2023 CSC ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT - FOOTBALL
MINNEAPOLIS -- Eight Augsburg University football players -- offensive linemen
Aiden Deacon (SR, Minneapolis, Minn./St. Anthony Village HS),
Andrew Hahn (JR, Avon, Minn./Albany HS) and
Michael Harris III (JR, St. Paul, Minn./Tartan HS), tight ends
Michael Ims (SR, Northfield, Minn./Northfield HS) and
Devin Schelske (JR, Pocatello, Idaho/Century HS), linebackers
Brandon Sjostrand (SR, Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy HS) and
Justin Tverberg (SR, Farmington, Minn./Hastings HS), and defensive lineman
Shaquille Young (SR, St. Paul, Minn./Tartan HS) -- were named to the Academic All-District Women's Soccer Team, as selected by College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA), it was announced on Tuesday.
Deacon is a biology major with a 3.66 grade-point average, Hahn is an exercise science (pre-health) major with a 3.91 GPA, Harris is a social work major with a 3.91 GPA, Ims is a health and physical education major with a 3.77 GPA, Schelske is an exercise science major with a 3.81 GPA, Sjostrand is a mathematics/secondary education major with a 3.91 GPA, Tverberg is an exercise science major with a 3.81 GPA, and Young is a social work major with a 3.75 GPA.
It's the second straight CSS Academic All-District honor for Harris, Ims, Schelske, Sjostrand, Tverberg and Young, and the first for Deacon and Hahn. All eight earned Academic All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honors in 2022, with Young and Sjostrand also earning honors in 2021 and 2020-21, and Ims, Schelske and Tverberg also earning honors in 2021.
Deacon, Hahn and Harris were part of an offensive line that enabled the Auggies to average 391.6 yards of total offense per-game (229.4 yards passing and 162.2 yards rushing per-game), against 17 sacks and 33 tackles for-loss. Augsburg's offense averaged 5.8 yards per-play (3,916 yards on 680 plays), with its 319.6 yards per-game average
sixth-best among MIAC teams. The Auggies' 162.2 rushing yardage per-game average was third-best in the MIAC, and Augsburg's 155.9 passing efficiency rating was third-best among MIAC teams. Hahn and Harris occupied the left side of the offensive line for the Auggies this season, with Hahn at left tackle and Harris at left guard. Deacon was a reserve right guard this year. This was Harris' first full-time season on the offensive line, after playing on the defensive line his first two seasons, while Hahn shifted from right tackle to left tackle this season.
Hahn earned
All-MIAC and
D3football.com All-Region third-team honors this season, while Harris was an All-MIAC Honorable Mention selection.
Ims and Scheslke served as Augsburg's primary tight ends this season, with Ims catching 22 passes for 217 yards (9.9 yards per-catch), and Scheslke catching six passes for 32 yards (5.3 yards per-catch), primarily as a blocking tight end. A three-year starter, Ims has 64 catches for 719 yards (11.2 yards per-catch) and five touchdowns in his career, while three-year regular Schelske has 17 catches for 136 yards (8.0 yards per-catch) and three touchdowns in his career.
An All-MIAC Honorable Mention selection in both 2021 and 2023, Sjostrand capped an outstanding career as a middle linebacker for the Auggies, finishing second on the team with 62 tackles (32 solo), to go along with 3.0 tackles for-loss (three yards), with four pass breakups, two quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. His 62 tackles ranked 19th among MIAC players this season. He had six games with five or more tackles this season, with 10 total tackles in three straight games -- a 41-7 win at Hamline on Oct. 7, a 38-7 loss to Bethel on Oct. 14 and a 56-36 win at St. Olaf on Oct. 21. Sjostrand played in 46 career games from 2018-23, with 218 career tackles (97 solo), 11.5 tackles for-loss (30 yards), 3.0 sacks (17 yards), six passes defensed, four quarterback hurries, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
A four-year starting linebacker, Tverberg led the Auggies with 65 tackles (30 solo) this season, his third straight season with 50 or more tackles. He tied for 14th among MIAC players in total tackles and tied for 15th in tackles per-game. He had six games with five or more tackles this season, including a 16-tackle (seven solo) effort in Augsburg's 41-25 loss to Carleton on Nov. 11, and 15 tackles (three solo) in the Auggies' 30-10 loss to Concordia-Moorhead on Oct. 28. In 30 career games for the Auggies, Tverberg has 208 total tackles (94 solo), with 9.5 tackles for-loss, 5.5 sacks (28 yards), one interception, two forced fumbles, six quarterback hurries and one blocked kick.
Tverberg was a semifinalist for the National Football Foundation's 2023 William V. Campbell Trophy, college football's premier scholar-athlete award.
An All-MIAC selection in 2022 and All-MIAC Honorable Mention pick in 2019 and 2021, Young finished the 2023 season with 24 tackles (eight solo), with 2.5 tackles for-loss (seven yards), 2.5 sacks (seven yards), three quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery. A five-year veteran starter on the defensive line (2019-23), Young finished his 41-game career with 144 tackles (65 solo), 20.5 tackles for-loss, 10.5 sacks (50 yards), five passes defensed, six forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, three blocked kicks and 16 quarterback hurries.
Under coach
Derrin Lamker, Augsburg finished the 2023 campaign with a 6-4 overall record, 4-4 in MIAC play. The Auggies are now 17-14 in Lamker's four seasons at the helm.
The CSC Academic All-District team is part of the
CSC Academic All-America program. Student-athletes must have a grade-point average above 3.50 (4.0 scale) and have outstanding athletic credentials. Academic All-District honorees are considered for advancement to the CSC Academic All-America ballot. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America honorees will be announced in January.
The Division III Academic All-America program is being financially supported by the NCAA Division III national governance structure, to assist CSC with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the Division III Academic All-America teams program.
(NOTE: Story includes information taken from CSC Academic All-District release and All-MIAC football release.)
