The Aurora University athletic teamsthat competed in the NorthernAthletics Conference (NAC) capturedthe 2006-2007 All-Sports Award inboth men’s and women’s sports, the fourth consecutive All-SportsChampionship for the Spartanprogram. The previous three awardscame in the former NorthernIllinois-Iowa Conference followingthe 2003-2004, 2004-2005 and2005-2006 seasons.

AU won eight NAC championshipsin women’s soccer, women’s crosscountry, men’s cross country, men’sbasketball, softball, volleyball, men’sindoor track and field, and women’sgolf. Second-place finishes includedmen’s soccer, and men’s and women’soutdoor track and field; and third-place finishes in women’s basketball,and women’s indoor track and field.

“Winning the NAC All-Sports Awardfor both men and women is a testa-ment to the dedication of our student-athletes, coaches and athletic trainingstaff. Aurora University is extremelyproud of their outstanding efforts,”said Mike Moser, Vice President forStudent Life.

The Spartans out-distanced ConcordiaUniversity, Wisconsin, 250 points to 221 in the women’s sports andEdgewood College 163.5 points to136.5 in the men’s sports. NACmember teams are awarded points foreach sport’s finish in the regular-seasonconference standings and in conferencetournament finishes. “It is a great wayto start the history of the conference,”said Mark Walsh, Athletic Director.

With the on-field success came post-season honors for numerous coachesand players for the AU teams fromthe NAC. Four Spartan student-ath-letes were named NAC Player of theYear in their respective sports, whilesix AU head coaches in eight sportswere named NAC Coachof the Year.

Spartans named NACPlayer of the Year werejunior Larry Welton(men’s basketball),senior Sarah Campbell(volleyball), junior DanaCebular (softball) andsenior Fran Sikorski(women’s cross country).

Head coaches named NAC Coach of the Year were Kanute Drugan(women’s soccer), James Kluckhohn(men’s and women’s cross country,men’s indoor track and field), Jerry

A publication of the Aurora University Spartan Club Booster Organization

Softball’s Mike McKenzie, one of six AUcoaches named NAC Coach of the Year, in action.

Men’s Basketball Head Coach JamesLancaster, NAC Coach of the Year, andhis staff watch the play on the court.

AU Wins NAC All-Sports Championship

continued on next page

AU Names Athletes of the YearWelton, Cebular Earn Honors

Angle (volleyball), Chad Johansen(women’s golf), Mike McKenzie(softball) and James Lancaster(men’s basketball).The newly formed NorthernAthletics Conference began its firstseason of competition in the fall of 2006. The NAC consists of 12 colleges and universities from the

shared-border states of Illinois andWisconsin. Many have shared tradi-tional rivalries dating back to theNAC’s predecessor conferences, theLake Michigan Conference and theNorthern Illinois-Iowa Conference.Member schools include: AlvernoCollege, Aurora University,Benedictine University, ConcordiaUniversity Chicago, ConcordiaUniversity Wisconsin, DominicanUniversity, Edgewood College,Lakeland College, Maranatha Baptist

Bible College, Marian College,Rockford College and WisconsinLutheran College. The NorthernAthletics Conference sponsors 18sports. Men’s teams include baseball,basketball, cross country, football(starting in 2008), golf, soccer,tennis, indoor track and field, andoutdoor track and field. Women’ssquads are fielded in basketball, crosscountry, golf, soccer, softball, tennis,indoor track and field, outdoor trackand field, and volleyball.

NAC All-Sportscontinued from previous page

The Aurora University AthleticDepartment named its 2006-2007male and female Athletes of the Yearat the annual Spartan Sports SpringBanquet on Wednesday, May 16,2007. The awards, as voted on bymembers of the AU AthleticDepartment, were presented tojunior men’s basketball forward LarryWelton and junior women’s softballthird baseman Dana Cebular.

On hand to honor these two finestudent-athletes were AuroraUniversity Vice President for StudentLife Mike Moser, Director of AthleticsMark Walsh, members of the springsports teams, their families andfriends, as well as Men’s BasketballHead Coach James Lancaster andSoftball Head Coach Mike McKenzie.

Men’s Basketball Head Coach JamesLancaster led the festivities byannouncing the Male Athlete of theYear recipient, junior basketballstandout forward Larry Welton. Theprestigious awards keep coming forWelton in his three seasons as aSpartan. This season, Welton aver-aged 20.0 points and 6.7 reboundsper game, en route to being namedNABC Second-Team All-American,D3hoops.com Third-Team All-American, NABC and D3hoops.comFirst-Team All-Region, NorthernAthletics Conference Player of the

Year and First-Team All-Conference.Both conference awards mark thethird-consecutive year that Weltonhas been recognized for his tremen-dous on-court play. The previous twoseasons came in the former NorthernIllinois-Iowa Conference. In his threeseasons at AU, Welton tallied double-figure scoring outputs in 80 of the 84contests, while tallying 20 or morepoints 46 times in his career. Weltonhas been named tofive All-Americanteams, All-Regionsix times, confer-ence Player of theYear three times andAll-Conferencethree times. Weltoncontinued to add tohis AU legacyduring his juniorseason, whichincluded movinginto the top five onthe AU all-timescoring list with1,736 points, whichplaces him fifth.The all-time leadingscorer is AU legendMickey Johnsonwith 2,453 points.

McKenzie contin-ued by announcingthe Female Athlete

of the Year winner, junior women’ssoftball standout third basemanDana Cebular. The NorthernAthletics Conference (NAC) softballPlayer of the Year, National FastpitchCoaches Association First-Team All-Region and NAC All-Conferencerecipient, Cebular continued torewrite the Spartan record books.She extended her own career recordwith 27 home runs after having set

AU Male Athlete of the Year Larry Welton drives to the basketin the NCAA Tournament.

AU Female Athlete of the Year Dana Cebular makes contact, adding to her impressive offensive totals.

Men’s Track and FieldMen’s Track and Field Competes on the National Level

the single-season record with11 home runs as a freshman.This season she hit .483 with16 doubles, seven triples, 10home runs, 60 runs scored and38 runs batted in. Cebular hada .897 slugging percentage witha .531 on-base percentage anda .917 fielding percentage at thehot corner. With the 16 doubles,she tied the career mark with

39 (previously held by MelissaIvlow from 1987-1991). The 60runs scored is a new single-season record and with 130total bases on the season, shebroke her own record of 105.The Spartan women finishedthe season with a 35-8 overallrecord and 21-1 in the NAC andwere the NAC regular seasonand tournament champions.

The 2007 Aurora University men’strack and field team recently fin-ished its outdoor season, markingthe first season of play in the newlyformed Northern Athletics Con-ference and also achieving a mile-stone along the way with AU’s firstNCAA championship qualifier.

The highlight of AU freshmanAdrian Kibiersza’s stellar season waswhen he became the first Spartan inschool history to qualify for theNCAA championships. Kibiersza

qualified for nationals inthe shot put and discusevents. At the 2007NCAA Division III Men’s OutdoorChampionships, hostedby the University ofWisconsin-Oshkosh,Kibiersza checked-in with a first-round discusthrow of 43.07 meters,which came a little shortof qualifying him for thefinal round. In the shotput, Kibiersza finishedwith a mark of 15.49meters, again merelymissing the finals.Although he missed thefinals in both events,Kibiersza’s qualifying

for the national championshipsmarked a new era in Spartan trackand field and also capped off a fineseason for the freshmen.

“We are excited and proud ofAdrian on his qualifying ontonationals and for reaching thismilestone for our track and fieldprogram. His performance thisseason has been extraordinary,” saidAU Track and Field Head CoachJames Kluckhohn.

The 2007 season also included asecond-place finish for AU at theNorthern Athletics Conference tour-nament, hosted by WisconsinLutheran College. Despite the eight-team field, the Spartans finishedsecond to Concordia UniversityWisconsin by a final score of 219-198. At the meet, Kibiersza won theshot put and discus throw events,and Jeff Fellers won the pole vault.Other Spartan winners included the4 X 400-meter relay team ofMariano, Quigley, Anderson andMathew; Travis Quigley in the 400-meter hurdles; Kevin Peters in the10,000-meter run; David Mathew inthe 800-meter run; and CraigMariano in the 400-meter dash.

Kibiersza was also named the AUteam Most Valuable Player andFreshman of the Year, and seniorAaron Smith was honored with theSpartan Award.

Overall, the 2007 season wasmarked by national recognition forthe Aurora University men’s trackand field team. The second placeconference finish bodes well forthe Spartans; they will head intonext year with aspirations of a con-ference championship.

Freshman track and field standout thrower AdrianKibiersza competes at the Division III NationalChampionships.

The Aurora University women’s soft-ball team recently finished anotherimpressive season under fourth yearHead Coach Mike McKenzie. The2007 Spartan squad finished with a 35-8 overall record, along with a21-1 Northern Athletics Conferencerecord. The season was highlightedby a 3-0 showing at the inauguralNorthern Athletics Conference tournament, hosted and won by the Spartans.

The Spartans began the season,going 7-3 on the spring trip inFlorida, and managed to sustain thatmomentum. Upon coming backnorth, AU embarked on its firstseason in the NAC — finishing witha conference best 21-1 regular seasonrecord. AU finished the conferencetournament with a 24-1 overallrecord in conference play. Although

AU’s season was shortened by notgaining an NCAA Regional bid, theSpartan softball team can still reflectupon a very successful season.

Dana Cebular led or finished secondin almost every offensive categorythis season for AU. The junior thirdbaseman finished the season with a.483 batting average, 10 homeruns,38 RBIs, 16 doubles, seven triples.130 total bases, and a .897 sluggingpercentage. For her efforts, Cebularwas named Team MVP, All-Conferenceand NFCA First-Team All-Region.Along with her regional andnational recognition, Cebular alsoset the single season runs scoredrecord (60) and added 27 homerunsto her career record.

Although Cebular gained most ofthe recognition, other Spartan per-

formers also received attention fortheir on-field performances.Sophomore designated player AbbyYoung finished the season with a.424 batting average, four homeruns,and 39 RBIs. Nikki Veen, a sopho-more centerfielder, finished theseason with a .383 batting average,four homeruns and 40 RBIs. BothYoung and Veen were named NACAll-Conference and NFCA First-TeamAll-Region.

The Spartan pitching staff was led bysecond team All-Region selectionBrittany Butcher, who went 13-3with a 1.51 ERA. Sophomore NicoleCapone continued to add to hergrowing resumè by going 15-4 witha 2.35 ERA, while newcomer AnnaSnyder went 7-1 with a 0.73 ERA. Allthree Spartan pitchers were awardedfor their efforts by being namedNAC All-Conference and Snyderbeing named to the All-Rookie team.

Women’s SoftballSpartan Softball Finishes Another Successful Campaign

Sophomore outfielder Nikki Veen on base following one of her many hits.

Sophomore pitcher Nicole Capone deliversa strike for the Spartans.

The Aurora University women’s track and field team finished its2007 season with a second-placeshowing at the Northern AthleticsConference (NAC) championships.At the inaugural NAC event, AU finished second behind ConcordiaUniversity Wisconsin.

AU’s success was due to its domina-tion in the distance events. SeniorFran Sikorski finished second in the800-meter run and won the 1,500-meter (5:04.72), while MorganJacquette won both the 5,000-meterrun (19:51.38) and the 10,000-meterrun (45:02.78). Allison Shopinskialso came through with a third-placefinish in the 10,000-meter run.

Sarah Brennan won her second con-secutive conference championship inthe hammer throw, with a distance

of 40.06 meters. She also finishedfifth in the shot put.

Sikorski was named the AU MVP andreceived the Spartan Award. Jacquettewas named the Freshman of the Year.

Senior Fran Sikorski finished a fantastic career and was named the Women’s Track and Field MVP.

Women’s Track and FieldWomen’s Team Finishes Another Successful Season

Sophomore Kristen Renninger competes ina distance event

The Aurora University men’s golfteam finished its 2006-2007 seasonon a high note, winning two tourna-ments and placing second in twomore. The fall season consisted of a traditional schedule and confer-ence tournament, while the springseason allowed for more out-of-con-ference play.

During the fall’s Northern AthleticsConference (NAC) play, AU placedtwo underclassmen on the All-NACteam. Gaining All-Conferencehonors were sophomore MarkFrantzen (AU Team MVP) and fresh-man Shane Roland. Frantzen andRoland both proved that they couldconsistently compete at a high levelof collegiate play.

The spring season marked anothersuccessful campaign for theSpartans. Beginning with theBenedictine University Invitational,held at Seven Bridges Golf Course inWoodridge, IL, AU placed first orsecond in four consecutive events.This stretch included first place fin-ishes at the Benedictine Universityand Rockford College Invitationalsand a second place showing at theAurora University Invitational, heldat Blackberry Oaks Country Club.

Men’s GolfTeam Continues Steps Toward Success

TOP PHOTO: Sophomore Mark Frantzen, Team MVP, tees

off for the Spartans.

BOTTOM PHOTO: The AU men’s golf team (left to right: Dusty

Magee, Alex Kline-Wedeen, ShaneRoland, Mark Frantzen and Jon

Sample) with the first place trophy at the Benedictine University

Spring Invite.

The Aurora University baseball teammanaged to close its 2007 season witha three game winning streak. The2007 campaign witnessed theSpartans accumulate a 17-21 overallrecord, and an 8-12 NorthernAthletics Conference (NAC) record.The season ended on May 6, as AUswept the University of Chicago in adouble-header.

The 2007 season did not go asexpected for AU, which was ranked as

the 12th best team in the country inthe NCAA Division III pre-seasonpoll. However, the team did have itsshare of highlights, including effortsof the graduating seniors. One of themost accomplished classes to evercome through Aurora University’sbaseball program, this groupmanaged to provide leadership and

a positive attitude on a somewhatdisappointing season. The seniorclass consisted of the five captains,pitcher Jonathan Turek (NACHonorable Mention All-Conference), pitcher Ryan Fair,catcher Zach DeGrush, outfielder JayZimmerman and third basemanRyan Losacco.

For their careers, the senior classaccumulated a 113-63 record, goodfor a .642 winning percentage. As if

their record was not impressiveenough, the senior class alsomanaged to win two conferenceregular season championships, twoconference tournament champi-onships, appear in three NCAARegional tournaments, win twoNCAA Regional tournaments, maketwo NCAA Division III World Series

appearances, and place third (2004)and seventh (2006) in the nation. Although the Spartans had leader-ship from the five seniors, they werea predominantly young team. AUstarted six under-classmen in thefield, and managed to work numer-ous others into the pitching rota-tion. Sophomore shortstop JoshDamore proved to be a more thanworthy replacement for departed All-American Aaron Thor. Damore, the2007 AU MVP and NAC Honorable

Mention All-Conference recipi-ent, managed tolead the Spartans inaverage (.340), at-bats (150), hits(51), doubles (14),RBIs (34), totalbases (70) and slug-ging percentage(.467).

Tony Wellner, NACAll-Rookie teammember and AUFreshman of theYear, was anotherbright spot for theSpartans. The fresh-man centerfielderhit .301, with eightdoubles and 21RBIs in 37 gamesfor the Spartans.Fellow freshmanMatt Anklam alsoshined when calledupon. In limitedaction for the

Spartans, the freshman designatedhitter managed to hit .280, with twohome runs and 10 RBIs.

BaseballSpartan Baseball Ends on a High Note

Sophomore shortstop Josh Damore laying down a base hit enroute to team MVP honors.

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The Spartan Reportis published quarterly by the AuroraUniversity Spartan Club BoosterOrganization. It is written by Brian Kipley, Director of SportsInformation, and designed by Mark Rospenda, Graphic Designer.Photos were taken by Al Benson,Media Relations Director.

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The Aurora University men’s tennisteam finished its first season inNorthern Athletics Conference playwith a fourth place finish at theNAC Tennis Championships, hostedby Concordia-Wisconsin at thePleasant Valley Club in Jackson, WI.

The Spartans were led all season bysenior captain and team MVP ColeGuetschow, who finished fourth atthe conference championships atno. 5 singles. Also finishing fourthwere no. 4 singles player AndrewPrice and no. 2 singles player Brian

Crouch. The Spartans top-seededperformer, junior Marshall Reed,finished fifth.

Highlighting the conference meetwas senior Jimmy Hunt, who fin-ished second at no. 6 singles. Huntalso fared well in doubles play,where he paired with fellow seniorJohn Donovan to finish second atno. 3 doubles. The conference meetmarked the end of multiple success-ful collegiate careers, while alsomarking the end to another seasonfor Aurora University men’s tennis.

Men’s TennisMen’s Tennis Seniors Go Out In Style

Senior captain Cole Guetschow in action. He was the team MVP.

In an effort to enhance quality, min-imize costs and reach a greater audi-ence, the Spartan Report will beconverted to an electronic newsletterbeginning with the fall 2007 issue.

The electronic version will containcolor photos, feature stories and astudent-athlete spotlight in additionto the team preview and recaps.

To ensure you are a part of the newSpartan Report electronic mailinglist, please e-mailspartanreport@aurora.edu withyour name, phone number, e-mailaddress and affiliation (alumnus,fan, current/past/prospective parentand current/prospective student)with AU.

Spartan Report to Go Electronic!