Aurora University Athletics

The Northern Athletics Conference announced the 2008-2009 men’s basketball All-Northern Athletics Conference awards. The Aurora University’s men’s basketball team placed one player on the Northern Athletics Conference First-Team All-Conference Team, one Honorable Mention All-Conference selection and one All-Sportsmanship Team selection. Spartan senior guard Chad Trudo (Yorkville, IL/Yorkville H.S.) was named First-Team All-Conference and to the NAC All-Sportsmanship team. Thus far on the season, Trudo is averaging 19.0 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. He is shooting 47.0 percent from the field (159-of-338), 47.0 percent from three-point range (63-of-134) and is shooting 88.8 percent from the free-throw line (151-of-170). He was a 2007-2008 NAC Honorable Mention selection. Junior forward Shane Roland (Knightstown, IN/Knightstown H.S.) was named Honorable Mention All Conference. Roland is averaging 15.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game for the Spartans. He is shooting 44.0 percent from the field (149-of-339) and 81.7 from the free-throw line (94-of-115). The Spartan men’s basketball team (16-12 overall) will travel to the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, for first and second-round contests of the 2009 NCAA Division III Championships on Friday, March 6 and Saturday, March 7, 2009. AU will open up against the University of St. Thomas (27-0) from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) at 8:00 p.m. on Friday. AU has made three consecutive NCAA Division III Championship appearances, four in five seasons, five in seven and seventh overall since 1997-1998. The appearance is also AU’s third as a member of the Northern Athletics Conference. AU defeated Wisconsin Lutheran College 82-79 in the NAC tournament championship game to capture the 2008-2009 NAC tournament title. -END-