Spartans Named NAC Softball Student-Athletes of the Week

AURORA, Ill. May 6, 2008 - Aurora University women softball players, senior third baseman Dana Cebular (Brookfield, IL/Riverside-Brookfield H.S.) and sophomore pitcher Anna Snyder (Grayslake, IL/Grayslake H.S.) were named Northern Athletics Conference Softball Student-Athletes of the Week. The award is the second for Cebular and third (second consecutive week) for Snyder this season.

Cebular and Snyder led the Spartans to the 2008 Northern Athletics Conference Tournament Championship and a bid into the 2008 NCAA Softball Championship Tournament field.

On the week in which AU went 5-0, Cebular was 10-for-16 with 10 runs scored and eight runs batted in. In the NAC tournament, she was five-for-nine (.556) with two home runs, six runs scored and four runs batted in. In AU's non-conference sweep of Elmhurst College earlier in the week, Cebular went five-for-seven in the double header (AU won 12-0 in 5 innings and 7-3 in 8 innings) with a grand slam. The grand slam came in the bottom of the 8th inning to win the game for the Spartans.

Snyder was 5-0 in four starts with a no-hitter, three complete games and 47 strikeouts. In her three starts in the conference tournament, Snyder was phenomenal, surrendering one run, five hits and one walk in 21 innings, while striking out 38. Her best performance came against Lakeland College in an opening round match up, in which she no-hit the Muskies, allowing one walk and striking out 12. She surrendered her only run in her 6-1 victory over Marian College in the NAC Tournament Championship. In the game she struck out 12 and allowed three hits and the lone run on the weekend.

On the season, Snyder is 22-3 with four saves, a 1.39 earned run average and 212 strikeouts in 136 innings pitched. Cebular has a .533 batting average with 53 runs scored, 10 home runs, five triple, five doubles, 39 runs batted in and 21 base on balls.

Next action for the Spartan softball team comes on Thursday, May 8, 2008, when they travel to the 2008 NCAA Division III Championship regional hosted by the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire. AU will take on the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh with game time set for 6:00 p.m. in Eau Claire, WI.

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