Aurora University athletes won the 2025 Northern Athletic Collegiate Conference “Cans Across the Conference” contest.
During a 20th annual drive from October-November, Spartan athletes collected a record 6,670 items. Included were canned foods and nonperishable items such as shampoo, soap, toothpaste and deodorant which were donated to the Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry in Aurora.
Three Spartan teams, football, baseball, and women’s lacrosse, each collected more than 1,000 cans. Women’s lacrosse collected 55.55 cans per player to win an athletic department internal competition. Baseball players donated the most items, 1,368. Average contribution was 230 cans per varsity and club teams.
Launched in 2006, the cans contest is a friendly competition by the 13 NACC schools. In last year’s contest, AU collected 4,670 items.
—Al Benson