spartans.aurora.eduAurora University - Spartan Athletic Park

AURORA UNIVERSITY | ADMISSION | ALUMNI | ATHLETICS The Home-Field Advantage Spartan Softball Spartan Lacrosse Spartan Soccer Spartan Baseball Gateway Become a Champion Make a gift Buy gear The Home-Field Advantage Spartan Softball Spartan Lacrosse Spartan Soccer Spartan Baseball Gateway Become a Champion Make a gift Buy gearLike their namesakes of old, the Aurora University Spartans are tough competitors. Since 2006, AU has been the dominant force among the 12 institutions belonging to the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC). AU seized the Men’s All-Sport Championship six of the last 11 years and captured the Women’s All-Sport title five times during the same period. The Spartan intercollegiate athletic program consistently ranks among the Top 100 in Division III of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Now we seek the support of our friends and alumni to ensure that AU’s student-athletes have a powerful home-field advantage for decades to come through development of the Spartan Athletic Park. New facilities will be located on an 80-acre parcel of land – less than a mile from the existing AU campus. Only a handful of AU teams compete in university-owned facilities. Alumni Hall and its adjacent annex is the site for coach and administrator offices, locker rooms, athletic training and exercise science facilities. Thornton Gymnasium, renovated twice in the last decade, is home to Spartan basketball and volleyball. The football, soccer and lacrosse teams rely upon the adjacent Vago Field (built in 2008 at a cost of $3.8 million) for practice and competition. Aurora University’s varsity and club hockey claim home ice at a nearby arena. All other AU intercollegiate squads, including softball, baseball, golf, tennis, cross country, track and field and bowling, depend upon rented park district, commercial or public school facilities. Spartan Stories | Tradition Never Graduates Home-Field Advantage Home-Field Advantage Home-Field Advantage Buy gear Make a giftThe Home-Field Advantage Intercollegiate athletics are integral to the educational experience at Aurora University. Our student-athletes excel in the classroom and in competition. They embody the university’s commitment to the core values of integrity, citizenship, continuous learning and excellence. Spartan team members set positive examples with strong grade point averages and as campus leaders. In recent years, university leaders invested heavily in the renovation of existing facilities and the recruitment and retention of outstanding personnel. The first phase of construction is underway. The university’s softball, soccer and lacrosse teams will play in new stadiums during 2017-2018. Plans call for moving quickly into the next stage of development in the spring of 2018, when development of a new baseball stadium is slated to begin. Subsequent phases of the athletic park project will focus on meeting the needs of AU’s track and field and tennis teams. As the park grows over time, AU leaders are confident that the university will have many opportunities to host prestigious tournaments and competitions. The park quickly will become the preferred site for regional championship play. The new campus also will showcase the university’s commitment to quality, environmental stewardship and vibrant landscape design. Aurora University leaders expect to spend approximately $40 million over the next decade to provide the institution’s student-athletes with high quality practice and competition facilities. Of course, many of the new facilities will lend themselves to recreational, academic and community use too. Building Upon a Tradition of Excellence Being a Spartan Building Upon a Tradition of Excellence Being a Spartan Hear more stories Buy gear Make a giftBuilding Upon a Tradition of Excellence Being a Spartan Lessons Learned Hopes for Future Athletes Home-Field Advantage Spartan Softball Team Info Few Midwestern colleges and universities claim as victorious a softball tradition as Aurora University. From its early years with Dr. Sam Bedrosian as coach to more recent seasons under the leadership of Mike McKenzie, the Spartans have been a dominant force. Since 1976, AU softball teams have amassed a record of 1023 wins, 499 losses and six ties and took fourth in the nation in 1982’s NCAA tournament. After years of playing on a Fox Valley Park District diamond, the Spartans look forward to seizing the home-field advantage with their new $3 million+ stadium opens. It will include premium synthetic turf; recommended NCAA mix of clay, sand and silt; two 800-square-foot dugouts; bullpens with professional quality mounds; light towers to illuminate the stadium; seating for 300 fans; state-of-the-art digital scoreboard; press box; public address system; and ticketing facilities. Buy gear Make a giftSpartan Lacrosse Women’s team info Men’s team info Several Aurora University intercollegiate athletic teams are recognized among the top tier of competitors in the nation. The men’s lacrosse team, established six years ago, has won four conference championships and made four consecutive NCAA Division III Sweet 16 appearances. Now the women’s lacrosse team is poised to begin its climb into the upper ranks of Division III, thanks to the recruitment of outstanding new head coaches and players. One of our top priorities for the new Spartan Athletic Park is to provide these outstanding teams with championship-quality facilities. The university will realize this vision in partnership with friends, alumni and parents through construction of a new stadium to include seating for 1,000 fans; 112,000-square-foot field turf surface with markings for lacrosse, soccer and football; locker rooms; press, concession and fan amenities; state-of-the-art lighting; and terraces for fan gatherings and celebrations. This $6 million Spartan Stadium project will be a focal point of the Spartan Athletic Park. Buy gear Make a giftSpartan Men’s Lacrosse Spartan Soccer Women’s team info Men’s team info Spartans have achieved success in soccer dating back to 1970 when the men’s team first appeared in a conference championship. Currently, the men’s soccer team is soaring up the ranks in Division III with the addition of new head coach and talented student-athletes. Since 1996 women’s soccer has seized 16 conference titles and made multiple NCAA Tournament appearances, losing in the Sweet 16 in 2015. The construction of a new $6 million Spartan Stadium will provide student-athletes with ideal practice and competition time on a championship-quality field, and will feature seating for 1,000 fans; 112,000-square-foot field turf surface with markings for lacrosse, soccer and football; locker rooms; press, concession and fan amenities; state-of-the-art lighting; and terraces for fan gatherings and celebrations. Buy gear Make a giftSpartan Men’s Soccer Spartan Women’s Soccer Spartan Baseball Team Info The Spartan baseball team took the field for the first time in 1926. The Spartan baseball team took the field for the first time in 1926. Since then, they’ve won conference championships and made appearances in the NCAA Division III World Series, finishing second in the nation in 1990 and third twice (1998 and 2004) finishing second in the nation in 1990, third twice (1998 and 2004) and seventh twice (1999 and 2006). In addition to the entire 1990 squad, 26 Spartan baseball players are in the AU Hall of Fame. For a number of years, the Spartan diamond (Snell Field) was located on the southwest corner of the campus. Over the last few years, the baseball Spartans have played in a variety of venues in Fox Valley. The time is right to seize the home-field advantage with construction of a new $5 million Spartan Baseball Stadium to include grandstand seating for over 650 spectators; team, fan and storage amenities; lighting to accommodate night games; and parking for 250 vehicles in an adjacent area. Buy gear Make a...