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Player
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Ht.
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Pos.
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Hometown / High School
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Sheila Grogan
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5-7
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MF
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Sioux Falls, S.D. / O’Gorman HS
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Amanda Wagner
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5-8
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GK
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Sioux Falls, S.D. / O’Gorman HS
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Leslie Walker
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5-4
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F/MF
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Omaha, Neb. / Burke HS
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Katie Hurd
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5-2
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MF
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Omaha, Neb. / Gretna HS
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Sabrina Johnson
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5-6
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D
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Bellevue, Neb. / Bellevue East HS
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Jessie Huff
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5-7
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F
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Apple Valley, Minn. / Eastview HS
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Mackenzie Trom
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5-5
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F/MF
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Byron, Minn. / Byron HS
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Sheila Grogan, 5-7, Midfielder
Sioux Falls, S.D. / O’Gorman HS
Sheila Grogan is a center midfielder from Sioux Falls, S.D., where she was a four-year letterwinner at O’Gorman High School. She played a key role in leading the Knights to back-to-back South Dakota Class AA state championships in 2007 and 2008. A team captain as a senior, Grogan was named to the Class AA All-State Team in 2008. High School Coach: Ryan Beier. Club Team: Grogan is a member of the Dakota Gold Adrenaline, where she has played for the last 8 years. The team has won the South Dakota State Cup for the last 3 years (2006-08). Parents: Wally Grogan and Mary T. Grogan.
Coach Barkus Comments:
“I first saw Sheila when I moved to Sioux Falls in 2006 and she immediately made an impact on me with her personality. Now clearly, when I am out recruiting, I want to bring in the most talented athletes, but if you ever have been involved with a team, you always need that player who can bring a smile to their teammates’ faces. Sheila can definitely do that. She is by far one of the toughest and most active off the ball players I have ever seen. Her attitude to overlap and create space for her teammates with that unselfish running attitude is what really separates her from the rest.”
Amanda Wagner, 5-8, Goalkeeper
Sioux Falls, S.D. / O’Gorman HS
Amanda Wagner is a goalkeeper from Sioux Falls, S.D. where she was a four-year letterwinner and three-year starter for O’Gorman High School. In her junior and senior seasons, she helped lead the Knights to back-to-back Class AA state championships. In 2008, she boasted the lowest goals against average in the state while being named to the Class AA All-State Second Team. During the season, she earned Argus Leader Athlete of the Week honors. High School Coach: Ryan Beier. Club Team: Wagner has played 8 years for the Dakota Gold Adrenaline, which has won the South Dakota State Cup the last 3 years (2006-08). Parents: Steve and Donna Wagner.
Coach Barkus Comments:
“Amanda is by far one of the most courageous goalkeepers I have seen in some time. She has fantastic hands and is getting better and better with her feet every time I see her. Amanda has a great presence in goal and this really translates into more confidence for her teammates on the field. She is an excellent shot-stopper, dealing with breakaways and power diving to either side. I am confident that she will be competing for playing time immediately in our already deep position of goalkeepers.”
Leslie Walker, 5-4, Forward/Midfielder
Omaha, Neb. / Burke HS
Lesile Walker is a forward/midfielder from Omaha, Neb. Entering her senior season this spring, Walker is a three-year letterwinner and two-year starter for the Burke High School Bulldogs. She was a team captain as a junior in 2008 and earned Class A All-State Honorable Mention recognition as a sophomore in 2007. High School Coach: Steve Moore. Club Team: Walker has played 8 years for the Gladiator Soccer Club where she was a team captain for the last 3 years. Her team took third place in the 2008 Nebraska State Championships and second place in the 2008 Heritage Invitational in Overland Park, Kan. She was also the leading scorer for her U16 and U18 teams. Club Team Coach: Sarah Yarina. Parents: Jeff and Sue Walker.
Coach Barkus Comments:
”What an exciting get for Augustana and our soccer team. Leslie is quick, versatile, and fantastic around the goal. When she is not scoring herself, she has the ability to pick out the right teammate or play the correct ball that springs one of her teammates for a scoring opportunity. One of the immediate traits I noticed about Leslie was her leadership. All of her references noted her ability to communicate tactfully and directly, which as every coach knows, is huge for team development and moving forward. I really believe Leslie will be competing up top because she scores goals.”
Katie Hurd, 5-2, Midfielder
Omaha, Neb. / Gretna HS
Katie Hurd, a midfielder from Omaha, Neb., where she is a three-year letterwinner and starter at Gretna High School. As a junior in the 2008 season, she led the Dragons to the Nebraska Class B state semifinals. A two-time All-Eastern Midlands Conference First Team selection, she was named to the all-state team after receiving honorable mention recognition as a sophomore. She will begin her senior season this spring. High School Coach: Dave Harvey. Club Team: Hurd has played 10 years for the Arsenal Primo where her team has won Nebraska state championships in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2008. Club Team Coach: Andy Benkis. Parents: David and Beth Hurd.
Coach Barkus Comments:
”Kathryn is one of the most technical players I have seen in years. She has a fantastic ability to bring the ball down out of the air as well as deal with balls played on the ground extremely well. She is an excellent ball dribbler and passer, but her relentless attitude to work both sides of the ball is by far her top quality. She just does not stop when an opponent gets out of her area, she continues to track and work to win the ball back. Kathryn is a quiet player with a competitive drive who does not lack conviction.”
Sabrina Johnson, 5-6, Defender
Bellevue, Neb. / Bellevue East HS
Sabrina Johnson is a defenseman from Bellevue, Neb., where she is preparing for her senior season this spring. A three-year letterwinner and two-year starter, she scored the only goal of her career during her junior season while helping the Chieftains to a 10-7 record. In her sophomore season, she was a part of a defense that helped the Chieftains win a district title and a berth in the Class A state tournament. Johnson is also a four-year starter and letterwinner in swimming and cross country. As a sophomore, she qualified for the state cross country meet as and individual, where she finished 48th in the state. As a team, the Chieftains qualified for state her sophomore, junior and senior seasons, a feat no team in school history has accomplished. High School Coach: Sara Holland. Club Team: Johnson has played 3 seasons of club soccer, helping the Gladiator premier team finished second at the Toyota Heritage Inviational. Club Team Coach: Sarah Yarina. Parents: Diane and Greg Johnson.
Coach Barkus Comments:
”I was quite shocked to get a player of Sabrina’s caliber to commit to Augie, simply because she is off the charts smart. Not saying Augie doesn’t get this type of kid, but I was thinking she would go to an Ivy League school. So when I heard that she had decided to come to Augustana, I was ecstatic. Sabrina has a tremendous work rate and a terrific desire to compete and get better. She strives not only to get better in the classroom, but also on the field every day. I anticipate Sabrina will definitely be fighting for playing time immediately next season.”
Jessie Huff, 5-7, Forward
Apple Valley, Minn. / Eastview HS
Jessie Huff is a forward from Apple Valley, Minn., where she was a three-year letterwinner at Eastview High School. As a senior in 2008, she scored 13 goals and had 4 assists to help lead Eastview to a 20-0-3 record and a Lake Conference championship. Along the way she earned All-Lake Conference, all-section and academic all-section honors. She is also a four-year letterwinning gymnast, earning multiple all-section and academic all-section honors. High School Coach: David Herem. Club Team: Huff was a member of the Minnesota Academy Elite Soccer Club for 6 years. Her team was U17 Minnesota Cup Semi-finalists and U18 NSC Cup Champions. Club Team Coach: Mark Cook and Chris Gudrais. Parents: Brenda Burkhartzmeyer and Steve Huff.
Coach Barkus Comments:
“I am very pleased Jessie has chosen Augustana. She is about as athletic a player as I have recruited here at Augie. Jessie was recently on the cover of Vype Magazine, a high school sports magazine talking about multi-sport athletes and how challenging participating in both can be. In addition to soccer, she is quite the accomplished gymnast. She utilizes her gymnastic ability with an absolutely stunning flip throw, which will give our attack that much more of a threat anywhere inside our attacking half. Jessie has an incredible attitude to fight out on the field, which of course was a huge reason for me to recruit her.”
Mackenzie Trom, 5-5, Forward/Midfielder
Byron, Minn. / Byron HS
Mackenzie Trom is a forward/midfielder from Byron, Minn., where she is a four-year starter and letterwinner at Byron High School. Trom is Byron’s career goal scoring leader with 59 career goals to go along with 27 career assists. A three-time All-Hiawatha Valley League performer, Trom was named to the Class A All-State First Team as a junior and senior. As a senior, she scored 16 goals and had 7 assists to help the Bears to an 11-5-2 record. As a junior in 2007, she was the state’s fifth-leading point scorer with 19 goals and 12 assists. In addition, she was Byron’s second-leading scorer as a freshman and sophomore after scoring 10 goals as a freshman and 14 goals as a sophomore in 2006. High School Coach: Marc Stangler. Club Team: Trom has participated in club soccer for the last 10 years for the Rochester Youth Soccer Association. Trom helped the team win the state championship in both the Fall of 2001 and 2002, while participating in the state tournament in 2004 and 2006. She also was a part of the Edge Soccer Camp championship team in 2006. Parents: Tim and Cathy Trom.
Coach Barkus Comments:
”A real diamond in the rough from Southern Minnesota, Mackenzie is a true gem.She is tough, physical and yet has some excellent skills.She possesses not only the ability to score goals, scoring 59 in her high school career, but a true knack for setting up her teammates and creating many more goal scoring chances. Mackenzie is a tremendous leader, doing so both vocally and by example. With her ability to strike the ball, I truly believe she will continue her ability to score goals, right away at the next level. I am very optimistic she will challenge for playing and starting opportunities next season.”
