Coach Barkus: "I always get very excited to officially announce our incoming class on this day!!! Our staff has worked hard to identify this extremely talented group and I think we have put together a really good class! This group has a ton of talent, plus they are all incredibly high character individuals!! Since we are losing ten players to graduation, there is a need for us to replace all the great talent that we are losing, however, we feel like the players that make up this class have the ability to not just simply step in and fill a void, but to come in and have an immediate impact in our program!! What we learned early on about this class is they were very easy to build relationships with, and they are tremendously hungry to be a part of our program! I love that all of them enjoy competing at a high level and I am confident they will successfully embrace this new challenge! I am looking forward to adding them to our current group of players who have been committed to winning and building the amazing culture we have going on here at Augustana!"
- Ainsley Groos
- Sioux Falls, SD
- Dakota Alliance Soccer Club
- O'Gorman High School
- Coach Diercks: "Ainsley is a dynamic defender with a high soccer IQ. She is calm and composed with excellent one-on-one defending skills. She's engaged in the attack and puts her team in a position to be successful. Ainsley is a leader on and off the field and I am confident she will continue this leadership during her time at Augie. Ainsley will make an immediate impact due to her work ethic, discipline, and passion for soccer. Augie scored big with this home grown recruit!"
- Coach Barkus: "Ainsley is a quality defender, she is intelligent, athletic, strong, fast, and really works to dispossess her opponents. We think she has really developed into a college-ready player over the past year! We also feel like she has become one of the best defenders in the state! She has really developed as a high level shut down defender as well! We believe that Ainsley will be extraordinary here at Augie and we are excited for her first opportunity to put on the Navy and Gold jersey!!!"
- Ava Hurt
- Sioux Falls, SD
- Dakota Alliance Soccer Club
- Lincoln High School
- Coach Wortman: "I have worked with Ava for many years and have seen her develop into a great player. She brings an intensity in training that pushes herself and her teammates to higher levels. She has the ability to play with her back to goal or in the wide area taking players into 1v1. I know Augustana will have a quality player with Ava and an even better person. I cannot wait to see her go be great at the college level."
- Coach Barkus: "We are looking at Ava to come in as a forward in her first year and absolutely tear it up!!! She has great strength and is really good in the air, which is something we really need. We believe that not only does she have the ability to come in and put her head on a ball in the opponent's box, Ava can also distribute the ball extremely well to create dangerous situations offensively for us! We feel very lucky we were able to recruit her as we think she will be a great addition to our team!"
- Avery Dormann
- Rapid City, SD
- Rapid City Stevens High School
- Kasson-Mantorville High School
- Coach Usera: "The Stevens Raiders girls soccer program is incredibly proud of Avery Dormann, a four-year letter winner, who has committed to continue her soccer career at Augustana University. Avery has been a cornerstone of leadership - guiding her teammates both on and off the field with dedication and integrity. Her ability to foster an inclusive yet fiercely competitive team culture has left a lasting impact on our program, and we are excited to see her thrive at the next level!"
- Coach Barkus: "Avery brings a great combination of technical ability, athleticism and toughness. Those traits, along with her ability to cover a lot of ground, make her a well-rounded player and a perfect fit for us as a box-to-box midfielder or a flank player!! Avery is equally good at shutting players down and creating opportunities with the ball going forward! We really are looking forward to Avery developing into a player that can positively impact the game in a multitude of ways!"
- Chloe Erickson
- Brandon, SD
- Dakota Alliance Soccer Club
- Brandon Valley High School
- Coach Spader: "Chloe is not only an excellent soccer player, but an excellent person as well. She is a student of the game and is always looking for ways to improve in order to be the best that she can. This was evident in her growth throughout the years into becoming one of the best players in the state. She is a leader both on and off the field. I am excited to see what she will accomplish at Augustana as a student-athlete."
- Coach Barkus: "Chloe is a tough, athletic player who can play anywhere in the back line and also in the midfield! I've seen her as a crushing central back, as an aggressive attacking outside back and also as an aware distributing holding mid! Chloe has tremendous determination and is absolutely relentless defensively!! We feel she will come in and compete to play in the back where she will help us organizationally. She worked hard to get here and we are confident she will grow a lot in her four years as a Viking!"
- Jenna Steffen
- Sioux Falls, SD
- Dakota Alliance Soccer Club
- Roosevelt High School
- Coach Bonte: "It has been such an honor to coach Jenna and to watch the player and person she has become. She has worked hard, lead with her heart, and left her mark on our program! Jenna has earned every bit of what's ahead, and I can't wait to see her dominate at the collegiate level!"
- Coach Barkus: "Jenna is as tough as they come and she is super competitive as well!! What I love is her grit, speed and willingness to sacrifice for her team! I love how Jenna can play in the middle and on the flank in the back. Although it's her speed that is incredible, it's also her versatility that will help get her on the field for us sooner than later. We are excited to get her here and to start working her into our system and style of play. We believe that Jenna will have an incredible career here at Augie!!!"
- Leah Gschwendtner
- Eden Prairie, MN
- Minnesota Thunder Academy
- Eden Prairie High School
- Coach Storlien: "Leah is everyone's favorite. She is the best teammate and always shows up ready to complete and help her team win games and be successful!"
- Coach Barkus: "Leah is for sure a very physically gifted athlete!! Package that with being excellent technically and clean on the ball explains why I believe she could impact our team and play fairly quickly!! She loves the game, works hard, listens to instructions and brings an unbelievable attitude to win!! She not only excels on the soccer field, but in the classroom and in her life! Leah is a top level player and we fully anticipate that she will bring that to our team!!!"
- Marisa Koehn
- Sioux Falls, SD
- St. Croix Soccer Club
- Stillwater Area High School
- Coach Huber: "Marisa has been a 4 year starter with Stillwater. She is technically great on the ball, and really improved in her defensive abilities over the last few years. She has great vision and makes everyone around her better. I am looking forward to following her future success at Augustana."
- Coach Barkus: "We are thrilled to have Marisa sign to our squad for this upcoming year! She is a very talented midfielder, who has the unique ability to play both sides of the ball. Defensively, she is really quick, aggressive, reads the game well and will bring real understanding in the middle of the field for us. On the ball, she is just so skillful and can find early passes and plays fast!! Not only that but she also has an eye for goal! We are extremely excited to add her to our roster as her qualities will further strengthen the center of the field for our team!!!"
- Natalie Ramthun
- Hudson, WI
- St. Croix Soccer Club
- Hudson High School
- Coach Gehring: "It has been my pleasure to coach Natalie the last two seasons and I am looking forward to working with her one more as our team captain this spring. Natalie is an outstanding soccer player and fabulous human. Natalie works hard at every practice, workout session, and game. She is consistent, dependable, and a great teammate. Natalie is a spark on the field with her speed, control, and knack for finding the back of the net. Natalie will be a great addition to the Augustana team and I can't wait to see what she does in her next four years!"
- Coach Barkus: "Natalie is a very versatile player that sees the field well, always plays with her head up, and is extremely comfortable on the ball! Her technical ability allows her to play out of tight spaces effectively, and also connect passes with accuracy and with proper weight on the ball. Her work rate, attacking mindset and high soccer IQ will help her compete for playing time, and I think Natalie will score a ton of goals during in her career as a Viking!!"
- Nyla Tharp
- Lenexa, KS
- Kansas City Surf
- St. Theresa's Academy
- Coach Wiseman: "Nyla is an exemplary leader who sets the standard for her teammates through her attitude, effort, and professionalism. She has a fantastic work rate both on and off the ball, with the skill and confidence to take players on in 1v1 situations. Nyla runs and controls the midfield with composure and intelligence, consistently dictating play and lifting those around her."
- Coach Barkus: "We anticipate that Nyla will come in and provide immediate depth in any of our midfield positions! She is so technical and extremely smart and we feel like she will add a ton to our team. I know she will be able to adjust to the speed of play and physicality at this level and she has all the ability to execute at a very high level as well!! Nyla is incredibly driven and very competitive and wants to challenge herself, that is why we believe that she can make the transition to this level quickly! We think Nyla is going to have a tremendous career in the Navy and Gold!!!"
- Reese Bleeker
- Sergeant Bluff, IA
- Dakota Alliance Soccer Club and STING Nebraska
- Bishop Heelan High School
- Coach Brunt: "Reese is the kind of player every coach dreams of. Her work ethic is unmatched—she embodies the principle that effort can’t be coached. Smart on the ball, smarter off it, she’s elevated every practice, every game, and every teammate around her. Coaching Reese has been an absolute joy, and I have no doubt she’ll thrive at the next level."
- Coach Barkus: "Reese is an unbelievably gifted athlete who has the ability to play multiple positions and also the fitness to get up and down the field with energy and determination!! She has natural defending instincts and combined with her speed and quickness we are extremely excited to see her crush her opponents and stifle their ability to dribble or combine! Reese competes for a couple of high level club teams in both South Dakota and Nebraska and we are excited about the things that Reese will bring to our defense!!! Plus, adding another Bleeker to the squad has always proven a great thing for our team!!!"