2008-09 AUGSBURG ATHLETIC AWARDS/ACCOMPLISHMENTS
2008-09 AUGSBURG ATHLETIC YEAR-IN-REVIEW -- FALL SPORTS
2008-09 AUGSBURG ATHLETIC YEAR-IN-REVIEW -- WINTER SPORTS
BASEBALL (20-18 overall, 11-9 MIAC--5th/11)
Under sixth season head coach Keith Bateman, Augsburg finished its season 20-18 overall, 11-9 in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play.
Augsburg reached the 20-win plateau for the first time since the 2005 season (24-18), and finished in fifth place in the MIAC standings. The Auggies claimed doubleheader sweeps of St. Mary's, Hamline, Bethel and St. John's in conference play, and fell just a game shy of reaching the four-team MIAC postseason playoffs.
Craig Henry (JR, Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial HS) and Joe Pierce (JR, Eden Prairie, Minn.) were named to the All-MIAC baseball squad, leading a contingent of six Augsburg College players who earned various All-MIAC honors. Henry was also named to the American Baseball Coaches Association Division III All-Midwest Region squad as a second-team catcher.
James Panning (SR, Gibbon, Minn./Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop HS), Brent Kolbow (FY, Forest Lake, Minn.) and Donald Blunt (SO, Richfield, Minn.) were named as All-MIAC Honorable Mention selections, and Jon Rudolph (SR, Elk River, Minn.) was named to the All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team.
A catcher, Henry earned All-MIAC honors for the third straight season, one of only two MIAC juniors to earn All-MIAC first-team baseball honors each of their first three campaigns. Statistically, Henry had the best year of his career in 2009, hitting .395 (47-of-119) with 34 runs scored, 13 doubles, three triples, two home runs and a team-best 34 RBI. He had a .605 slugging percentage and .450 on-base percentage. Defensively, Henry had a .974 fielding percentage, with just six errors in 227 defensive chances. Henry threw out 18 runners attempting to steal bases in 47 attempts -- tops among MIAC catchers in overall statistics.
In league games-only, Henry hit .431, ranking sixth-best among league players (playing in 75 percent of a team's games), while also ranking sixth with a .677 slugging percentage and sixth with 28 hits. His nine runners caught stealing in 25 attempts was also a league-best.
n his first season as a starting first-baseman, Pierce was at or near the top for the Auggies in most hitting categories, with a .team-best 410 batting average (48-of-117), to go along with a team-best 15 doubles, one triple, two home runs, 29 runs scored, 33 RBI, a .607 slugging percentage and .489 on-base percentage. Defensively, he had a .983 fielding percentage, with just four errors in 240 chances.
In MIAC games-only, Pierce stood 14th among league hitters with a .394 batting average, while his .652 slugging percentage was ninth-best, his 26 hits were eighth-best and his 20 RBI were fifth-best. He had a conference-high 12 doubles in league play. His .410 overall batting average was seventh-best among MIAC players in overall play.
A three-year Augsburg outfielder after spending his initial collegiate campaign at Gustavus, Panning had the best year of his career in 2009, hitting .398 (47-of-118) with 33 runs scored, seven doubles, three triples, one homer and 25 RBI, to go along with a .534 slugging percentage and .448 on-base percentage. His .394 conference-only batting average was 14th-best among league players, while his 26 hits were eighth-best. In his three seasons at Augsburg (81 games, 58 starts), Panning finished with a .354 career batting average, with 47 runs scored, eight doubles, three triples, two home runs, 28 RBI, a .466 slugging percentage and a .407 on-base percentage.
Kolbow stepped into the starting centerfielder and leadoff hitter role as a first-year student this year and shined, hitting .354 (40-for-113) with 31 runs scored, five doubles, one triple, one homer, 17 RBI and a .442 slugging percentage. His .493 on-base percentage and 29 walks were both team-highs, and his 10 stolen bases were second-best on the team. Kolbow also had a perfect fielding season, with no errors in 44 defensive chances.
Blunt continued his solid play as Augsburg's starting shortstop, hitting .364 (43-for-118) with a team-best 19 extra-base hits (nine doubles and team-highs of five triples and five home runs). He had 30 runs scored, 23 RBI, a team-best .653 slugging percenage and a .432 on-base percentage. His 11 stolen bases in 13 attempts led the team. His five triples were most in the MIAC in overall statistics, and his .653 slugging percentage and five homers were both fifth-best.
SOFTBALL (12-28 overall, 10-12 MIAC--t5th/12)
Augsburg finished 12-28 overall, 10-12 in MIAC play in 2009, the third season under head coach Tim Gormley. The Auggie squad was a young one, with 12 first-years and sophomores on the 17-player roster.
After a 2-22 start to the season, Augsburg rallied with a 10-6 finish, including conference sweeps of Concordia-Moorhead, Macalester and St. Olaf. Augsburg also split with St. Mary's in an April 16 doubleheader, the win snapping a 29-game, 15-season losing streak to the Cardinals, dating to the 1994 season.
Tiffany Magnuson (SR, Green Bay, Wis./Notre Dame Academy HS) was named to the All-MIAC softball team for the fourth straight year. Cassie Crego (FY, Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North HS) was named to the All-MIAC Honorable Mention squad, while Sarah Mueller (SR, Green Bay, Wis./Green Bay Southwest HS) was named to the All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team.
Magnuson is one of two Class of 2009 seniors to earn All-MIAC first-team honors in softball each of their four seasons. An infielder and pitcher, Magnuson led the Auggies with a .397 batting average in 2009, with team-highs in runs (32), hits (46), doubles (6), triples (5), stolen bases (17 in 18 attempts), slugging percentage (.534) and on-base percentage (.486). She also had 16 RBI and 20 walks. Defensively, Magnuson led the team with a .974 fielding percentage, with just five errors in 190 chances. She also pitched in relief in eight games this season, with seven strikeouts in 7.1 innings of work.
In MIAC league games-only, Magnuson hit .433, good for 14th-best among conference regulars (players with 14 or more conference games played). She also led the conference with a perfect fielding season in league play, with no errors in 130 chances -- the most of any league player with a perfect fielding percentage.
Magnuson finished her career (156 games, 151 starts) with school records for hits (178) and triples (16), while ranking second in stolen bases (59 in 69 attempts), second in total bases (242), third in runs scored (106), fourth in batting average (.384), fourth in walks (57), fifth in slugging percentage (.522) and eighth in doubles (23).
In her first season of collegiate softball as an outfielder, Crego hit .321 (26-of-81), with 20 runs scored and three RBI, to go along with 14 stolen bases in 16 attempts. In conference games-only, Crego hit .429, good for 15th-best among conference regulars. Her 18 runs scored in conference play were tied for eighth-most among league players, and she went 9-for-9 in stolen base attempts, the fifth-most stolen bases in league play.
An outfielder, Mueller hit .237 this season (23-of-97), with eight runs scored, a triple and 14 stolen bases in 15 attempts, in her first full season as a starting centerfielder, after battling injuries that limited her playing time earlier in her career. In her career, Mueller finished with a .271 batting average, with 36 runs scored, two doubles, one triple, 14 RBI and 26 stolen bases in 31 attempts -- the 10th-most stolen bases in school history.
MEN'S TRACK AND FIELD (9th/11 at MIAC indoor championships; 8th/11 at MIAC outdoor championships)
Under 14-year head coach Dennis Barker, Augsburg continued its move up the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference standings. The Auggies claimed a ninth place finish at the MIAC Indoor championships at Concordia College-Moohead recording a team score of 34 points and moved up to eighth place at the outdoor championships at Carleton College posting 55 points.
At the indoor conference meet, Augsburg was led by Nick Ward (SO, Coon Rapids, Minn.) and Shane Pantila (SO, St. Michael, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville HS), who both set school-records. Ward captured the 55-meter dash title, with a school record, facility record and NCAA Division III national provisional qualifying time of 6.43 seconds. He also finished third in the long jump with a school-record distance of 6.71 meters (22-0.75). Pantila set a school-record 3,063 points in the pentathlon with an eighth-place finish.
Also finishing top 10 individually for the Auggies at the indoor conference meet was Pantila and Emmanuel Marcellino (FY, Rochester, Minn./Century HS), who finished fourth and seventh in the triple jump with marks of 13.32 meters (43-8.5) and 13.06 meters (42-10.25), respectively. Brent Haglund (JR, Fridley, Minn.) and Victor Sanchez (JR, Minneapolis, Minn./Southwest HS), finished sixth and eighth in the 3,000 meters with times of 8:55.31 and 9:01.45, respectively. D.J. Wendell (SR, Princeton, Minn./Charles M. Russell (Mont.) HS) finished ninth in the 55 meter dash in 6.68 seconds, while Adam Horkey (JR, Windom, Minn.) and David Nestrud (JR, Braham, Minn.) recorded ninth and 10th place finishes in the 55-meter hurdles with times of 8.18 and 8.19 seconds, respectively.
At the outdoor conference meet, Augsburg was led by Haglund, who improved upon his school-record and NCAA Division III national championships provisional qualifying time with a second-place finish in the 10,000-meter run with a time of a 30:49.24. Ward also set an NCAA provisional qualifying mark with a second-place finish in the long jump, recording a personal-best 7.02-meter (23-0.5) effort. His distance was just one inch off the school record (23-1.5, set by Dan Tangen in 1969). Ward also finished fourth in the 100-meter dash in 11.08 seconds.
Pantila had a solid all-around performance in field events for the Auggies at the MIAC outdoor meet, finishing second in the triple jump, fifth in the long jump and seventh in the hammer throw. Pantila led an Augsburg trio into the finals of the triple jump; Marcellino placed fourth with a 13.45-meter (44-1.5) distance, while Seth Norberg (FY, Northfield, Minn.) placed seventh in 13.21 meters (43-4.25).
Augsburg's 400-meter relay team of Wendell, James Strand (JR, Pequot Lakes, Minn./Brainerd HS), Rick Wolke (FY, Belle Plaine, Minn.) and Ward was a highlight for the Auggies, placing second in the MIAC meet in a season-best 42.31 seconds.
With only one senior on the roster and a talented group of underclassmen, the Auggies completed a very successful season. Compared to the previous year, Augsburg increased its point total at the indoor MIAC Championships by 28 points and its outdoor total by 17 points. Augsburg’s 55 points at the MIAC outdoor championships are its highest point total in the past decade.
WOMEN'S TRACK AND FIELD (11th/12 at MIAC indoor championships; 11th/12 at MIAC outdoor championships)
Augsburg finished in 11th place in both the indoor and outdoor conference meets under the guidance of 14-year head coach Dennis Barker. The Auggies recorded 17 team points at the MIAC indoor championships held at Concordia College and posted 13 team points at the outdoor conference meet held at Carleton College.
Leading the Auggies at the indoor conference meet was Whitney Holman (JR, New Hope, Minn./ Robbinsdale Armstrong HS), who finished third in the 55-meter dash and fourth in the 200 meters, recording times of 7.38 and 26.83 seconds, respectively. Also posting an impressive finish for the Auggies was Caroline Senungi (FY, Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View HS), who recorded a fourth-place finish in the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 8.92 seconds, on her way to earning all-conference honorable-mention honors.
Senungi continued her impressive debut season, leading the Auggies at the outdoor conference meet, placing second in the 100-meter hurdles in a season-best 15.29 seconds, earning all-conference honors. Holman also set a personal-best and earned All-MIAC honorable-mention honors with a fourth-place finish in the 100-meter dash in 12.70 seconds. It marked the first All-MIAC outdoor performance and fifth All-MIAC effort in her track career.
Also recording personal-best performances at the MIAC meet were Jennifer Pulscher (FY, Colorado Springs, Colo./Liberty HS), with a 5:19.39 effort in the 1,500-meter run, and Katie Vrieze (SO, Richfield, Minn.), with a 12.90-second effort in the 100-meter dash, just missing a spot in the finals by one-hundredth of a second. The 1,600-meter relay team of Vrieze, Amy Jo Opsal (FY, Mankato, Minn./St. Clair HS), Sadie Dietrich (SR, Luverne, Minn.) and Kacie Bahr (FY, Brainerd, Minn.) set a season-best time with a 4:09.78 finish.
With a very young team, the Auggies posted their highest team scores since the 2006 season, increasing their combined indoor and outdoor team score by 11 points from a year ago. Additionally, Senungi marked the first All-MIAC hurdler for the Auggies in the past decade.
