Area notebook: Z-M grad helps Auggies

Zumbrota-Mazeppa graduate Phil Putratz led Augsburg in rushing Saturday as the Auggies opened their season with a 62-10 home victory over Concordia University Wisconsin.

Putratz, a freshman, carried the ball 11 times and finished with 33 rushing yards. He also caught one pass for 19 yards and was credited with one assisted tackle.

• Wisconsin-Stout senior free safety Adam Churchill, a Plum City graduate, finished third on the team with eight tackles Friday in a 14-13 overtime loss at Black Hills State.

• Ken Kuyath, a 6-foot-4, 280-pound senior, started at right guard for Wisconsin-River Falls in the Falcons' season-opening game Thursday. Kuyath, a Red Wing graduate, and the Falcons lost 35-21 at Ohio Northern, the 11th-ranked team in Division III.

• Goodhue graduate Olivia Warren leads the Gustavus Adolphus volleyball team with 38 kills in its first four matches. Warren, a junior, and the Gusties are off to a 3-1 start.

Next up for the team is the Gustavus Classic on Friday and Saturday.

• Alison Albers of Goodhue posted 10 kills and a block, but it wasn't enough Friday as her Erskine team lost to Francis Marion 25-20, 13-25, 25-22, 25-18. Erskine entered Tuesday's home match against Belmont-Abbey with a 2-2 record.

Albers is a senior at the Division II school in Due West, S.C.

• Mark Giorgi and the St. John's golf team will start the 2010-11 season ranked fifth nationally in the Golf World/Nike Gold Preseason Poll. The Johnnies open the season Saturday at the Augsburg College Invitational.