Four Augsburg student-athletes named 1998 Honor Athletes

Honor athlete history, 1926-present

MINNEAPOLIS -- Four Augsburg College students who have excelled in both the classroom and the athletic fields were named Honor Athletes by the Augsburg men's and women's athletic departments recently.

Ted Schultz (Sr., Hudson, Wis.) and Henry Gerten (Sr., Rosemount, Minn.) were named Men's Honor Athletes, and Stefanie Lodermeier (Sr., Goodhue, Minn.) and Stephanie Simones (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn./Southwest HS) were named Women's Honor Athletes. Honor Athletes are recognized on a vote of coaches in the men's and women's athletic departments.

The four were honored at athletic program banquets last week, the men on May 6 and the women on May 13. Below is information on each of Augsburg's Honor Athletes:

Ted Schultz
Schultz, a tight end for the Auggie football team, was one of only seven Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football players to start every game of their college careers. Schultz finished his career as one of the best receivers in school history, catching 152 passes (second all-time) for 1,662 yards (sixth all-time) and 13 touchdowns (fifth all-time). This year, in earning All-MIAC honors for the second time, he caught 67 passes for 643 yards and five touchdowns, helping to lead the Auggies to their first MIAC football championship in 69 seasons and a berth in the NCAA Division III national playoffs for the first time ever. The Auggies finished 10-2, among the final eight teams in the nation. Schultz, who holds a 3.78 grade-point average and majors in secondary education, history and coaching, was named a third team GTE-CoSIDA Academic All-America this season. He also earned Augsburg a $10,000 general scholarship fund donation as a Burger King National Scholar Athlete of the Week. Schultz was also named to the American Football Coaches Association's "Good Works" team for his record of community service and leadership. He also earned an NCAA post-graduate scholarship, the only one given to an MIAC football student-athlete this year.

Henry Gerten
Gerten, a two-year captain for the Augsburg wrestling team, became just the fourth Augsburg wrestler to win two individual national titles, repeating as NCAA Division III national champion at 118 pounds. He finished his three-year Augsburg career (transferring from the University of Wisconsin after his freshman year) with a record of 104-7 -- the best all-time wrestling winning percentage in school history. Last year, Gerten went 44-0 -- the only Augsburg wrestler ever to go through a season unbeaten -- and had a 32-2 record this season. Gerten was a three-time MIAC champion and three-time All-American. Augsburg won its second Division III team national title in a row this season and its fifth in the 1990s, tying two other schools for the most national titles in the 25-year history of the Division III national wrestling championships. Gerten won titles in all 16 tournaments entered during his junior and senior seasons, including a win in the Orange Bowl Sunshine Open this season, where he was named the tournament's outstanding wrestler after beating the bronze medalist in the 1996 Olympics from Cuba. In the classroom, Gerten maintains a 3.52 grade-point average with an elementary education major. Gerten was also recently named as one of three finalists for the Midwest Sports Channel Sports Salute Division III Athlete of the Year award.

Stefanie Lodermeier
Lodermeier completed her career as one of Augsburg's best women's basketball players ever, holding most of Augsburg's major school records. She holds career records for most points scored (1,599 points), scoring average (16.2 ppg, 99 games), rebounding (956), rebounding average (9.7 per game, 99 games), field goals (560), field-goal percentage (49.8 percent), free throws (418) and free-throw percentage (76.8 percent). She ended her senior season with a 32-game consecutive double-figures scoring streak, and a record of scoring in double figures in 81 of her 99 collegiate games. Lodermeier, named team most valuable player for the second straight year, averaged 17.3 points and 10.6 rebounds per game this season, earning first-team All-MIAC honors for the third straight season, and was an important part of Augsburg's 8-17 record, the Auggies' best mark in a decade. Lodermeier was named a preseason All-America by the Women's Basketball Journal this season, and earned postseason All-West Region honors from Columbus Multimedia and honorable mention Team of the Year honors from Division III Basketball Online. Lodermeier carries a 3.215 grade-point average and majors in health education and physical education. She has received Academic All-MIAC honors once, and received the Joyce Pfaff Academic Award, an Augsburg women's student-athlete award, three times.

Stephanie Simones
Simones excelled in both track and field and cross country during her four seasons at Augsburg. In cross-country, Simones earned All-MIAC honors in her junior year with a sixth-place finish in the conference meet, while also qualifying for the NCAA Division III national meet the same year. In her senior season, she placed in the top 10 three times, including a win in the Martin Luther Invitational, before placing 20th at the MIAC championships. In track and field, Simones won the 5,000-meter run at the MIAC outdoor championships in her junior year, while reaching the NCAA championships in the 10,000 meters the same season and earning All-MIAC honors three times. She was a three-year captain in both sports. Simones earned Academic All-America honors twice in cross country. She maintains a 3.49 grade-point average with majors of elementary education and special education. Simones was named to the Academic All-MIAC squad, in addition to receiving the Joyce Pfaff Academic Award three times in her career.