SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- The Augustana soccer team signed eight future Vikings on National Signing Day on Wednesday morning. Student-athletes signed their National Letter of Intent to continue their academic and athletic careers at Augustana University. Wednesday is the first day of the signing period for all NCAA soccer programs and the athletes are planning to enroll in the fall of 2022.
"I am staggeringly excited for these eight players to join our soccer program! Each of them bring something unique and very special and I believe that will help take our program to an even higher level," head coach Brandon Barkus said. "Collectively, they all are tremendous students that also possess the quality of play and ability to impact on the field!
"Within this group, we have some very special young women, all of whom have the character and ambition to really make their mark on the future of our soccer program. Personally, and also as a staff, we have truly enjoyed building relationships with each of them through the recruiting of these young student-athletes and now look forward to having them here permanently, with us, at Augustana! I am confident that they are all eager to get here and that they will be ready to begin their careers as Vikings!"
Taya Baker | Goalkeeper | 5-6 | Omaha, Nebraska | Sporting Nebraska
Barkus on Baker: "I am really excited to add Taya to our class! She is a fantastic shot-stopping goalkeeper, who is athletic, quick and agile. She is fearless and makes really good decisions coming out for balls. Along with being a very solid keeper with great physical attributes, she also plays well with her feet and commands her box well. Taya will certainly make our goalkeeping position more competitive!"
High School: Baker will graduate from Omaha Burke High School in May of 2022. She is a two-year starter and team captain. As a senior, Baker recorded 146 saves and six shutouts while garnering All Metro 1st Team and Class A All-State Team honors.
Personal: Baker was born in Woodbury, Minnesota to Amanda Kruse. She enjoys reading and being with friends, and her major is undecided.
Paige Bracker | Center Back | 5-3 | Underwood, Iowa | Midwest Premier Academy
Barkus on Bracker: "We are thrilled to have Paige join the AU women's soccer program! Throughout this process Paige has been so clear in her desire to be part of this soccer program and university. Paige is both fast and technical and despite being in a defensive position, she will get forward and support our attack. She brings a dedication to improve and is committed to being the best she can be and that makes her ability to contribute early on very high! We are so excited to begin working with Paige and welcome her as part of the soccer program!"
High School: Bracker will graduate from Abraham Lincoln High School in May of 2022. As a junior, she earned first team all-state academic honors, first team all-conference honors, second team all-district honors, second team all-state honors, defensive MVP honors, and was an honorable mention all-state. Bracker also earned the Lynx Character Award for her school.
Personal: Bracker was born in Underwood, Iowa to parents Becky and Jim Bracker. She enjoys baking, running, lifting, spending time with her friends and family, and watching Grey's Anatomy. While at Augustana, Bracker plans to major in exercise science.
Shea Ellender | Center Defender | 5-10 | Rapid City, South Dakota | Black Hills Rapids
Barkus on Ellender: "Shea is a natural leader in the back communicating and organizing her team. She has a very good mindset and a fantastic physical presence on the field. With that all said, she takes great pride in the technical aspects of defending, and is very strong tackling the ball! Shea is extremely athletic and I believe will be a versatile defender. As I said, she is really good in 1v1 situations, decent in the air and I hope can be effective in the attack. I am excited about her leadership as she has been a key player I sought out early on in the recruiting process!"
High School: Ellender will graduate from Stevens High School in May of 2022. As a senior, she was a varsity team captain, and earned class AA all-state soccer second team and South Dakota all-state academic honors. Ellender helped her team to a 12-3-1 record and was a state runner-up.
Personal: Ellender was born in Rapid City, South Dakota to parents Elizabeth and Scott Ellender. She has two siblings and plans to major in Nursing while at Augustana. Ellender is the sister of Augustana soccer senior Savannah Ellender.
Sydney Hage | Midfielder | 5-5 | Harrisburg, South Dakota | Dakota Alliance Soccer Club
Barkus on Hage: "Syd is going to be incredible! She has such formidable determination and an amazing presence in the midfield! She has the ability to break down any defense with her 1v1 attacking ability, vision and passing ability. Further, she has great endurance, durability and will allow us to play in different shapes in the midfield, which I am just so excited about! Sydney is an intelligent and talented player that can play in a number of different spots in the midfield for us, plus she is a player with quickness, toughness, vision, decision making and fantastic passing ability. I believe that she will help our team be very successful on attack with her precision and purpose to go forward! Sydney is going to be really really great!"
High School: Hage will graduate from Harrisburg High School in May of 2022. She is a four-year starter and letterwinner and scored ten goals as a senior. As a senior, Hage was the top goal scorer for her team and earned metro all-conference team honors, Eastern South Dakota all-conference team honors and all-state second team honors.
Personal: Hage was born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota to parents Stefanie and Darin Hage. She has two siblings and enjoys hanging out with friends and family, being outside and taking her dog on walks. While at Augustana, Hage plans to major in biology.
Ally Hamski | Midfielder | 5-4 | Blaine, Minnesota | Manitou FC
Barkus on Hamski: "We are thrilled to have Ally 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. Not only that but she also has an eye for goal. We are excited to add her qualities to further strengthen the center of the field heading forward!"
High School: Hamski will graduate from Centennial High School in June of 2022. She is a four-year letterwinner and earned all-conference honors both junior and senior year and all-state honors senior year. Hamski helped her team to two Northwest Suburban Conference Championships, and a record of 17-1 during her senior season.
Personal: Hamski was born in Maplewood, Minnesota to parents Kristina and Daniel Hamski. She has two younger siblings and plans to major in biology with a minor in psychology while at Augustana.
Zoey Mandery | Midfielder | 5-3 | Brandon, South Dakota | Dakota Alliance Soccer Club
Barkus on Mandery: "We could not be happier to have Zoey join this class for this upcoming year here at Augustana! We have had our eye on Zoey for quite some time and we are absolutely thrilled when she made the decision to be a Viking! Zoey is a defensive stalwart in the midfield that we are hoping to utilize her in a couple positions to help us break up plays, win the battle in both boxes and help ignite our ball movement. She played outside back in high school, so she has proven her versatility, however I see her playing in our midfield as being the one that wins balls and facilitates our possession! Zoey is going to be great!"
High School: Mandery will graduate from Brandon Valley High School in May of 2022. She is a four-year letterwinner and helped her team to a state championship as a junior. As a senior, Mandery was a starter and garnered all-metro conference honors and all-eastern South Dakota conference honors.
Personal: Mandery was born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota to parents Tricia and Chad Mandery. She has one younger sibling and plans to major in psychology with a minor in biology while at Augustana.
Avery Nelson | Defender | 5-10 | Sioux Falls, South Dakota | Dakota Alliance Soccer Club
Barkus on Nelson: "Avery is an incredibly strong, versatile defender with excellent athleticism and terrific technical ability. I love how strong Avery is in 1v1 situations, as she tackles with a fierce determination! Plus, she is getting much more powerful in the air, and has developed an ability to clear the ball out of dangerous areas. I like her passing range, as she can hit a ball on an absolute rope but can also place her passes accurately! Also Avery has the size in the back to intimidate our opponents and also versatility that will give us some balance in our backline!"
High School: Nelson will graduate from Lincoln High School in May of 2022. As a senior, she garnered first team all-state, all-metro conference team and all-academic honors while helping her team to the semi-finals of the state tournament.
Personal: Nelson was born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota to parents Melissa and Gabe Nelson. She has two siblings and enjoys soccer and volunteering. While at Augustana, Nelson plans to major in biology with a minor in psychology.
Gemma Symington | Forward | 5-8 | Brandon, South Dakota | Dakota Alliance Soccer Club
Barkus on Symington: "We are totally thrilled to have Gemma join our team this Fall! Another local player for us from Brandon HS and Dakota Alliance SC, Gemma will bring excitement to our forward group! Her creativity when breaking down a player on the dribble, her defensive effort with purpose higher on the field along with her ability to not only see but also hit a range of passes are all her special qualities! Gemma has a competitive drive and desire to win that we are excited to see and we can not wait to see her in the Navy and Gold next fall!"
High School: Symington will graduate from Brandon Valley High School in May of 2022. She is a three-year starter and garnered player of the year honors as a senior. Symington helped her team to a conference championship in 2021 and a 12-2-1 record.
Personal: Symington was born in Winkler, Manitoba, Canada to parents Melissa and Wendell Symington. She has one older sibling and enjoys running and hanging out with friends and family. While at Augustana, Symington plans to major in biology and exercise science.
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