Jackson Gerber, Sports Editor

Augsburg Athletics is no stranger to success, which can be seen with numerous teams getting national recognition for being some of the best in the country in the national rankings.

There are two fall teams currently ranked in the nation. The Volleyball team has reached as high as No. 8 in the country. Currently they are sitting at No. 12 in the AVCA national poll and No. 3 in the NCAA Central Region Rankings. The other fall team getting some national press is the women’s soccer team. They have been dominating their opponents this season, and that has resulted in a No. 3 ranking in the NCAA North Region Rankings. Both teams have secured top spots in their respective MIAC tournaments, and it would not be surprising to see both make their way into their National Tournaments come tournament time.

Augsburg’s Winter sports are also starting up, which means preseason rankings are coming in as well. The defending National Champion Wrestling team will start the year as the NWCA No. 4 ranked team in the country, which is shocking after their dominant National Title run last spring. Another winter sport team with consistent success is the Men’s Hockey team. They will start the year at No. 8 in the USCHO preseason poll, but were picked to finish second in the MIAC coaches poll behind an unranked St. Thomas team. The final winter sports team to start the season ranked is the men’s basketball team. Led by All-American and DIII National Player of the Year Booker Coplin, they will start at No. 23 in the D3Hoops.com national poll.

With winter sports starting their seasons, I would also not be surprised to see either the women’s hockey or the women’s basketball teams find their way into the national rankings as both squads are returning key pieces from successful seasons last year.

This article was originally published in the November 1, 2019 issue.