Summer 2009

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A publication of the Aurora University Spartan Club — Summer 2009

After another great year at Aurora University filled with athletic success, it's time to look back at everything our student-athletes accomplished on and off the field, and look ahead to what already looks like an exciting upcoming year of competition. This issue of the Spartan Report offers a summary of the spring season and a review of 2008-2009. As always, we thank you for your continued support and welcome your feedback.

Stories in this Issue:

AU Brings Home Another All-Sports Award
Baseball Team Leads NAC in Hitting and Pitching
Spartans Win Sixth Straight Title in Softball
Duo Becomes AU's First Track and Field All-Americans
New Track and Field Records Set by AU Women
Young Men's Tennis Team Showing Promise
AU Adding Varsity Men's Lacrosse Program
Photo Gallery: Spartans In Action!

AU Brings Home Another All-Sports Award

Spartan baseball team The Aurora University sports teams continued their success in the Northern Athletics Conference (NAC) in 2008-2009, with the men's programs winning their third straight All-Sports Award and the women finishing as runners-up for the second year in a row.

The Spartan men and women have finished at or near the top of the NAC overall standings every year since the conference was formed three years ago; the women's program won the title in 2006-2007. AU also won the last three All-Sports Awards in the former Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference, making this the sixth straight year its teams have brought home a top conference prize.

This year, AU teams won six conference championships and had nine others finish in the top three. Schools are awarded points toward the All-Sports standings for each team's finish during the regular season and in conference tournaments.

Athletic Director Mark Walsh said AU's programs continue to make their mark — in the conference, regionally and nationally — as the teams have success on the field, and student-athletes continue to excel academically and in service and leadership roles.

"As you look across the board, we're pretty strong in just about every program," Walsh said. "Every program made progress this year."

While AU has been on a roll in the NAC, the football team hadn't been able to contribute to that success until this year because of a delayed transition from the former Illini-Badger Football Conference. But the program's first conference championship since 2004 — during the NAC's first football season — finally allowed Coach Rich Duncan's team to claim a piece of the All-Sports Award.

Duncan, whose Spartans finished 7-0 in the NAC to become one of two AU teams to make NCAA Division III playoffs in 2008-2009 (along with men's basketball), said being part of winning the men's All-Sports Award gives him a renewed appreciation for the larger AU team. He attributes the university's sustained athletic success to camaraderie and cooperation among the coaches and players across sports, and an institutional commitment to succeed at all levels.

"It shows athletically, it shows academically, and it shows on campus," Duncan said. "It's a reflection of the university trying to do everything to the best of its ability."

AU softball AU won conference championships in football, women's cross country, women's soccer, women's golf, men's basketball and softball. The Spartans had second-place finishes in women's tennis, women's outdoor track and field, and women's indoor track and field; and third-place finishes in women's basketball, baseball, men's soccer, men's indoor track and field, men's outdoor track and field, and men's golf.

With the on-field success came plenty of postseason honors. Three Spartan student-athletes were named NAC Player of the Year (junior Anna Snyder, Pitcher of the Year, softball; junior Steve Salazar, Pitcher of the Year, baseball; and junior Tom Sroka, men's indoor track and field); two student-athletes were named NAC Rookie of the Year (Jackie Elliott, women's indoor track and field; and Brandon Vicory, men's golf); and four AU head coaches were named NAC Coach of the Year (Duncan; Ryan Chapman, women's cross country; Chad Johansen, women's golf; and Mike McKenzie, women's tennis).

At the annual Spartan Sports Spring Banquet in May, junior Adrian Kibiersza and Snyder were named Aurora University's Athletes of the Year.

Kibiersza, a dual-sport athlete who won the Male Athlete of the Year Award for the second year in a row, competed in both the NCAA Division III indoor and outdoor track and field national championships, and was named to the All-NAC First Team as an offensive lineman on the Spartans' football team. Snyder became AU's Female Athlete of the Year after the junior was named the top conference softball pitcher for the second straight season.

Baseball Team Leads NAC in Hitting and Pitching

Steve Salazar The AU baseball team set the tone for their season right away this year, going 8-2 on the weeklong spring trip in Florida and raising expectations for another successful run in the Northern Athletics Conference.

Although the Spartans (29-13 overall, 16-6 NAC) fell one game short of making the NCAA Division III tournament, losing in the conference tournament championship, they played consistently all season, put up big numbers and landed several players on All-NAC and All-Region teams. They finished in third place in the NAC during the regular season.

"It's a great accomplishment," said Head Coach Shaun Neitzel. "The past couple years, there haven't been too many guys who were awarded individually. There are some guys who really competed at a high level."

Neitzel is losing several starters heading into next year and will have holes to fill at shortstop, third base, catcher and outfield. But he feels good about his 2010 team, which he said will be more athletic and likely rely more on small ball and speed. The team’s pitching will remain deep.

"We've got another good senior class," Neitzel said. "That's what you want to do: build class after class."

Other highlights from the 2009 baseball season:

AU led the NAC in hitting, scoring 9.5 runs per game and hitting .353 as a team; and pitching, holding opponents to a .259 batting average while posting a 3.43 staff ERA.
Junior pitcher Steve Salazar was named 2009 NAC Baseball Pitcher of the Year and named to the All-NAC First Team. Salazar had the league's best ERA (2.12) and led the conference with 77 strikeouts, going 5-4 with five complete games, three shutouts and a no-hitter against Benedictine University.
Junior outfielder Tony Wellner and senior outfielder/pitcher Dave Warner were also named to the All-NAC First Team, while senior pitcher Chris Koudelka, senior catcher Ray Kosmicki, junior first baseman Nate Peterson and sophomore pitcher Dan McCarthy were named to the Honorable Mention Team. Second baseman Bobby Wilson was named to the All-Freshman Team, and senior third baseman Kevin Fitzgerald made the All-Sportsmanship Team.
Salazar was named to the 2009 NCAA Division III All-Midwest Region Second Team, while Kosmicki and Wellner made the Third Team.
Junior designated hitter Kirk Williamson was named to the CoSIDA-ESPN the Magazine District V Academic All-District First Team and Academic All-America College Division Baseball Second Team.

Spartans Win Sixth Straight Title in Softball

Anna Snyder After losing his entire infield from the year before to graduation, Coach Mike McKenzie didn't expect his softball team to win their sixth straight conference championship this season. There were too many unanswered questions.

But after moving some players around and being pleasantly surprised by others who stepped up, the Spartan women defended their title again, going 22-2 in the Northern Athletics Conference and 31-7 overall. While the team was disappointed not to make the NCAA Division III tournament, McKenzie was thrilled with a season that included beating eventual national runner-up Coe College during the spring trip, sweeping rival Benedictine University in a doubleheader at BU, and winning four games the last weekend of the regular season to secure another NAC crown.

Heading into next season, McKenzie will have most of his team back, including a trio of senior leaders who had impressive junior years in pitcher Anna Snyder, catcher Briana Martin and left-fielder Karisa Hansen. The incoming class includes quite a few recruits who played deep into their high school state tournaments.

"I think next year we can be even better with the returning players and the new ones coming in," McKenzie said.

Other highlights from the 2009 softball season:

The team led the NAC in pitching (1.26 ERA) and fielding (.970) during the regular season, while also batting .336, third in the league.
Snyder was named 2009 NAC Softball Pitcher of the Year, her second consecutive season winning the award. The AU Female Athlete of the Year was also named to the All-NAC First Team, going 22-4 record with a 1.52 ERA, 251 strikeouts, 18 complete games, five shutouts and a no-hitter.
Also making the All-NAC First Team were Martin, senior outfielder Nikki Veen and sophomore designated player Jessica Scott. Sophomore outfielder Shannon Starr was named to the Second Team, pitcher Lindsay Decker to the All-Freshman Team and Veen to the All-Sportsmanship Team.
Snyder, Martin and Scott were named Great Lakes All-Region by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.
Scott and Hansen were named to the CoSIDA-ESPN the Magazine District V Academic All-District Second Team.

Duo Becomes First AU All-Americans in Track and Field

Teammates Adrian Kibiersza and Tom Sroka were inseparable during the men's track and field season, rarely being seen apart. They trained, lifted weights, took classes and even ate together as they pushed each other to succeed.

"During track season, we were basically brothers, doing everything together," said Kibiersza, a junior and AU's Male Athlete of the Year.

It paid off, as they became the first AU student-athletes to earn All-American honors in men's track and field.

Kibiersza finished in fourth place in the shot put with a school-record 16.46 meters, and senior Sroka finished fifth in the weight throw and eighth in the shot put at the NCAA Division III Men’s Indoor Track and Field Championships. Sroka followed up with All-American honors in the shot put again at the Outdoor Championships, placing seventh with a school-record throw of 16.33 meters. Kibiersza finished ninth in the shot put and discus at the Outdoor Championships, missing All-American honors by one spot in each event.

Both standouts have their eyes on national titles in their individual events, or at least medal finishes, in their final seasons next year. And they both think AU's six-year-old program, which placed third at both the NAC Indoor and Outdoor Championships, is on the rise as it continues to have more success and bring in stronger recruiting classes.

"We're assembling the pieces, and I think AU is going to be at the top of track and field in the conference," Kibiersza said.

Other highlights from the 2009 men's track and field season:

At the NAC Indoor Championships in February, Sroka, Kibiersza and Chris Hartman took the top three spots in the shot put; Sroka (school-record 17.43m), Hartman and Kibiersza finished in first, second and fourth in the weight throw; and Evan Hackbarth won the 55-meter hurdles. Tony Musaraca set a new school record in the long jump (6.51m), placing fifth.
At the NAC Outdoor Championships in May, Kibiersza won and set new NAC records in the shot put (15.92m) and discus (47.75m); Sroka won the hammer throw and finished second in the shot put; Hackbarth won the 110-meter hurdles (NAC-record 15.15) and tied for second in the high jump; Jake Schlueter finished second in the steeplechase; Jeff Fellers finished second in the pole vault; Hartman finished second in the hammer throw; and the 4x100 relay team of Hackbarth, Mike Woodard, Jeff Krause and Mike Langhurst took third.

New Track and Field Records Set by AU Women

New school records continue to be set by the Spartans in women's track and field under Coach Ryan Chapman, with a few student-athletes setting new Northern Athletics Conference records this year as well.

AU finished second at the NAC Outdoor Championships, winning two events. Stephanie DeLuca won the javelin with a school- and conference-record throw of 38.59 meters, and Elissa Decker won the shot put with a conference-record throw of 12.35 meters.

Jackie Elliott, the NAC's indoor track and field Rookie of the Year, set a school record while coming in second in the 100-meter dash (28.28). The 4x100 relay team of Courtney Roberts, Brittany Pallar, Megan Cinto and Elliot finished second with a school-record time of 53.46, while the 4x400 relay team of Cinto, Lisa Guzman, Elliott and Pallar finished third with a school-record time of 4:25.16.

The Spartan women also took second at the NAC Indoor Championships, where Elliot set school records in the 55-meter dash (7.72, second place) and 200-meter dash (27.65, first place).

Other highlights from the 2009 women's track and field season:

At the NAC Indoor Championships, Decker won the shot put and took third in the weight throw; the 4x400 relay team of Elliot, Guzman, Pallar and Cinto took first; Cinto came in second in the 800-meter run; Hannah Rankin placed second in the pole vault; Erin Blackburn took second in the 55-meter hurdles; Shae Herman finished third in the 55-meter dash; Elliot placed third in the long jump; and the distance medley team of Kristen Renninger, Cinto, Guzman and Pallar took third.
At the NAC Outdoor Championships, Decker finished second in the discus; Pallar third in the 1,500-meter run; and Elliot third in the 200-meter dash.

Young Men's Tennis Team Showing Promise

The AU men's tennis team tied for fourth place in the Northern Athletic Conference tournament and finished fifth in the final NAC standings during Coach Jabari Harrell's first season. The No. 1 doubles team of freshmen Adrian Micun and Daniel Micun came in third at the tournament, with Adrian also taking third as the No. 2 singles player.

The young Spartans team — made up of three freshmen, two sophomores and three juniors — also saw Daniel Micun finish eighth in No. 1 singles, Andrew Price sixth in No. 3 singles, Cameron Wisniowicz sixth in No. 4 singles, David Gray fourth in No. 5 singles and Juan Padilla fourth in No. 6 singles. Price and Gray teamed up to finish eighth as the No. 2 doubles team, and Gustavo Uribe and Padilla finished sixth in No. 3 doubles.

AU Adding Varsity Men's Lacrosse Program

At a time when other universities are dropping athletic programs, Aurora University is adding a new one, introducing a men's lacrosse team that will begin varsity play in spring 2011.

Brendan Dawson, who won two national championships as a player at Salisbury University and two more as an assistant coach for the Seagulls, has been hired to coach the new program. Dawson most recently worked as an assistant coach for the Dickinson College men's lacrosse team.

"We have watched carefully as the sport of lacrosse has emerged in high schools and clubs in the Midwest," said AU Athletic Director Mark Walsh. "We believe there is sufficient interest both on campus and from prospective students to support lacrosse at Aurora University."

AU will begin the program with current student-athletes who have expressed an interest in the sport, along with incoming student-athletes.