Jackson Gerber, Sports Editor; Dominick Ingram; Greg Miller, and Kevin Sethre, Staff Writers

Every year, the Augsburg athletics department gathers to honor the achievements of all Auggie student athletes. This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 13th annual Auggie Awards will be held as an online webcast on Friday, April 24th at 7 PM, instead of the traditional formal gathering in Si Melby Hall.

There are two rules that are in play for determining the winners for the Auggie Awards. First, there can only be one winner per category, meaning that there can be no co-winners. And second, there can be no repeat winners, so each student-athlete can only win once.

Click here to see the full list of candidates for the 2020 Auggie Awards.

Predictions:

Mens Honor Athlete: Victor Gliva 

Gliva dominated on the mat and in the classroom, going undefeated in his senior campaign with a 31-0 record. He went undefeated in the classroom as well, recording a 4.0 GPA as an accounting major. Gliva’s standard of excellence has been a tradition for him, as he is one of only 3 Division III athletes, and just 13 student-athletes in all 3 NCAA divisions, to ever earn NCAA Elite 90 (highest cumulative GPA among national tournament competitors) 3 times in a career. Gliva has represented DIII wrestling well, becoming just the 3rd NCAA men’s wrestler from all divisions to ever be a 3-time NCAA Elite 90 honoree. 

Womens Honor Athlete: Emily Chapman 

Chapman is a chemistry major with a 3.89 GPA. She was All-MIAC and MIAC Defensive Player of the Year this season. Chapman was also on the Academic All-MIAC team for the past three seasons as well as being awarded with a spot on the second team of United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-North/Central Region. Chapman led all MIAC goalies in wins this season.

Men’s Athlete of the Year (Team): Booker Coplin

Coplin was named MIAC co-player of the year after leading the conference in scoring for the second year in a row. He also led in total points scored, as well as field goals and free throws made. On top of that, he was also top five in rebounds and rebounds per game, steals and blocks, and three pointers made. Coplin was named to the DIII All American honorable mention team and was a DIII Recess All Star Selection. 

Women’s Athlete of the Year (Team): Ashley St. Aubin

St. Aubin was part of the United Soccer Coaches DIII All-America first team and the D3soccer.com All-America second team. This season, St. Aubin broke the MIAC career goals record and tied the MIAC career points record. St. Aubin led the offense with a MIAC best 18 goals and 45 points, while also finishing second in assists with nine.

Men’s Athlete of the Year (Individual): Tannar Vassar

Vassar went a perfect 31-0 in the 2019-20 season with 17 pins, 4 technical falls and two major decisions. He won the NCAA Upper Midwest Regional Championship to qualify for the NCAA National Championships. He was the top-ranked 184-pounder in the nation before the national championships were cancelled.

Women’s Athlete of the Year (Individual): Jada Lewis

Lewis broke a 20-year school record in the 60-meter dash with her 7.67-second performance at the U of M Cold Classic. She defended her 60m conference title for the third year in a row, and finished second in the 200-meter dash at the indoor conference meet. Lewis was also named to the USTFCCCA All-Central Region team and was ranked 10th nationally at the NCAA DIII Championships before it was cancelled. 

Men’s Rookie of the Year: River Goodmanson 

Goodmanson had a fifth place finish at the MIAC meet, which saw him earn All-MIAC honors. Goodmanson is just the fourth first year Auggie golfer since 1992 to earn All-MIAC honors. He finished second on the team with a 76.2 stroke average, never having more than 80 strokes for any one tournament. 

Women’s Rookie of the Year: Emily Shilson

Shilson was dominant in her rookie season as an Auggie. Ranked no. 1 all season at 109 pounds, Shilson recorded a perfect 14-0 record with six pins and six tech falls on her way to two national championships at the WCWA National Championships and the Cliff Keen/NWCA National Championships. On top of her collegiate achievements, Shilson also qualified for the Olympic Trials that were postponed due to the coronavirus (COVID-19). 

Men’s Team of the Year (Team): Basketball 

The Augsburg men’s basketball team won 14 MIAC games for the first time since the 2013-14 season and made the MIAC playoff semifinals for the fifth consecutive season. Booker Coplin led the team in points and rebounds and was named MIAC Co-Player of the Year and All-MIAC first team. Other Auggies honored included Matt Carik, who was named to the All-MIAC second team, Joe Palmer, who was named to the MIAC All-First-Year Team, and Isaiah Robinson, who was named to the All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team.

Women’s Team of the Year (Team): Basketball

The Augsburg women’s basketball team continued to make a name for themselves this year, tying its best season in varsity program history, which was set last season (2018-19), while also reaching 20 wins for only the second time in program history. Their 22-5 record overall and their 16-2 in MIAC play was good for 2nd in the conference standings. The Auggies finished the year ranked No. 23 in the final D3hoops.com ranking of the regular season, and were snubbed of a NCAA tournament bid for the second year in a row.

Men’s Team of the Year (Individual): Wrestling

The Augsburg men’s wrestling team continued their historic domination this year, finishing the 2019-20 season with an 8-2 dual-meet record, finishing second at the NWCA National Duals and winning the Upper Midwest Regional title, which was their 18th straight NCAA regional championship. Eight Auggies from the Augsburg University men’s wrestling team were named first-team NCAA Division III All-Americans by the National Wrestling Coaches Association. Augsburg finished the season ranked as the No. 1 team in the final NWCA Division III national rankings. 

Women’s Team of the Year (Individual): Wrestling

In their inaugural season, the Augsburg women’s wrestling team finished sixth at the WCWA National Championships and ninth at the Cliff Keen/NWCA National Collegiate Women’s Championships. Emily Shilson won the national championship at 109 pounds in both meets. The team featured three other All-Americans: Vayle-Ray Baker, Gabby Skidmore and Marlynne Deede, who all finished sixth in their respective events.