2010 Auggie Awards -- Male Most Improved Team of the Year Finalists

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2009 BASEBALL (20-18 overall, 11-9 MIAC--5th/11 in 2009 … 16-20 overall, 8-12 MIAC--8th/11 in 2008) --
Under sixth season head coach Keith Bateman, Augsburg finished its season 20-18 overall, 11-9 in MIAC 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. Augsburg claimed four doubleheader sweeps in conference play, sweeping St. Mary’s, Hamline, Bethel and St. John’s. Augsburg outscored its opponents by a 266-231 margin, and hit .332 as a team with 108 extra-base hits. As a team, Augsburg had a 5.73 earned-run average, with a .303 opponent batting average.
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BASKETBALL (19-8 overall, 13-7 MIAC--t2nd/11, MIAC playoff qualifier in 2009-10 … 15-12 overall, 12-8 MIAC--t3rd/11, MIAC playoff qualifier in 2008-09) --
In its fifth season under head coach Aaron Griess, Augsburg finished 19-8 overall, its best overall record since the 1998-99 season, while finishing 13-7 in MIAC play, earning a trip to the MIAC postseason playoffs for the second consecutive season. In the league playoffs, the Auggies opened with an 86-75 quarterfinal win over St. John’s before falling 59-57 in the semifinals at Gustavus. Head coach Aaron Griess was chosen as the 2009-10 MIAC Coach of the Year. During his five seasons at Augsburg, Griess has seen the Auggies improve their overall and conference win total each year.
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CROSS COUNTRY (4th/11 at MIAC meet, 7th/26 at NCAA Division III Central Regional in 2009 … 9th/11 at MIAC meet, 12th/26 at NCAA Division III Central Regional in 2008) --
Under head coach Dennis Barker, Augsburg recorded its best-ever team finish at the MIAC championships (since re-starting the program in 1991), placing fourth with three individuals earning All-MIAC or All-MIAC honorable-mention honors. The top five Auggies all finished among the top 33 runners at the league meet. The Auggies also had their best-ever finish at the NCAA Division III Central Regional, placing seventh with its five scoring runners all placing in the top 50. Brent Haglund qualified for the NCAA Division III national championships for the second straight year, and three Auggies earned All-Region honors -- Haglund, Ben Rodriguez and Shane Wyborny.
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HOCKEY (16-10-1 overall, 8-7-1 MIAC--4th/9, MIAC playoff qualifier in 2009-10 … 9-16-1 overall, 8-7-1 MIAC--5th/9, MIAC playoff qualifier in 2008-09) --
Augsburg qualified for its third MIAC playoff tournament in the last four seasons under head coach Chris Brown, and its second straight playoff appearance. Augsburg's 16 wins this season were its most since the 2002-03 campaign (17-9-0). Augsburg sprinted to a 9-3-1 start to the season, including a seven-game winning streak, and closed the season with four wins in its last six games to clinch a playoff berth. In the league playoffs, the Auggies had one of the most dramatic two-game stretches in school history, winning a 3-2 opening-round game against St. Olaf in a game that went to two overtimes and 89:40, then playing the next night in the longest game in NCAA Division III history (and second-longest in NCAA all-divisions men’s hockey history), a 6-5, four-overtime loss at Gustavus that went 138:38 of game action and 5 hours, 30 minutes of real time. Goalie Justin Lochner set an NCAA all-divisions record with 98 saves in the loss to the Gusties.