SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Head coach
Brandon Barkus of Augustana soccer has announced an incoming class of 10 student-athletes on National Signing Day. The 10 future Vikings signed on Wednesday morning to continue their academic and athletic careers at Augustana University. This is Barkus' 19th incoming freshman class at Augustana.
"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 cannot just simply step in and fill a void, but come in and have an immediate impact on our program. What we learned early on about this class is that 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!"
Chloe Erickson | Back | 5'4 | Brandon, South Dakota | Brandon | Dakota Alliance
Barkus on Erickson: "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!"
High School: Erickson finished her senior season with a slew of honors; she was named First Team ESD All-State, Metro Conference First-Team, All-State honorable mention and Academic All-State. She is a four-year letter winner and four-year starter. She has earned First-Team Metro All-Conference honors in two consecutive seasons. She played club soccer for Dakota Alliance.
Personal: Chloe is the daughter of Neil and Shannon and plans to major in nursing.
Ainsley Groos | Back | 5'5 | Sioux Falls, South Dakota | O'Gorman | Dakota Alliance
Barkus on Groos: "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 shutdown defender as well. We believe that Ainsley will be extraordinary here at Augustana. We are excited about her first opportunity to put on the Navy and Gold jersey!"
High School: A four-year letter winner, Groos finished out her senior season as a Metro All-Conference First-Team honoree after she helped the Knights post a 12-2-3 mark and state champion runner-ups. She is a three-year starter and was named team captain for her senior season. She played club soccer for Dakota Alliance and helped the, secure President Cup State, Regional and National Champions in 2022.
Personal: Ainsley is the daughter of Kyle and Theresa and plans to major in biology.
Marisa Koehn | Midfielder | 5'4 | Woodbury, Minnesota | Stillwater | St. Croix Soccer Club
Barkus on Koehn: "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 play 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!"
High School: Koehn closed out her senior season at Stillwater High School as a state champion, as the Ponies posted a 19-1-1 season. She finished the season with academic honors while posting three goals and five assists in 21 games. She is a four-year starter and has earned academic honors for four consecutive years. During her junior season, she garnered all-conference honorable mention. In club play, she helped St. Croix to five state cup championships and a spot in the 2024 USYS Nationals.
Personal: Marisa is the daughter of Mike and Myra and plans to major in nursing.
Ava Hurt | Forward | 5'7 | Sioux Falls, South Dakota | Lincoln
Barkus on Hurt: "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, but 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!"
High School: Hurt finished out her senior season with Lincoln High School as an All-State Second Team honoree. During her final season with the Patriots, she collected All-State Academic Team and All-Conference honors. She is a four-year letter winner and four-year starter. Hurt is the younger sister of current Viking, Elle Hurt. Lincoln finished with a mark of 7-4-3 and fell in the first round of Class AA.
Personal: Ava is the daughter of Dale and Nicole and plans on majoring in exercise science.
Jenna Steffen | Back | 5'2 | Sioux Falls, South Dakota | Roosevelt | Dakota Alliance
Barkus on Steffen: "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 Augustana!"
High School: Steffen, a Sioux Falls native, finished out her high school career as an all-state second team honoree after she helped the Rough Riders to a 9-2-3 mark and a state quarterfinals appearance. She was named a Metro All-Conference honoree on two occasions. In her junior season, she tallied three goals and two assists. She played club soccer for Dakota Alliance.
Personal: Jenna is the daughter of James and Sarah and plans to major in nursing.
Leah Gschwendtner | Back | 5'5 | Eden Praire, Minnesota | Eden Prairie | Minnesota Thunder Academy ECNL
Barkus on Gschwendtner: "Leah is for sure a very physically gifted athlete. A package that is 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 also 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!"
High School: Gschwendtner closed out her high school career as an All-Conference honoree for Eden Prairie, where she started every game and led the Eagles in goals and assists with 10 and six. She garnered her team's Gold Academic Standard while also being named the team's most valuable player. In four years of varsity soccer, Gschwendtner tallied 17 goals and 23 assists. In club play, she won the Gothia Cup in Sweden during the Summer of 2025.
Personal: Leah is the daughter of John and Carol and plans to major in sports management and marketing.
Natalie Ramthun | Forward/Midfielder | 5'3 | Hudson, Wisconsin | Hudson | St. Croix Soccer Club
Barkus on Ramthun: "Natalie is a very versatile player who 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 overall in her career as a Viking!"
High School: Ramthun enters her senior season this Spring. She is a three-year letter winner and has started for the past two seasons. She was named the Raiders' offensive player of the year during her junior season while also earning first-team all-conference honors. Ramthun is a three-time regional champion at Hudson and helped put up an impressive 14-6-2 mark in 2025. She played club soccer for St. Croix.
Personal: Natalie is the daughter of John and Stacie.
Avery Dormann | Midfielder | 5'6 | Rapid City, South Dakota | Stevens | Black Hills Rapid
Barkus on Dormann: "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!"
High School: Dormann finished out her senior season with Stevens High School as a South Dakota First-Team All-State honoree after she helped lead the Raiders to a 15-1-1 season with 12 goals and 11 assists. She is a four-year letter winner and a three-year starter. In club play, she played for Black Hills Rapids and helped lead them to 2025 U19 NPL National Champions while also being named to the All-Tournament team.
Personal: Avery is the daughter of Matt and Jenna and plans to major in biology.
Nyla Tharp | Midfielder | 5'3 | Overland Park, Kansas | Saint Teresa's Academy | Kansas City Surf ECNL
Barkus on Tharp: "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!"
High School: Tharp enters her senior season this Spring. She is a three-year letter winner and has started for the past two seasons. She garnered second-team all-district during her junior season. In club play, she played for Kansas City Surf ECNL and helped lead them to state cup champions. During that time, she was the team captain and led them to Frontier League champions.
Personal: Nyla is the daughter of Jesse and Rachel and plans to major in biology and Spanish.
Reese Bleeker | Back | 5'7 | Sergeant Bluff, Iowa | Bishop Heelan | Dakota Alliance
Barkus on Bleeker: "Reese is an unbelievably gifted athlete who can play multiple positions and also has 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 and 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 to be a great thing for our team!"
High School: Bleeker enters her senior season this Spring. She is a two-time All-District honoree and has been named an All-Conference honoree in back-to-back seasons. During her freshman season at Bishop Heelah, she helped lead the Crusaders to a state championship. She is a four-year letter winner, four-year starter and four-year captain.
Personal: Reese is the daughter of Gregory and Shantelle and plans to major in exercise science.
