mike Navarre, finished 14-7-0 overall and 8-3-0 in MIAC play in 2018, marking the seventh straight year of double-digit victories. Augsburg reached the MIAC playoffs for the fifth straight year and sixth time in the last seven years, making the conference final for the fourth time in seven years.
To earn United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-America honors, student-athletes must have a 3.30 or better cumulative GPA, must be a junior academically (or if a transfer, have completed one full academic year at their current institution), and have started at least 50 percent of their team's games, while also significantly contributing to their teams. The two will be formally honored during an All-America ceremony and reception at the United Soccer Coaches 2019 Convention at McCormick Place West in Chicago, Ill., on Jan. 12, 2019.
Augsburg women's soccer student-athletes have now earned five United Soccer Coaches (formerly NSCAA) Scholar All-America honors and 14 Scholar All-Region honors since 2008, while Augsburg men's soccer student-athletes have earned five Scholar All-America and 16 Scholar All-Region honors since 2006.
This season, St. Aubin was named to the
United Soccer Coaches' Division III Women's Soccer All-America team as a third-team honoree, becoming the first Auggie to ever earn All-America honors in back-to-back seasons, after being named to the
United Soccer Coaches All-America second team in 2017. In November, she earned
United Soccer Coaches All-North Region honors for the third straight year; after earning
first-team honors in 2017 and
second-team honors in 2016. She also was named as an
All-MIAC honoree for the third straight year. A four-time MIAC Athlete of the Week honoree this season (seven times in her career), St. Aubin was named the
MIAC's Offensive Player of the Year in 2017 and the
MIAC Rookie of the Year in 2016.
The conference's most dynamic scorer, St. Aubin led the
MIAC's overall statistics for the third straight year in both goals and points, setting Augsburg single-season records with 21 goals and 53 points in 1,582 minutes played (75.3 minutes per-game). Her 11 assists were second-most among MIAC players and tied for the fifth-most in a single season in school history. She had a goal or assist in 16 of Augsburg's 21 games, with the Auggies 13-3-0 in those contests.
Among NCAA Division III players nationally (as of Dec. 1, final statistics), St. Aubin finished 10th in total points, 16th in total goals and 20th in total assists, with her nine game-winning goals tied for fourth.
In addition to her single-season school records, St. Aubin also set Augsburg's career records for both goals (53) and points (128) this season, while her 22 career assists are now seventh-most. She has scored at least one goal in 40 games in her 62-game career, and the Auggies are 37-2-1 when she scores a goal.
This season, Hedstrom was named to the
United Soccer Coaches Division III All-America Team as a third-team honoree. He also earned
United Soccer Coaches All-North Region first-team honors, and was named to the
All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference squad. The honors are all the first for Hedstrom in his Augsburg career.
Hedstrom was a strong leader for the Auggies, earning team captain responsibility this season. In his second year at Augsburg after transferring from Division II Northern Michigan, Hedstrom used his 6-foot-5 height to an advantage, scoring eight goals with an assist for 17 points -- with all eight of his goals coming on set pieces. His eight goals were tied for
fourth-most among MIAC players, while his 17 points were tied for sixth-most. Two of his goals were game-winners -- a 2-1 win at Wisconsin-Whitewater on Aug. 31 and a 1-0, MIAC playoff semifinal win at Gustavus on Oct. 31.
Hedstrom was on the field for 1,823 of Augsburg's 1,889 minutes played this season -- an incredible 96.5 percent. In his 30 career games at Augsburg (44 collegiate games overall), he now has eight goals and two assists for 20 points.
(NOTE: This story includes information taken from Augsburg's Academic All-America women's soccer and All-America men's soccer releases.)
