Spartan Named NIIC Player of the Week

AURORA, Ill. May 3, 2005 - Aurora University Spartan freshman third baseman Dana Cebular (Brookfield, Ill./Riverside-Brookfield HS) was named Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference Softball Player of the Week. This Player of the Week award, as selected by the NIIC sports information directors, is the seventh time an AU player has garnered the softball award, and by four different players.

For the week in which the Spartans went 8-0 overall and clinched the top seed in the Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference tournament, Cebular hit .448 (13 of 29) with four home runs, nine runs scored, and 11 runs batted in. In the Spartans’ double header sweep of CCIW foe Elmhurst College, Cebular was five of eight at the plate with three home runs, two doubles, eight runs batted in, and four runs scored.

On the year, Cebular is hitting .395 with a new AU single-season record nine home runs, 10 doubles, 36 runs batted in, 32 runs scored, and a .726 slugging percentage. Cebular and the Spartans are currently 35-4-1 overall and 11-1 in the NIIC. The 35 wins is a single-season record for AU, breaking the old mark of 32 wins (1991 and 1995).

Next action for the AU Spartan softball team comes on Thursday, May 5, 2005, when they host the Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference tournament at the Fox Valley Park District Stuart Sports Complex. Tournament action begins at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday morning with AU taking the field at 5:00 p.m. against the winner of the Rockford College – Concordia University (IL) contest.

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