Coach Barkus: "We are extremely excited to welcome this amazing group of young student-athletes to the Augustana Soccer family! Each player brings a unique skill set that will add depth across a variety of positions! The overall character and talent of this class is extraordinary. Plus, with their proven ability to be impactful players on both their high school and club teams, I believe they will enhance our culture, competitiveness, and success on the field immediately! I am very humbled that they chose Augustana and I truly believe that their intelligence and personalities will ensure our future will be bright!!!"
- Addison Burt
- Omaha, NE
- Gretna Elite Academy
- Skutt Catholic High School
- Coach Palmer: "Addison is a tremendous leader. Her work rate is rarely matched at training or in games. Personally, she is one that a coach would dream of as a student-athlete."
- Coach Barkus: "Addison is an incredibly smart and composed player who I anticipate will make an immediate impact in our back line! She is very technically sound and absolutely terrific out of the air! She wins balls with strength and determination which makes her so strong and valued for our team. I believe that she can be a huge asset as a target in the box on set pieces! I also love that Addison has been well coached which has really influenced her growth as a player. Addison’s overall 1v1 defending will create massive challenges for our opponents and I am so very excited to see how she competes in our league!"
- Ava Silvernail
- Sioux Falls, SD
- Dakota Alliance Soccer Club
- Jefferson High School
- Coach Machacek: "Ava is a strong, fast, aggressive, incredibly skilled midfielder who reads the game so well. She loves to get forward into the attack but has the fight to get back and help her team defend. Ava is willing to put her body on the line to do whatever it takes for her team. She is an excellent leader, as she connects with all of her teammates and knows how to help them on and off the field. I'm excited to see all her success at Augie!"
- Coach Barkus: "Ava is an extremely athletic and physically tough midfielder who will be a wonderful addition to our team!!! Ava has great pure speed as well as excellent technical speed and I love how she takes so much pride in shutting down her opposition! This is such a hard quality to teach, but Ava exudes this confidence! I love how she brings others in the game with her possession but it’s also her quality on the ball that truly separates her from other players. Her mentality also just really fits what we were looking for and I really believe she will impact the team upon stepping on campus! Ava is going to look great in Navy and Gold!!!"
- Ella Weide
- Sioux Falls, SD
- Dakota Alliance Soccer Club
- Harrisburg High School
- Coach Christensen: "Ella is an ideal student-athlete for any coach. She is always trying to do her best on and off the field for the greater good of the team. In the classroom, she helped the team earn the United Soccer Coaches’ All-Academic and Pinnacle award while also earning the state’s All-Academic honors for herself. As a team captain and multi-year starter for her HS soccer team, she was a vital part of the team’s culture and performance on the field as an involved with everything midfielder. She was a major part of building the Harrisburg Girls’ Soccer team into a HS Girls’ powerhouse in South Dakota where they are currently the two-time State Class AA Girls’ Soccer Champions. She is a person that any coach would enjoy having on their team and I believe she will continue to do great things at Augie as a student-athlete."
- Coach Barkus: "Ella is an absolutely amazing playmaking midfielder that we are really excited about!!! Her first touch, composure, and vision on the field will allow her to impact the game in so many ways! Ella has a great feel for the game and is very comfortable and capable of creating chances as a true 10 on the field! Her savviness and bravery on the ball in tight space will contribute to our possession and will be a huge asset in our attack! I love her outgoing personality and high soccer IQ and I really look forward to seeing her take the field next fall for our team!!!"
- Izzie Franks
- Gretna, NE
- Sporting Nebraska
- Gretna High School
- Coach Baxter: "We are delighted that Izzie has found a perfect fit for her athletic and academic future at Augustana University. Izzie is an incredibly resolute 1v1 defender who brings an abundance of energy & quality in the attacking phase of the game. Izzie embodies all the values we look for in our players including integrity, leadership, discipline, humility, and accountability. Augustana has found a special person and will thrive under the leadership of Brandon and staff. We look forward to supporting Izzie in her next chapter as an 'Augustana Viking' and celebrating her success on the field and in her chosen career!"
- Coach Barkus: "Izzie is just an incredible all-around athlete that I am really excited about! She is amazing in 1v1 defending situations and what is so great about that is she can play anywhere on the flank. Her abilities to sprint box to box relentlessly will truly separate her from all the other players in our league! She is fantastic in possession but I think it’s her vertical passing with either foot that is one of her greatest qualities! I love her work rate and competitive spirit and I believe she is a perfect fit for our program moving forward!! I am very excited to see Izzie in the Navy and Gold!"
- Linnea Larson
- Bennington, NE
- Elkhorn Athletic Association - Nebraska Roots
- Bennington High School
- Coach Haggai: "Linnea is a competitive, talented player with an attitude of gratitude and a team-first mentality. I am so excited to see what she can do as an Augustana Viking!"
- Coach Barkus: "Linnea is a very talented, athletic goalkeeper and with her calm confidence and phenomenal shot stopping abilities, I feel she will make our GK crew not just the best in our league, but one of the best GK unions in the nation!!! Linnea is extremely competitive and has a team-first mentality that I just love! Her work rate will be so great for our training environment and I feel like she will fit in so well with our team! I also absolutely love how great Linnea is with her feet, her comfortableness dealing with balls played back to her will continue to give our overall possession and ability to build out of the back a huge lift. I look forward to her next four years in an Augie uniform!"
- Makenzie Nelson
- Sioux Falls, SD
- Dakota Alliance Soccer Club
- Jefferson High School
- Coach Machacek: "Mak is a dynamic player who wants to make things happen on the field and wants to be involved in the play. She loves having the ball at her feet and being able to run at opponents. She is a great leader on and off the field. She is continually striving to better herself and watches film of our team and our opponents. She will be an excellent addition to the front line at Augie!"
- Coach Barkus: "I love that Mak is another true flank player! Her left foot is incredible and her strength and desire to compete as a wide player is second to none! Simply put, Mak is fit, strong, and fast!!! She has a good technical base and has the ability to serve high-quality balls into dangerous areas! Plus, Mak’s work rate is exactly what we look for when recruiting front runners, she is aggressive and I believe will be an absolute handful for our opponents next year! Lastly, Mak is an elite athlete who flat-out scores goals!!! Her intensity and grit will show next fall, I have no doubt!!!
- Morgan Mancuso
- Omaha, NE
- Gretna Elite Academy
- Roncalli Catholic High School
- Coach Palmer: "Morgan is a dynamic player with endless ability to impact a game from a variety of angles. As a person, she is kind, competitive, and a wonderful teammate."
- Coach Barkus: "I believe that Morgan will impact our front line with her natural attacking instincts! Her qualities will be showcased because of her tenacity and relentlessness to go forward and try to score! I love how aggressive Morgan is in 1v1 situations as it not only helps her to score goals but it also helps her to set her teammates up to score, this mentality is fantastic!! Another great thing about Morgan is that she will be a very difficult matchup for the opponents in our league, it will be exciting to see her on the field!! She’s a proven goal scorer at the HS and club level and we are confident she will continue that when she arrives here at Augustana!"