2011 Auggie Awards - Men's Most Improved Team of the Year Finalists

2010 BASEBALL (21-22 overall, 12-8 MIAC--t4th/11 in 2010, MIAC playoff runner-up … 20-18 overall, 11-9 MIAC--5th/11 in 2009) -- Under seventh-year head coach Keith Bateman, Augsburg finished in fourth place in the MIAC standings, earning a trip to the conference postseason playoffs for the second time in school history. Augsburg won its first two games in the MIAC postseason to reach the playoff finals for the second time in the last five years. Augsburg claimed conference sweeps of Macalester, Bethel and Gustavus, and scored wins in three of the six meetings with national power St. Thomas, including a 3-2 win in the opening game of the MIAC playoffs. Bateman’s teams have recorded 16 or more wins in each of his seven seasons at Augsburg, including 20-plus wins in 2005, 2009 and 2010.

GOLF (8th/10 at MIAC championships in 2010, 8th/10 at MIAC championships in 2009) -- Under sixth-year head coach Ted Vickerman, Augsburg finished the fall half of the 2010-11 campaign with an eighth-place finish at the MIAC championships, equaling last season’s team finish with a five-stroke improvement in its team score. Augsburg has a 318.9 stroke average (through play on March 16), with a .400 team winning percentage (40-60). Augsburg showed team improvement in several very competitive meets during the fall, improving from a 17th-place finish to a 12th-place finish at the St. John’s Invitational, improving from 14th to ninth at the Wisconsin-Eau Claire Invitational, and from 20th to 12th at the Gustavus Twin Cities Classic. So far this season, Augsburg golfers have recorded 38 individual rounds in the 70s.

SOCCER (16-5-1 overall, 7-2-1 MIAC--t2nd/11, MIAC playoff champion, NCAA Division III playoffs 2nd round in 2010 … 8-8-1 overall, 3-7-0 MIAC--8th/11 in 2009) -- Under seventh-year head coach Greg Holker, Augsburg finished the 2010 season with a school-record 16 victories and the MIAC's postseason playoff championship for the first time in school history. Augsburg qualified for the NCAA Division III national playoffs for the second time in the last three years, and finished with a double-digit win record for the fourth time in the last five years. In the MIAC playoffs, the Auggies opened with a 1-0 semifinal win over Carleton, then topped Concordia-Moorhead 3-2 in overtime in the championship match. Augsburg scored another overtime victory in its first NCAA tournament game, a 1-0 triumph over St. Scholastica in Whitewater, Wis. The Auggies fell 3-0 to Wisconsin-Whitewater in the second round of the playoffs. Holker was named MIAC Coach of the Year for the second time in his career, and defender/forward Chad Gilmer was named MIAC Player of the Year.

TRACK AND FIELD (2010 Outdoor: 5th/11 at MIAC championships … 2009 Outdoor: 8th/11 at MIAC championships; 2011 Indoor: 7th/11 at MIAC championships … 2010 Indoor: 6th/11 at MIAC championships) -- Under 16th-year head coach Dennis Barker, the Auggies have produced two of the top seasons in recent history. Augsburg’s 2010 outdoor squad finished fifth at the MIAC championships, the best team finish ever under Barker, with its 77 points the best team score in school history. The Auggies set school records in two individual events and three relays in the outdoor campaign, and seven All-MIAC and six All-MIAC honorable-mention honors at the MIAC championships. Rick Wolke qualified for the NCAA national championships in the 200- and 400-meter dashes. In the 2011 indoor season, Augsburg finished sixth at the MIAC championships, collecting four All-MIAC and five All-MIAC honorable-mention honors. Augsburg set school records in three individual events and a relay in the indoor campaign, and Nick Ward won conference titles in the 55-meter dash and long jump, qualifying for the NCAA national championships in the 55.