AU Wins NAC All-Sports Championship

AURORA, Ill. May 14, 2008 - The Aurora University Spartan athletic teams that competed in the Northern Athletics Conference (NAC) captured the 2007-2008 All-Sports Award in men’s sports, the second consecutive All-Sports Championship for the Spartan men’s programs. The Spartans women’s program’s finished second in the NAC All-Sport standings after winning the award one year ago.

AU won four NAC championships in women’s soccer, women’s golf, men’s basketball and softball; had second-place finishes in men’s soccer, men’s and women’s outdoor track and field, men’s and women’s indoor track and field and women’s cross country; and third-place finishes in women’s cross country, baseball and men’s golf.

The Spartans out-distanced Milwaukee School of Engineering, 181 points to 171.5 in the men’s sports and trailed Concordia University, Wisconsin 251.5 points to 230.5 in the women’s sports. NAC schools are awarded points for each sport’s finish in the regular-season conference standings and in conference tournament finishes.

With the on-field success came post-season honors for numerous coaches and players for the AU teams from the NAC. Six Spartan student-athletes were named NAC Player of the Year in their nine respective sports, while four student-athletes were named NAC Rookie of the Year and five AU head coaches were named NAC Coach of the Year.

Spartans named NAC Player of the Year were senior Dana Cebular (Player of the Year - softball), sophomore Anna Snyder (Pitcher of the Year - softball), sophomore Morgan Jacquette (women’s cross country, women’s indoor and outdoor track and field), Adrian Kibiersza (men’s indoor and outdoor track and field), Kristen Richardson (women’s golf) and Jessica Novickas (women’s soccer).

Spartans that received NAC Rookie of the Year honors were Richardson (women’s golf), Cait Hartman (women’s soccer), Siri Nelson (women’s tennis) and Stephanie Deluca (women’s outdoor track and field).

Head coaches named NAC Coach of the Year were Kanute Drugan (women’s soccer), Pete Watkins (men’s soccer), Chad Johansen (women’s golf), Mike McKenzie (softball) and James Lancaster (men’s basketball).

The Northern Athletics Conference completed its second season of competition in the fall of 2007. The NAC consists of 13 colleges and universities from the shared-border states of Illinois and Wisconsin. Many have shared traditional rivalries dating back to the NAC's predecessor conferences, the Lake Michigan Conference and the Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference. Member schools include: Alverno College, Aurora University, Benedictine University, Concordia University Chicago, Concordia University Wisconsin, Dominican University, Edgewood College, Lakeland College, Maranatha Baptist Bible College, Marian College, Milwaukee School of Engineering, Rockford College and Wisconsin Lutheran College. The Northern Athletics Conference sponsors 18 sports. Men's teams include baseball, basketball, cross country, football (starting in 2008), golf, soccer, tennis, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field. Women's squads are fielded in basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field and volleyball.

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