2002-03 athletic year in review
by Don Stoner, sports information coordinator

Twelve All-American honors; two national players of the week; 15 national tournament qualifiers in individual sports; 12 All-Region selections; two MIAC Players of the Year; 22 All-MIAC honors; three All-MIAC second-team honors; 35 All-MIAC honorable mention honors; 14 MIAC Players/Athletes of the Week; 50 MIAC Academic All-Conference honors; seven Verizon Academic All-District selections; and 15 sport-specific Scholar All-America selections highlighted the sports year.

Wrestling
The Auggie wrestlers saw their three-season string of national championships ended by Wartburg (Iowa), but the Auggies finished second with six All-Americans. Freshman Marcus LeVesseur went 44-0 to earn the national title at 157 pounds, Augsburg's 31st individual national title.

Football
The Auggies finished the 2002 campaign with a 2-8 overall record and 1-7 mark in the MIAC.

Volleyball
Augsburg's volleyball team struggled this season, finishing 3-25 overall and 1-10 in the MIAC.

Men's soccer
Augsburg finished 4-11-2 overall and 1-8-1 in MIAC play.

Women's soccer
Augsburg claimed its best record since 1995, finishing 11-5-2 overall and 5-5-1 in the MIAC.

Men's golf
Adjusting to a relatively young lineup, Augsburg finished fifth in the MIAC meet with a 482 27-hole total, finishing out of the top four in the MIAC meet for the first time since 1993.

Women's golf
Augsburg finished eighth at the MIAC championship meet, a one-position improvement from last year's finish.

Men's/Women's cross country
In the MIAC meet, Augsburg's men placed eighth overall, while the Auggie women placed ninth. As a team, Augsburg recorded one of its best finishes in school history in the NCAA Division III Central Regional at the end of the season, as each of the 14 runners who competed at the regional meet for Augsburg recorded a personal-best time. Augsburg's men placed 13th in the 25-team event, while the women finished 20th.

Men's hockey
Augsburg reached the conference postseason playoffs for the fifth time in the last six years. Augsburg finished 17-9-0 overall and 10-6 in MIAC play, placing third. Senior Jaro Cesky was the top scorer among MIAC players this season, standing 20th nationally among Division III players in points. Chesky was named MIAC Player of the Year.

Women's hockey
After a two-season absence, Augsburg returned to the MIAC playoffs with a fifth-place conference standing, finishing the season 12-11-3 overall, 10-6-2 in the MIAC. Sophomore Lauren Chezick was named MIAC Player of the Year; this season, she led the nation in total points and was second in points-per-game.

Men's basketball
Augsburg finished 11-14 overall, 8-12 in MIAC play.

Women's basketball
Augsburg finished 4-21 overall, 3-20 in MIAC play.

Baseball
The Auggies showed strong improvement in team play, finishing 9-24-2 overall and 4-16 in MIAC play.

Softball
Augsburg finished the 2003 season 7-29 overall and 4-18 in the MIAC. Shortstop Kristen Lideen (junior) led the team in virtually every offensive category, setting the third-best single-season batting average in school history. She set single-season school records for hits, doubles, and total bases, and became just the third player in school history to go through a season without a strikeout.

Men's/Women's track and field
Sprinter Mathew Shannon (junior) became the first Auggie male track and field athlete to ever earn multiple All-American honors in track in one season, and earned MIAC Athlete of the Week honors three times this season. Sprinter Tonnisha Bell (freshman) became just the second Auggie freshman to earn All-American honors in track.

Augsburg hires five new coaches
by Don Stoner

Augsburg College has several new faces in the coaching ranks, as new coaches have been hired in four sports in recent months.

Alumnus Douge Schildgen ’90 was hired to lead Augsburg's baseball team. For the previous four seasons, Schildgen served as head coach at North Hennepin Community College, where he compiled a 49-44 record in his four seasons, finishing second in the competitive Minnesota Community College Conference twice and reaching state tournament and regional competition twice.

In January, Augsburg hired Troy Nygaard and Laura Levi to serve as co-coaches for the women's golf team. Nygaard currently serves as operations supervisor of the Eagle Lake Golf Course in the Three Rivers Park District (formerly Hennepin Parks) in Plymouth, Minn. Levi has worked as a golf instructor in the Three Rivers Park for the past two years, and is the golf courses' site coordinator for the LPGA/USGA Girls' Golf Program.

In April, Cathy Skinner was hired as the new head coach for the volleyball team. Skinner brings 15 seasons of volleyball coaching experience to Augsburg, including eight years at the NCAA Division I level with Fordham, Princeton, and Drexel universities.

In May, Dave Johnson, who coached the Hudson (Wis.) High School girls' basketball team to six Wisconsin state tournaments and two state titles in the last eight years, was hired as the Auggies' new women's basketball head coach. In addition to his coaching duties at Augsburg, Johnson will also direct the school's intramural athletics program and serve as equipment supervisor for the health and physical education department and the women's athletics program.

Five students earn top athletic awards
by Don Stoner

Five senior student-athletes received athletic awards for the 2002-03 school year, voted by coaches in Augsburg's men's and women's athletic departments. Four Auggies earned Honor Athlete designation, the highest honor the College gives its senior student-athletes, and one earned Augsburg Senior Athlete of the Year honors.

2002-03 Honor Athletes
T.J. Bramwell, biology—A three-year starter at running back in football, Bramwell earned All-MIAC second-team honors in 2002. He was a team co-captain in 2002 and received the football team's Auggie Award. With a 3.611 GPA, Bramwell earned Academic All-MIAC honors and Verizon Academic All-District third-team honors in both his junior and senior seasons.

Ricky Crone, marketing—A two-time All American in wrestling, Crone placed third in the nation at 184 pounds this season, after finishing second nationally the year before. He earned MIAC and Great Lakes Regional championships, and was team co-captain his senior season. He earned the team's Auggie Award and was a part of teams that won the NCAA Division III national title in 2002 and finished second in 2003. With a 3.20 GPA, Crone earned NWCA Scholar All-America honors in 2003 and was a member of an academic national team that finished sixth nationally with a team GPA of 3.335.

Jay Howard, business management—A three-year starter in men's basketball, Howard earned All-MIAC honorable mention honors his junior and senior seasons. He led the Auggies in scoring, rebounding, blocked shots, three-point baskets, and field-goal percentage. He was 10th in the MIAC in scoring his senior season, 18th in rebounding, and third in blocked shots. With a 3.593 GPA, Howard earned Academic All-MIAC honors his junior and senior seasons.

Jennifer Lemke, elementary education—A four-year starter in softball at catcher and first base, Lemke served as team co-captain for two seasons. Her 631 career putouts are tops in school history. She has served as an Augsburg Student-Athlete Mentor for two years and is a member of the MIAC Student Athlete Advisory Committee. With a 3.0 GPA, she has served as president of the Augsburg College Education Students (ACES) association, and is a two-time recipient of the Joyce Pfaff Academic Award for women's athletics.

2002-03 Senior Athlete of the Year
Jaro Cesky, international business—A four-time All-MIAC first-team recipient in men's hockey, Cesky earned AHCA Division III All-American first-team honors in 2002-03, Augsburg's 27th All-American honor in men's hockey. He was named MIAC Player of the Year for 2002-03, scoring 42 points. He was voted team Rookie of the Year his freshman season and team MVP his senior year. In March, Cesky was drafted by the Quad City Mallards, a minor league UHL team.