With spring football right around the corner, check out this preview on the Huskies' upcoming 2013 spring drills by Yahoo! Sports blogger Frank Schwab. He identifies the defensive front seven and the skill positions on the offensive side of the ball as wild cards heading into spring. He also talks about Jordan Lynch's chances of winning the Heisman in 2013.With spring football right around the corner, check out this preview on the Huskies' upcoming 2013 spring drills by Yahoo! Sports blogger Frank Schwab. He identifies the defensive front seven and the skill positions on the offensive side of the ball as wild cards heading into spring. He also talks about Jordan Lynch's chances of winning the Heisman in 2013.Men's Basketball: Northern Illinois' 2012-13 season came to a close Monday night with a tight 45-44 loss at Eastern Michigan. Aksel Bolin and J.J. Cravatta each scored nine points to pace the Huskies.
Gymnastics: Northern Illinois wrapped up their regular season with a fourth place finish at the State of Illinois Classic. Amanda Stepp earned all-state honors at the meet.
Baseball: The Huskies played five games over spring break in the Mid-South. NIU split a midweek series with Murray State, topping the Thoroughbreds Wednesday, 8-4, to avenge a 7-1 loss the day prior. The team went 1-2 at the Music City Tournament in Nashville, falling to Belmont by a 4-3 margin on Friday and Lipscomb 12-8 on Saturday. They did end the tournament on a high note, though, with an 8-2 win against Belmont.
Softball: NIU went 4-5 in their spring break swing to southern California. On Tuesday, the Huskies split a doubleheader with Cal State-Northridge. The next day, NIU dropped contests against North Dakota State and Loyola Marymount. On the first day of the Highlander Classic in Riverside, Northern fell to Notre Dame in extras and beat host UC-Riverside. Saturday, the Huskies defeated Iona and lost to ND before ending the trip with a win against UCR on the final day.
Track & Field: The Huskies kicked off their outdoor season Friday in Tampa, Fla., with several quality performances. Meghan Heuer won the 1500 meters, while 10 different individuals combined for 14 top 10 finishes.
Men's Tennis: NIU went 2-1 on their spring break trip to central Florida. The trip started with a 5-2 loss to Stetson. However, the Huskies rebounded with a 4-3 win over Appalachian State and a 4-2 triumph against Army.
Women's Tennis: The Huskies earned two wins on their spring break trip to Kansas City. On Tuesday, NIU defeated UMKC, 6-1. They would follow that up with a 7-0 sweep of Emporia State.
Men's Golf: Northern Illinois placed 17th at the Mission in Spring Spectacular in Howey in the Hills, Fla. Kurtis Luedtke paced the Huskies with a +13, 229 in the tournament to tie for 47th.
Women's Golf: The Huskies took sixth at Bucknell's Lady Bison Spring Classic in Las Vegas. Jennie Niemiec led NIU with a 15th place finish.
Northern Illinois Head Football Coach Rod Carey will join Terry Boers and Dan Bernstein of WSCR 670 AM The Score Friday, March 8 from Fatty's Pub & Grille in DeKalb. Carey will update listeners on what's been happening with Huskie Football since the Orange Bowl as NIU gets ready for spring practice beginning March 20. Fans in the area are welcome to come by the show, which will be live from Fatty's from 1-6 p.m. Carey's segment will begin at approximately 3:40 p.m If you can't make it to DeKalb, be sure to listen!
Men's Basketball: Northern Illinois closed out their 2012-13 home schedule during the week. On Wednesday, the Huskies dropped a 53-41 loss to Eastern Michigan. Three days later on Senior Night, Central Michigan spoiled the celebration with a 69-50 decision.
Women's Basketball: The Huskies wrapped up their home slate with a pair of games against Michigan foes. Thursday night saw NIU fall to Eastern Michigan, 54-45. On Senior Day Sunday afternoon, Northern lost to Central Michigan, 82-61.
Gymnastics: Northern Illinois dominated their Senior Night showdown with Eastern Michigan, winning 194.775-192.550. Megan Melendez, Jaelyn Olson, Kim Gotlund and Natalie Sutter all won individual honors on the night.
Baseball: Northern Illinois went 1-2 at Minnesota's Dairy Queen Classic with all three contests coming down to the last inning. In Friday's tournament lid-lifter, the Huskies fell to Utah, 6-1. On Saturday afternoon, NIU and Dartmouth were locked in a pitchers' duel, but it was the Big Green who came away with a 1-0 win. In the tournament finale, Alex Klonowski's complete game two-hitter lifted the Huskies to a 2-1 win over the host Golden Gophers.
Softball: NIU split their Sunday doubleheader in Carbondale, Ill., as part of Southern Illinois' Coach B Classic. In the first game, the Huskies squeaked out a 3-2 win against Butler, but lost in extras to Saint Louis in the second game.
Men's Tennis: NIU split their two road contests in Indianapolis over the weekend. On Saturday, Butler bested the Huskies in a 5-2 loss. Northern rebounded with a 5-2 win against IUPUI Sunday.
Women's Tennis: The Huskies pushed their winning streak to nine in Des Moines, Iowa, with three wins. On Saturday, the Huskies swept Nebraska Omaha, 7-0, and topped Drake, 4-3. On Sunday, NIU handed Central Arkansas a 6-1 loss.
Men's Basketball: Northern Illinois dropped their lone game of the week Saturday in a 59-47 loss against Eastern Illinois in the Ramada Worldwide Bracketbusters.
Women's Basketball: The Huskies lost a pair of MAC West road games over the last week. On Wednesday morning, NIU was handed a 72-40 loss from MAC-leading Toledo. Three days later, Northern fell to Ball State, 64-54.
Wrestling: The Huskies ended their regular season on a high note, defeating Gardner-Webb, 22-12, and Cleveland State, 26-11. Nick Smith, Rob Jillard, Andrew Morse and Parker Settecase each won both of their matches on the day.
Gymnastics: Northern Illinois posted eight 9.8 scores against No. 21 Kent State Saturday, but it was not enough in a 195.800-194.350 loss to the Golden Flashes.
Track & Field: NIU finished 10th at the Mid-American Conference Indoor Championships in Ypsilanti, Mich. Janay Mitchell led the way with a second place finish in the 60 meters, while Jamie Burr and Megan Gregory earned sixth place finishes in the 800 meters and 60 hurdles, respectively.
Baseball: Northern Illinois went 1-3 in a four-game set with Nevada out in Reno. The Huskies' late rally on Friday came short in a 7-3 Wolfpack win. The two squads split a doubleheader Saturday, as NIU won, 12-4, prior to Nevada's 13-0 triumph in the first game. The series finale went the way of the Wolfpack in a tight 3-2 decision.
Softball: NIU went 2-3 at Florida Atlantic's Strike-Out Cancer Tournament in Boca Raton, Fla. On Friday, the Huskies split their two games, beating North Florida in extras, 4-2, and losing to Providence, 13-7. Northern was swept on Saturday with a 3-0 loss to Towson and a 1-0 loss to Connecticut. However, the tournament ended positively with a 7-3 win against host FAU.
Men's Tennis: NIU split a pair of Saturday contests at home. In the first match, the Huskies swept Western Illinois, 7-0, before falling to the Green Bay Phoenix, 4-1.
Women's Tennis: The Huskies easily defeated in-state rival Chicago State, sweeping the Cougars, 7-0.
Men's Golf: The Huskies took second place Saturday at the 36-hole Forest Hills Collegiate. Bryce Emory paced NIU with a fifth place showing.
Women's Golf: NIU kicked off their spring season in Daytona Beach with a second place finish at the Gary Freeman BCU Spring Invitational. Alllie Parthie and Taylor Ellett both earned top 10 showings by placing second and sixth, respectively.
While the starters were in Buffalo, a quartet of Huskies placed at the Jim Fox Open in Dubuque, Iowa. Leading the way was Billy Chancey, who won the 165-pound bracket. Meanwhile, Shawn Fayette took second at 149, while Braun Marquez (125) and Gabe Morse (149) each netted third place showings.
Here is the match-by-match breakdown of how each Huskie did in northeast Iowa.
125: Braun Marquez - Third Place
Kyle Larson (Iowa State) dec. Braun Marquez (NIU), 5-1
Braun Marquez (NIU) pins Chris Alvarez (Kennedy-King), 3:27
Braun Marquez (NIU) pins Tom Foy (Wheaton), 2:09
149: Shawn Fayette - Second Place
Shawn Fayette (NIU) pins Dylan Wright (St. Cloud State), 1:50
Shawn Fayette (NIU) dec. Eric Powell (Dubuque), 6-1
Roger Wildmo (Michigan State) pins Shawn Fayette (NIU), 0:47
149: Gabe Morse - Third Place
Roger Wildmo (Michigan State) pins Gabe Morse (NIU), 4:00
Gabe Morse (NIU) pins Gage Burt (Wheaton), 1:13
Gabe Morse (NIU) tech. fall Jason Clark (Simpson), 16-0
Gabe Morse (NIU) maj. dec. Dylan Wright (St. Cloud State), 9-0
Gabe Morse (NIU) dec. Duane Richardson (Upper Iowa), 3-1
Gabe Morse (NIU) dec. Eric Powell (Dubuque), 8-4
165: Billy Chancey - First Place
Billy Chancey (NIU) pins Matt Ellis (Wheaton), 2:01
Billy Chancey (NIU) dec. Peter Huang (Wheaton), 4-0
Billy Chancey (NIU) wins by injury forfeit over Matt Vercillo (Wartburg)
Former Northern Illinois assistant coach and NIU alum Dan Roushar was hired as the running backs coach of the New Orleans Saints over the weekend. Roushar will join Sean Payton's staff after spending his last six seasons at Michigan State. During the past three seasons at MSU, Roushar served as the Spartan's offensive coordinator, where he helped the likes of Kirk Cousins, Le'Veon Bell and Andrew Maxwell set new school records.
Prior to his stint in East Lansing, Mich., Roushar spent the 1997-2002 seasons coaching the Huskies' offensive line and serving as offensive coordinator. While coaching NIU, Roushar helped groom Ryan Diem into an NFL prospect, while recruiting future NFL starter Doug Free to DeKalb. He has also spent time at Butler, Rhode Island, Ball State, Illinois and Cincinnati.
Roushar graduated from NIU in 1984 with a bachelor's degree in physical education, while also earning two varsity letters as a quarterback with the Huskies.
Men's Basketball: Northern Illinois lost two tight MAC West contests during the week. At home on Wednesday, the Huskies lost in a 56-52 decision to Ball State despite Antoine Christian's season-high 14 points. Saturday evening, NIU let an eight-point lead late in the game slip away in a 66-58 loss at Western Michigan.
Women's Basketball: The Huskies dropped their lone game of the week, a 60-49 defeat at the hands of Bowling Green. Amanda Corral paced the NIU offense with 12 points.
Wrestling: The Huskies capped their MAC slate on a positive note, defeating Buffalo, 20-18. Nick Smith, Rob Jillard, Andrew Morse and Matt Mougin got wins for NIU early before Jared Torrence won the meet with an overtime decision at heavyweight.
Gymnastics: Northern Illinois recorded a season-best score for the second consecutive meet, but it was not enough in a 195.175-194.375 loss at Iowa State. Kim Gotlund posted career-best scores on the balance beam and uneven bars.
Track & Field: NIU earned three event titles Friday at the Ball State Quadrangular en route to a second place team finish. Janay Mitchell and Megan Gregory won the 60 meters and 60 hurdles, respectively, while Meghan Heuer captured her first event title at NIU with a win in the 3000 meters.
Baseball: Northern Illinois opened their season at Texas Tech's Brooks Wallace Memorial Classic. The weekend opened with an 8-0 loss against the host Red Raiders. On Saturday, the Huskies used a late rally against BYU, but fell short in a 5-3 defeat. Sunday's twinbill saw NIU drop games against Northern Colorado, 3-2, and TTU, 13-0.
Women's Tennis: NIU grabbed three wins during a weekend swing in Indianapolis. The Huskies defeated IUPUI Friday, 6-1, Indianapolis Saturday, 7-0, and Butler Sunday, 6-1.
Men's Golf: NIU opened their spring season Monday and Tuesday with a fourth place finish at the MAC Match Play in Dade City, Fla. After upsetting second-seeded Akron in the first round, the Huskies lost to eventual champion Bowling Green to close out Monday. On Tuesday, Northern dropped a tight contest against Eastern Michigan in the third-place match.
Men's Basketball: Northern Illinois dropped two MAC East contests over the past week. On Wednesday, NIU fell 57-41 against Bowling Green in the Convocation Center. Three days later, the Huskies got through the snowstorm to Buffalo, but lost in the last seconds against the Bulls, 59-54.
Women's Basketball: The Huskies got their first two MAC wins of the year, both coming on the road. NIU shot 59.2 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from three-point range Wednesday to down Ohio, 73-52. Sunday at Kent State, the Huskies topped the Golden Flashes, 52-47.
Wrestling: The Huskies closed out their home schedule Friday inside the Convocation Center, losing to in-state rival Northwestern, 36-6. Rob Jillard got the lone NIU win with a first period pin.
Gymnastics: Northern Illinois posted their highest point total of the year Friday night, but lost to No. 21 Central Michigan, 194.800-194.025. NIU's team score was 1.150 points higher than its previous season best.
Track & Field: NIU continued their streak of strong performances over the weekend, posting 11 top 10 finishes and two MAC automatic qualifying marks over the weekend at the GVSU Big Meet. Janay Mitchell and Megan Gregory earned auto berths in the 60 meters and 60 hurdles, respectively, while Jamie Burr took third in the 800 meters.
Softball: Northern Illinois started their season with a 3-2 performance at Baylor's Getterman Classic. On Friday, the Huskies defeated Illinois State, 3-1, and Sam Houston State, 4-0. Saturday saw NIU drop a pair of games against No. 22 Baylor, 4-1 and 1-0, before capping their stay with a 5-3 victory over SHSU.
Men's Tennis: The Huskies split their two contests in the St. Louis area over the weekend. NIU defeated Saint Louis, 6-1, for their sixth-straight win Saturday, but lost to SIU Edwardsville, 4-3, on Sunday.
Women's Tennis: NIU improved to 5-1 on the season with a pair of wins downstate. On Saturday, the Huskies pulled out a tight 4-3 win against Saint Louis before sweeping SIU Edwardsville, 7-0, on Sunday.
After taking a break in January, the NIU Weekly radio show returns to the air this Saturday on 670 The Score. Fans can listen to the show starting at 7:30 a.m.
This week, NIU Football head coach Rod Carey talks about the new coaching staff and the 2013 recruiting class that was just announced Wednesday.
