5/22/2009 3:47:51 PM
The Aurora University Spartan athletic teams that competed in the Northern Athletics Conference (NAC) captured the 2008-2009 All-Sports Award in men’s sports, the third consecutive All-Sports Championship for the Spartans men’s programs. The Spartan women’s programs finished second in the NAC All-Sport standings for the second straight season after winning the award in 2006-2007. AU won six NAC championships in football, women’s cross country, women’s soccer, women’s golf, men’s basketball and softball; had second-place finishes in women’s tennis, women’s outdoor track and field and women’s indoor track and field; and third-place finishes in women’s basketball, baseball, men’s soccer, men’s indoor track and field, men’s golf and men’s outdoor track and field. The Spartans out-distanced Concordia University Wisconsin, 23.00 point index to 21.78 in the men’s sports and trailed Concordia University Wisconsin 29.31 point index to 28.93 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. Three Spartan student-athletes were named NAC Player of the Year in their respective sports, while two student-athletes were named NAC Rookie of the Year and four AU head coaches were named NAC Coach of the Year. Spartans named NAC Player of the Year were junior Anna Snyder (Pitcher of the Year - softball), junior Steve Salazar (Pitcher of the Year – baseball) and Tom Sroka (men’s indoor track and field). Spartans who received NAC Rookie of the Year honors were Jackie Elliott (women’s indoor track and field) and Brandon Vicory (men’s golf). Head coaches named NAC Coach of the Year were Rich Duncan (football), Ryan Chapman (women’s cross country), Chad Johansen (women’s golf) and Mike McKenzie (women’s tennis). The Northern Athletics Conference completed its third season of competition in the spring of 2009. 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, 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. -END-