Spartan Named ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District

AURORA, Ill. May 12, 2008 - Aurora University senior women’s softball third baseman Dana Cebular (Brookfield, IL/Riverside-Brookfield H.S.) was named to the 2008 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V College Division Women’s Softball Team, which is selected by the district’s Sports Information Directors.

Cebular, a First-Team selection, is a senior elementary education major at Aurora University. To be considered for the honor, the nominated student-athletes are required to maintain a minimum 3.20 cumulative grade point average throughout their academic career at AU. As a First-Team member, Cebular will represent District V on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America national ballot.

In addition to her excellence in the classroom, Cebular is a standout on the women’s softball field at AU. She was named Northern Athletics Conference (NAC) Player of the Year for the second consecutive season, is a four-time NFCA All-Region player, four-time First-Team All-Conference selection, AU Female Athlete of the Year in 2007 and 2008; she led the Spartans to four straight conference championships, three NCAA tournament appearances in the last four seasons and she rewrote the Spartan record book. She has established new marks in career home runs (38), doubles (46), hits (255), singles (154), at bats (601), runs batted in (159) and games played/started (184). She holds single season records in home runs (11 in 2005 and 2008), total bases (130 in 2007), runs scored (60 in 2007) and games played/started (49 in 2006), all while leading the Spartans to a 37-8 overall record in 2008.

In her final season as a Spartan, Cebular had a .510 batting average with 11 home runs, five triples, seven doubles, 44 runs batted in and 54 runs scored. She had a .850 slugging percentage with a .595 on-base percentage.

AU’s softball team finished the 2008 season with a 37-8 record and 23-1 in the NAC while capturing their fifth consecutive conference championship and the NCAA softball tournament appearance was the Spartans’ third in the last four seasons.

The Academic All-District teams are selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America members within the district based on the student-athletes’ academic prowess while being a steady influence on their respective athletic fields.

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