2015 Auggie Awards - Women's Most Improved Team of the Year Finalists

9822WOMEN'S BASKETBALL (12-13 overall, 9-13 in MIAC in 2013-2014; 15-12 overall, 9-9 MIAC, MIAC playoff qualifier in 2014-15) -- Augsburg set a school record for wins with its 15-win campaign, earning a trip to the MIAC postseason playoffs for the first time in school history … As the No. 6 seed in the playoffs, the Auggies claimed a 56-50 win on the road at No. 3-seed Concordia-Moorhead, before falling to top-seed St. Thomas in the semifinals … Augsburg has finished with double-digit victory totals in three of the last four seasons under coach Bill McKee, who is now second in school history in wins with a 50-52 career mark … Forward Jessica Lillquist and guard Abbey Luger earned All-MIAC honors … Augsburg won seven of its final 11 regular-season games to secure a postseason berth, including a 47-37 win at Saint Benedict, the Auggies’ third straight win over the Blazers (first time Augsburg has won three straight games over CSB since the 1982-83 to 1985-86 seasons).
9823WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY (8th at 2014 MIAC Championships, 17th at 2014 NCAA Central Regional) -- Augsburg claimed its best team finish since 2004 at the MIAC Championships, finishing eighth, and the NCAA Central Regional, finishing 17th … Augsburg was led by Kayla Roberge, who finished 29th at the MIAC meet and 53rd at the NCAA regional, while setting a 6K personal-best time of 23:04.07 with a 27th-place finish at the prestigious UW-La Crosse Tori Neubauer Invitational … Augsburg claimed a seventh-place finish among 20 teams for its best-ever finish at the University of Minnesota Roy Griak Invitational Division III race, then finished 5th among 29 teams at the Disney 5K Cross Country Classic, the best Division III finish in the field.
9825WOMEN'S HOCKEY (9-16-0 overall, 6-12-0 MIAC in 2013-2014; 9-11-5 overall, 7-7-4 MIAC in 2014-15) -- Augsburg recorded its best finish in conference play since the 2005-06 season, finishing in sixth place with a 7-7-4 league record … Augsburg’s nine overall wins also tied its best overall finish since the 2004-05 season … Augsburg opened the MIAC season with a 4-4-1 start, its best start to a conference season after six games since 1999-2000 … The Auggies swept St. Catherine and St. Olaf in league play … Five Auggies earned All-MIAC honorable-mention honors: goalie Erika Allen, forward Kayla Fuechtmann, defender Danielle Heitkamp, forward Callen Naasz and defender Brenna Nakonechny.
9827WOMEN'S SOCCER (10-3-5 overall, 6-3-2 MIAC in 2013; 17-5-0 overall, 9-2-0 MIAC, MIAC regular-season and playoff champions, NCAA tournament second round in 2014) -- Augsburg finished its best season in the 30-year history of the program, setting school record with 17 overall wins and nine MIAC wins, winning the MIAC regular-season and playoff titles and advancing to the NCAA Division III national tournament for the first time in school history … Mike Navarre was named MIAC Coach of the Year and forward Olivia Muyres earned MIAC Player of the Year honors … Muyres and midfielder Molly Allen earned NSCAA Division III All-North Region first-team honors, and Allen earned NSCAA Division III All-America third-team honors, the first-ever All-American in program history … Allen was also named to the NSCAA College Division Scholar All-America team as a second-team recipient … Augsburg claimed a 1-0 win over St. Thomas in the MIAC playoff semifinals, then won the playoff title with a 1-0 win over Concordia-Moorhead … In the NCAA playoffs, Augsburg claimed a 1-0 overtime win over Wisconsin-Oshkosh, but fell in the second round 3-0 at Chicago (Ill.) … Augsburg clinched the MIAC regular-season title with a 1-0 overtime win over St. Thomas in the regular-season finale.