2011 Auggie Awards - Men's Outstanding Athlete of the Year Finalists

MUNEER AL-HAMEED (Football) -- D3football.com All-America honorable-mention, D3football.com All-West Region first team, All-MIAC first-team … Wide receiver/quarterback … 70 receptions for 832 yards (3rd-best in MIAC in overall statistics) and 5 TDs in 7 games as receiver; 17-of-34 passing for 232 yards and 2 TDs, and 56 rushes for 293 yards and 2 TDs in 3 games as quarterback … Led MIAC in receptions per-game (7.00) in just 7 games as a wide receiver … Had 3 starts as quarterback after starting QB was lost for season due to injury … Ranked 21st nationally in receptions per-game (7.00) and 63rd in receiving yards per-game (83.2) … Had 3 games with 100-plus receiving yards, including 194 yards and 2 TDs on 13 catches in win over Hamline on Sept. 18 … Five games with 10-plus receptions in 2010.

CHAD GILMER (Soccer) -- 2010 MIAC Men’s Soccer Player of the Year, All-MIAC first team, NSCAA All-North Region first team, Academic All-MIAC … Defender/forward … First Auggie ever to be named MIAC Player of the Year, only the third sophomore to earn the honor since award was established in 1984; first non-senior to be named MIAC Men’s Soccer Player of the Year since 1998 … Versatile multi-position player, started season as forward and ended as one of team’s key defenders … Led team with 8 goals (4th in MIAC in overall stats) and 5 assists for 21 points (5th in MIAC in overall stats), including 4 game-winning goals … Played in 1,696 of Augsburg’s 2,040 team minutes (83.1 percent), 2nd-most of any Auggie this season … Key member of Augsburg squad that captured its first-ever MIAC playoff championship and advanced to 2nd round of NCAA Division III national tournament.

ZACH MOLITOR (Wrestling) -- NCAA Division III national champion at 174, Great Lakes Regional champion … Earned 45th individual national title in Augsburg wrestling history in dramatic fashion, claiming 3:20 pin of Wartburg’s Bradley Banks in 174-pound national title match (only pin of the 10 national title matches) … Opened national tournament with 4:28 pin, then 12-1, major-decision win in quarterfinals to secure All-American honors, and scored 4-1 win over defending national titlist in semifinals … Won titles at St. Cloud State Husky Open, Citrus Open, Cornell Matman Invitational and Great Lakes Regional leading up to national tournament … finished season 29-3, with 21 bonus-point wins (15 pins, 6 major decisions) … Part of Augsburg team that finished 2nd nationally at Division III tournament.

NICK WARD (Track and Field) -- Outdoor Track: MIAC champion in 100-meter dash, 2X All-MIAC, 2X All-MIAC honorable-mention; Indoor Track: MIAC champion in 55-meter dash, long jump; 3X All-MIAC, 1X All-MIAC honorable mention; NCAA championships qualifier in 55-meter dash, MIAC Athlete of Week (2/28) … In 2010 outdoor season, was part of three school-record relay squads (400, 800 and sprint medley) … Won conference title in 100-meter dash (10.92) while placing 3rd in long jump … Also part of second-place 400-meter relay team at outdoor championships … In 2011 indoor season, set school record in 55 (6.42) and was part of 800-meter relay school record (1:30.89) … Won MIAC title for 3rd year in a row in 55-meter dash (6.42) while also winning conference title in long jump, placing 3rd in 200 (22.77) and finishing 4th as part of 800-meter relay (1:30.89) … Qualified for NCAA indoor championships in 55, where he finished with 9th-fastest time in preliminaries (6.448), missing spot in finals by one-thousandth of a second.