Baseball
Kevin Graham, Benedictine University
...5'10...Sophomore...LF...Crete, Ill. (Crete-Monee)...
BU's sophomore outfielder had a great week in leading his team to a share of the 2008 NAC Championship and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming conference tournament. Graham hit .526 - with 3 doubles and a triple - for a .789 slugging percentage. He also drew five walks and did not strikeout at all, in garnering a .625 on-base average that helped the Eagles to a 4-1 week and the team's first conference title since 2004. He had nine runs scored and nine RBI, as well, and was errorless in the outfield in 14 chances.

Jake Thompson, Benedictine University
...6'1...Freshman...RHP...Woodridge, Ill. (Downers Grove South)...
Thompson was a key factor in the Eagles' stretch drive toward the 2008 NAC Co-Championship and No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. The rookie tossed the complete-game win in the crucial second game of the doubleheader sweep over Rockford. Prior to that last week, he got the victory in relief over regional-rival and CCIW foe North Central College. On the week, Thompson was sterling with a 1.12 ERA, 6 strikeouts to just 1 walk, and an opponent batting average of .074 for his eight innings of work.

Other nominees: Josh Damore (Aurora University), Zach Bickel (Concordia University Chicago), Cory McCullick (Edgewood College), Nathan Marlowe (Edgewood College), Jake Wilson (Marian College), Kevin Curtin (MSOE), Josh Ferrell (Wisconsin Lutheran College).

Softball
Dana Cebular, Aurora University
...5'6...Senior...3B...Brookfield, Ill. (Riverside-Brookfield)...
Cebular led Aurora to the 2008 Northern Athletics Conference Tournament Championship and a bid into the 2008 NCAA Softball Championship Tournament field. On the week in which AU went 5-0, Cebular was 10-for-16 with 10 runs scored and 8 runs batted in. In the NAC tournament, she was five-for-nine (.556) with two home runs, six runs scored and four runs batted in. In AU's non-conference sweep of Elmhurst earlier in the week, Cebular went five-for-seven in the double header (AU won 12-0 in 5 innings and 7-3 in 8 innings) with a grand slam. The grand slam came in the bottom of the 8th inning to win the game for the Spartans.

Anna Snyder, Aurora University
...5'6...Sophomore...RHP...Grayslake, Ill. ...
Snyder led Aurora to the 2008 Northern Athletics Conference Tournament Championship and a bid into the 2008 NCAA Softball Championship Tournament field. On the week in which the Spartans went 5-0, Snyder was 5-0 in 4 starts with a no-hitter, 3 complete games and 47 strikeouts. In her three starts in the conference tournament, Snyder was phenomenal, surrendering one run, five hits and one walk in 21 innings, while striking out 38. Her best performance came against Lakeland College in a opening round match up, in which she no-hit the Muskies, allowing one walk and striking out 12. She surrendered her only run in her 6-1 victory over Marian College in the NAC Tournament Championship. In the game she struck out 12 and allowed 3 hits and the lone run on the weekend.

Other nominees: Jennifer Stephens (Edgewood College), Rachel Doege (Wisconsin Lutheran College).