Muyres, who helped Augsburg win its first MIAC championship, was featured in the Rochester Post-Bulletin for her accomplishments in the Nov. 22 NCAA Division III Tournament. Muyres scored the winning goal in overtime during the first game.

�մ���, visit the Post-Bulletin news site.

The post Olivia Muyres ’15 named Player of the Year appeared first on News and Media.

Preseason practices—regardless of the sport—can be tough for Augsburg’s student athletes. Because classes have yet to begin, most teams are practicing twice a day in preparation for the season. The work is hard, the weather can be hot, and it certainly isn’t as much fun as playing games.

Now imagine going through two practices a day without drinking any water or eating to refuel your body between practices. That’s what Gobana and Soud are doing right now and will continue to do so until September 10.

Because in addition to being Auggie soccer players, the two are also Muslim students who are in the midst of Ramadan—a month in which the devout neither eat nor drink from dawn to dusk. Based on the lunar calendar, Ramadan moves from year to year, and this is the first time in many years in which it lands during preseason two-a-day practices.

“You never get used to it,” Soud [pictured right] said after a recent practice. “But it’s something you just push yourself to do. It’s very important for Muslims. You cherish it.”

Because of that, the two certainly live according to their alarm clocks. Each morning, they wake up at about 4 a.m. in order to eat and drink before sunrise. Gobana usually eats rice, pasta, drinks milk, water, and some Gatorade to stay hydrated. Soud tries to eat a lot of bread, some deli meat, and works to stay hydrated.

“I try to eat as much as I can,” Gobana [pictured left] said. “But that early in the morning, it’s difficult to eat.”

After the sun goes down and they have logged several miles running during two practices, they eat and rehydrate. Both, however, said that they don’t feel they can eat as much as they would like because it is as if their stomach shrinks during the day.

The physical well-being of all Augsburg student-athletes is very important. Because of the challenges of training while fasting, athletic trainers are paying particular attention to the two until the end of Ramadan. In addition, men’s soccer coach Greg Holker has made sure the two know they should sit out a drill or training if they don’t feel up to it.

Several times during Ramadan, the athletes will be in the middle of their second practice of the day when the sun sets. When that happens, they let coach Greg Holker know.

“You can’t just jump out of a drill,” Soud said. “But you definitely let the general know and he’s good to let you go get some water. Sometimes we’ll eat a banana right away.”

Despite Augsburg’s long Lutheran heritage,Soud and Gobana said they feel very comfortable here.

“I went to a Christian college in Michigan when I was a freshman (Calvin College),” Gobana said. “Me and my brother were about the only Muslims there. There’s so much more diversity here, I have a lot of Somali friends here. When you compare them, Augsburg is more welcoming.”

Soud said the rest of the Augsburg soccer players have been supportive of them and respect what they are doing.

“Some of them can’t believe we go through two-a-days without eating or drinking,” he said. “They say they are thirsty after just a little while, but they don’t even like to say it around us.”

The post Practicing soccer while practicing their faith appeared first on News and Media.

It will certainly a busier-than-normal Thursday for the Augsburg College athletic department.

Here’s a quick primer on what’s going on.

Soccer to face Whitworth University in first NCAA appearance

After losing the championship game of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference playoffs to Carleton on penalty kicks, the Auggies received an at-large berth to the NCAA Division III men’s soccer championship.

Augsburg (11-3-6) will travel to Spokane, Wash., to play Whitworth University (14-2-3) at 3 p.m. Thursday. The winner of that game will play at the University of Redlands (Calif.) on Sunday.

Whitworth enters the NCAA tournament after winning the Northwest Conference for the second consecutive year and the Pirates are making their fifth NCAA appearance since 2001.

Augsburg has been especially stingy defensively entering the NCAA tournament as the Auggies haven’t given up a goal in the past 490 minutes of action. In the MIAC championship game, Carleton didn’t score in regulation or in two overtime sessions.

Over the last 12 games, Augsburg has given up only three goals. For the season, Augsburg has surrendered just 10 goals while scoring 32.

Christensen Center Student Lounge at 3 p.m. Popcorn, pop and, beads will be provided. Feel free to bring snacks or treats to share!

Football is back at its second home

For the 19th consecutive season, Augsburg will play a game at the Metrodome. This year, the Auggies will host Bethel on Thursday night at 7 p.m. The game will be the 22nd appearance at the Metrodome since 1983, the most of any MIAC school.

The game against the Royals is an important one for Augsburg as the Auggies (5-4) will attempt to win six games for the first time since 1999.

While the game won’t be played at Edor Nelson Field, tickets for the Metrodome game will be handled just like a game on the Augsburg campus. That means all Augsburg students, faculty and staff members can get into the game by simply showing ID. Tickets for the general public are $7 for adults and $3 for students.

There will be a free one-way shuttle bus from Augsburg to the Metrodome. The bus will leave from the front of Melby Hall at 6 and 6:30 p.m.

Free parking is available on the Metrodome upper lot, off of 11th Ave. S., near the intersection of 5th St. S. Fans can enter the Metrodome at Gate D beginning at 5:30 p.m. All fan seating will be on the east side of the field.

The post A busy Thursday for Auggie athletics appeared first on News and Media.

The Auggies will host a “Soccer Mom Camp” for women ages 18-80 at Edor Nelson Field, with proceeds going to benefit the Kicks Against Breast Cancer organization. The event will be held on Friday, Aug. 15, from 7:30 – 10 p.m.

The camp is designed to get women into the exciting action of soccer by providing a fun workout and interaction with members and coaches from the Augsburg men’s and women’s soccer teams.

Cost of the camp is $40 per mom. Each player gets a camp T-shirt. Parents can bring their children and they will have fun while the moms play on the field. Moms are encouraged to wear comfortable workout-style clothing and athletic shoes. Balls and water will be provided.

For more information, contact Augsburg men’s soccer coach Greg Holker at 612-330-1424 or holker@augsburg.edu. To register, visit .

The Soccer Mom Camp concept was founded in 2007 by the Marquette University men’s soccer program. Kicks Against Breast Cancer (http://www.kicksagainstbreastcancer.com/) is a nationwide organization for American soccer to raise money to help find a cure for breast cancer, and to help those living with cancer to survive and thrive.

The post Soccer mom camp to help fight breast cancer appeared first on News and Media.

The Auggie football team, under third-year head coach Frank Haege, finished 5-5 overall (3-5 MIAC), marking the first time Augsburg had reached the .500 mark since 2003 (5-5 overall, 4-4 MIAC). With its five victories this season, Augsburg also eclipsed its number of wins from the previous three seasons combined (4-26). Along the way, the Auggies claimed several huge victories, including a 14-13 triumph at No. 10-ranked Wartburg (Iowa) on Oct. 6, and a 44-38 win over Gustavus on Oct. 27, breaking a nine-game losing streak to the Gusties.

Quarterback Jordan Berg (JR, Gaylord, Minn./Sibley East HS) set single-season school records in every passing category, completing 291 passes for 3,444 yards and 34 touchdowns this season.  One-hundred-one of Berg’s passes were caught by receiver Royce Winford (JR, Brooklyn Park, Minn./Osseo HS), who recorded 1,403 receiving yards and a single-season school-record 16 touchdowns.

The Augsburg women’s soccer team, under ninth-year head coach Mike Navarre, finished 9-7-3 overall, 7-3-1 in MIAC play, earning a spot in the four-team MIAC postseason playoffs for the fourth consecutive year. The Auggies fell to St. Benedict in the conference semifinal match. The Auggies claimed several key wins during the season, including a 1-0 triumph over Macalester on Oct. 3, breaking a 12-game winless streak to the Scots.

Goalkeeper Maggie DeGroot (JR, Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha West HS), who tied the school’s career record for shutouts with 26, was named to the All-MIAC first team, while Felicia Faison (JR, Minneapolis, Minn./South HS), Whitney Holman (SO, New Hope, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS) and Jackie Keller (SR, Traverse City, Mich./Traverse City West HS) were named honorable-mention all-conference. DeGroot was also named to the All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team, and Keller earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 5 second team for the second straight year.

The Augsburg men’s soccer team, under fourth-year head coach Greg Holker, finished 9-9-0 overall, 5-5-0 in MIAC play this season, its second straight .500-or-better campaign under head coach Greg Holker. The Auggie senior class finished with a 35-31-7 record, the best mark for any four-year class at Augsburg since the 1981 senior class.

Defender Nick Manders (SR, De Pere, Wis./West De Pere HS) and midfielder James See (JR, Richfield, Minn./Holy Angels HS) were named to the All-MIAC first team, with defender Kelsey Duerr (SO, Blaine, Minn./Spring Lake Park HS) being named honorable-mention all-conference. Cassidy Duerr (JR, Blaine, Minn./Spring Lake Park HS) was named to the All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team, and Manders and Alex Hildebrandt (SO, St. Paul, Minn./Highland Park HS) were named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 5 squads, Manders to the first team and Hildebrandt to the second team.

The Augsburg volleyball team, under third-year head coach Jessica Rinehart, finished 13-16 overall, 4-7 in MIAC play. Augsburg finished its season with its best record in both overall and MIAC play since the 1998 campaign (17-11 overall, 6-5 MIAC). The Auggies won four of their last five matches to close the season, including a win in five games over NCAA Division III national tournament team Bethel on Oct. 20.

Middle hitter Laura Harms (Jr., Little Falls, Minn.) and Haley Bower (Sr., Brainerd, Minn.) received MIAC honors, as Harms was named to the MIAC All-Conference team and Bower was named to the All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team. A transfer from Division I Mercer (Ga.), Harms made an immediate impact as a middle hitter in her first season with the Auggies, leading the team in both kills (376, 3.55 per-game) and blocks (110, 13 solo, 1.04 per-game), while also contributing 167 digs and 32 service aces. Bower, a libero, led the Auggies in digs (558, 5.42 per-game), while also contributing 35 service aces.

The men’s and women’s cross country teams experienced a season of personal bests in 2007, with 37 personal-best times recorded by Auggie runners this season. As a team, the Auggie men finished ninth at the MIAC Championships and 15th at the NCAA Division III Central Regional (its best team finish since 2004), while the Auggie women placed 12th at the conference meet and 21st at the regional.

Brent Haglund (SO, Fridley, Minn.) led the Auggie men throughout the season, capping the year with a personal-best 26:00 time over 8,000 meters at the regional, finishing 20th overall. Chris Scribner (JR, New York, N.Y./Port Townsen HS) also had a solid year, finishing 34th at the conference meet and 62nd at the regional with a personal-best 26:53. Shane Wyborny (SO, Detroit Lakes, Minn.) finished 47th at the conference meet and 70th at the regional with a 27:04, personal-best time.

On the women’s side, two newcomers led the way throughout the season. Jennifer Lovering (FY, Bemidji, Minn.) improved her 6,000-meter time from 1:56 from the beginning to the end of the season, with a 23:50, 51st-place finish at the regional. Kim Carlson (FY, New Brighton, Minn./Irondale HS) also showed strong improvement from beginning to end, cutting her time by 1:39 to a season-ending 25:41.

With no seniors and three first-year athletes on the roster, the Augsburg women’s golf team was a young one, but one of its athletes made program history. Johanna Frykmark (FY, Stockholm, Sweden/Rollingby Gymnasium HS) became just the second Augsburg women’s golfer to ever earn all-conference honors, finishing in a tie for 10th place overall at the conference meet in early October.

As a team, the Auggie women moved up a place to eighth in the conference meet, marking the end of the fall half of the fall-spring collegiate golf season.

The Auggie men’s golf team lost several of its top scorers to graduation last season, making this year a rebuilding one for the program. The Auggies closed the fall half of the season with an eighth-place finish at the MIAC Championships in early October.

Lucas Angrimson (FY, Lindstrom, Minn./Chisago Lakes HS) and Andrew Womeldorf (SR, Northfield, Minn.) finished in the top 25 overall at the league meet, as Angrimson finished 19th and Womeldorf finished 23rd.

The post Auggie fall sports wrap-up appeared first on News and Media.

at every game.

Believe it or not, this wild bunch is actually an esteemed (yet unofficial) student organization called “Crowd Control.” Besides having loads of fun, Crowd Control is a prime example of unfettered, grass-roots school spirit at its best.

Crowd Control began two years ago when Grant Hemmingsen, Charlie Scott, Mitch Seesz and Ryan Stockhaus got a group of students together to attend all the men’s soccer team’s home games. The men’s head soccer coach, Greg Holker, has been encouraging the unofficial student group.

After Crowd Control made its first appearance at a game, Holker knew something exciting was afoot. “When the game was over, I had our guys jog over and thank them for coming,” says Holker, “and then I went over and met some of the guys — from there, I knew something had to be done to create something even more special. The next day I ordered 30 bright orange shirts with our men’s soccer logo on the chest and CROWD CONTROL on the back…and it sort of took off from there.” Holker has also shown his support by providing Crowd Control with real Augsburg soccer T-shirts and flags. This year, the members have changed their T-shirt color from their customary blaze orange to Augsburg’s own Auggie colors of silver and maroon.

Crowd Control senior member Matt Dunn says, “Crowd Control is a great way to cheer on my friends on the soccer team, and it is also a way to show school spirit in a manner that fits with the MIAC sportsmanship code: ‘be loud, be proud, be positive.’ Crowd Control is also a great way to get fans to games to support a sport that is generally under-appreciated in college athletics.”

Recently, Crowd Control has expanded even further by making road trips to the men’s soccer team’s away games, and the organization is hoping for even more involvement. Holker says, “Of course, we hope that more students will find an interest in supporting our program. We hope to put a good product on the field — one that wins championships — and the more people to share that with us, the better we will all feel about our accomplishments.”

The post "Crowd Control" Cheers on Men's Soccer appeared first on News and Media.