NIU Huskies

SILAS SEES FIRST PLAYOFF ACTION

2012-05-17T19:42:19Z

Xavier Silas made his first appearance of the playoffs last night in game three of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Boston Celtics. Silas played a pair of minutes, scoring two points while also grabbing an offensive rebound. Silas and the Sixers fell to the Boston Celtics last night, 107-91, and trail 2-1 in the series. Game four against Boston will take place on Friday night in Philadelphia.

THREE HUSKIES ADVANCE IN US OPEN CUP

2012-05-16T14:31:36Z

Three members of the Northern Illinois men's soccer team, Jordan Godsey, Isaac Kannah and Sean Totsch, helped the Chicago Fire Premier Development League team to a 1-0 victory over the Croatian Eagles on Tuesday night in the First Round of the U.S. Open Cup.

Kannah scored the lone goal for the Fire while Godsey made seven saves en route to the shutout. With the victory, the Fire PDL team advances to play the Dayton Dutch Lions of the USL Pro Division next Tuesday, May 22, at the Toyota Park Practice Field in Bridgeview, Ill., at 6 p.m.

In its 99th year, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is open to all affiliated amateur and professional teams in the United States. Should Godsey, Kannah, Totsch and the Fire PDL team defeat the Dayton Dutch Lions next Tuesday, they would be drawn to play against a Major League Soccer team in the Third Round of the U.S. Open Cup.

DWYER LOOKING TO QUALIFY FOR U.S. OLYMPIC TRIALS

2012-05-15T16:01:47Z

Northern Illinois track & field assistant coach Kevin Dwyer will be competing in Missouri's Audrey Walton Combined Event meet Wednesday and Thursday for a shot at qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Trials, which take place June 21-July 3 in Eugene, Ore. In order for Dwyer to get to the trials, he will have to score 7,900 points for an automatic berth or 7,600 points for a provisional spot.

The third-year assistant burst onto the national scene back in March when he took fourth place in the heptathlon at the USATF Indoor Combined Events Championships in Indiana. In fact, Dwyer was in first place after day one and still maintained a slim lead going into the final event.

For complete results of the meet, go to MUTigers.com

2012 NIU WALLPAPER AVAILABLE NOW

2012-05-14T19:20:13Z

The new wallpaper for the upcoming 2012 football season is available now on NIUHuskies.com. Show your Huskie pride and download it today!

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...

2012-05-14T15:46:43Z

Baseball: The Huskies' MAC Tournament hopes took a hit this weekend as they were swept by Western Michigan. NIU fell to the Broncos in a 13-9 slugfest to begin the three-game set on Friday. On Saturday, the Huskies nearly tied the game in the top of the ninth, but WMU was able to get the last out on a play at the plate and hold on for a 5-4 victory. The trip closed out with a 6-1 loss Sunday.

Track & Field: Northern Illinois posted a program-best 53.33 points at the MAC Outdoor Championships to take eighth place. Janay Mitchell won the conference's 100 meters title by recording the top times in the prelims and the final. In addition, the quartet of Chanel Kellyman, Roneisha Frye, Mitchell and Rasheta Butler dominated the 4x100 relay to take first, beating second place Western Michigan by nearly a half-second. Additionally, Roneisha Frye also got All-MAC honors for her second-place finish in the 100 hurdles, setting a school record at 13.63 in the finals.

Baseball will be the lone team in action this week as they close out their regular season with a busy week. NIU travels to Milwaukee to face the Panthers on Tuesday, then returns home Thursday to start a three-game, MAC regular season-ending series with Ball State at Ralph McKinzie Field.

2012 NIU FOOTBALL PREVIEW

2012-05-10T21:17:12Z

Sure it's only May and the Northern Illinois University football team doesn't open camp for about another three months, but it's never too early for a 2012 football preview. At least that's the way CollegeFootballNews.com looks at it. It posted this preview of the 2012 NIU Football season complete with a breakdown of the Huskie offense and NIU defense as well as a depth chart.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...

2012-05-07T17:22:43Z

Baseball: Northern Illinois continued to struggle at home, but did pick up a midweek win on the road. NIU started the week off with a rain-soaked 2-1 loss to Northwestern at Geneva's Elfstrom Stadium on Tuesday. The Huskies rebounded with a dramatic 11-9 win at UIC Wednesday. However, Central Michigan added to Northern's home woes, sweeping the Huskies in the three-game set with scores of 11-2, 3-1 and 7-0.

Softball: The Huskies' season came to an end over the weekend as they dropped two games to Western Michigan. After leading early in Saturday's tilt, NIU fell to the Broncos, 5-3. Things were very similar in the second game of the series on Sunday, as NIU took a 2-1 lead through the first inning and a half. However, WMU put up one run in the third, fourth and fifth innings to take a 4-2 decision.

Men's Golf: Northern Illinois finished in seventh place as hosts of the 2012 Mid-American Conference Championships at Rich Harvest Farms after the final round of the tournament was cancelled due to inclement weather. Individually, freshman Thomas Dunne led the way for the Huskies with a tie for eighth place.

Two Huskie squads - baseball and track & field - are in action during finals week. The track & field team heads to Central Michigan for the 2012 Mid-American Outdoor Championships, which take place Thursday through Saturday. For baseball, they head to Kalamazoo Friday for a pivotal three-game set against the Western Michigan Broncos.

CARR TALKS ABOUT HER UPCOMING TRIP TO SOUTH AFRICA

2012-05-07T17:17:07Z

Junior to be Amy Carr will be making a trek across the Atlantic this summer, and not just to go home. No, the native of Hemel Hempstead, England will be making a trip to Cape Town, South Africa this summer to teach and coach the fundamentals of soccer and other sports like rugby and cricket to children ages 7-to-16 for four weeks this summer. Daily Chonicle sports writer Steve Nitz interviewed Carr last Thursday and the story appeared in this morning's edition.

ATHLETICS WELCOMES TWO NEW HUSKIES

2012-05-07T17:08:16Z

The Huskies brought in two new members to the family this weekend.

Business Office Account Tech Jake Waddle and his wife, Amy, welcomed Zachary Peter Waddle into the world Friday (May 4) afternoon at 3:20 p.m. He weighed in at 8 lbs., 8 oz. and is 20 inches long. Zachary joins his older brother Levi, who is three.

Meanwhile, NIU Football Graduate Assistant Joe Tripodi and his wife, Rachel, are the proud parents of Emma Sarah Tripodi. Emma was born Sunday (May 6) at 11:38 p.m., weighing 8.1 lbs. and measured 20 inches long.

NIU congratulates the Waddles and Tripodis on their new additions.

NIU WRESTLING RECRUITS HONORED ON MICHIGAN DREAM TEAM

2012-05-01T18:46:54Z

Three future Huskies - Gabe Morse, Andrew Morse and Shawn Scott - were named to the Michigan High School Dream Team by MichiganGrappler.com. The list annually recognizes the best wrestlers in the Great Lakes State - which produces some of the best talent on a yearly basis - based on their performance during the regular season and state tournament.

Both Andrew Morse and Scott were named to the first team Dream Team after going undefeated at 152 and 215, respectively en route to state championships. Meanwhile, Gabe Scott, Andrew's twin brother, earned second team recognition after winning a state title at 140 pounds.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...

2012-04-30T18:05:48Z

Baseball: Northern Illinois went 2-3 during the week, but grabbed a critical series victory during the weekend against Eastern Michigan. After a 13-2 loss to UW-Milwaukee and a 4-3 defeat at Bradley, the Huskies rebounded with a tight 1-0 victory in the series opener against the Eagles of EMU. The home-standing Eagles would even the series with a 7-5 win on Saturday, but NIU took the three-game set with a 3-1 win.

Softball: The Huskies struggled in the diamond, but gained a big victory in MAC action. NIU began their week with a 12-3 loss against Northwestern. Yet, Northern grabbed a big 4-3 win against league-leading Bowling Green before losing the second game, 15-2. The Huskies would finish their weekend with two losses in a Sunday doubleheader at Toledo by 10-0 and 4-3 margins.

Track & Field: Northern Illinois capped its regular season off on a high note over the weekend at the Drake Relays and UW-Whitewater Alternative Meet. In Des Moines, the Huskies posted two top-five finishes, including a third-place finish in the 4x100 relay, and broke five school records. At UW-Whitewater, NIU brought home six event titles, while seven different athletes set new personal records.

Women's Golf: NIU concluded its 2011-12 season with an eighth-place finish at the 2012 Mid-American Conference Women's Golf Championships at Hawthorns Golf & Country Club in Fishers, Ind. Sunday. Senior Kelsie Passolt finished her NIU career on high note, turning in her lowest score of the season for a three-round event carding a 223 (78-80-75) to tie for eighth place, a career-best finish at the MAC Championships.

Men's Tennis: With a 3-2 lead late in the contest, the Huskies fell to Western Michigan in the Mid-American Conference Tournament semifinals, 4-3. The Huskies end their impressive 2012 season 21-7.

Women's Tennis: Northern Illinois dropped its quarterfinal matchup of the Mid-American Conference Tournament against the No. 2-seeded Akron Zips (22-3, 7-1 MAC) on Friday, 4-0. The loss marked the end of the Huskies' season as the team finished with an 11-12 overall record and a 2-6 mark in MAC play.

Three NIU teams will compete in the last week before final exams. Men's golf hosts the MAC Championships at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill., starting Friday. Meanwhile, baseball takes on Northwestern at Elfstrom Stadium in Geneva, Ill., and travels to UIC before hosting Central Michigan in a three-game weekend series, while softball caps off their regular season with games at Notre Dame and Western Michigan.

FORMER HUSKIE INDUCTED INTO CATHOLIC LEAGUE HALL OF FAME

2012-04-30T14:21:33Z

Former NIU football player Ron Delisi was inducted into the Chicago Catholic League Hall of Fame earlier this month. A linebacker from Gordon Tech, Delisi starred with the Huskies from 1986-89, earning Honorable Mention All-American honors in both 1988 and '89. Delisi was a team captain and MVP in 1989 and ranks in the top-five in school history in total tackles. As a senior at Gordon Tech, Delisi earned the Tony Lawless Award as the MVP of the Catholic League; he also earned All-State honors from the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune.

NIU STUDENT-ATHLETES HONORED

2012-04-27T15:47:44Z

This past week, Northern Illinois senior student-athletes Kristin Hoffman (volleyball), Tanya Rachan (gymnastics) and Jenner Sio (track & field) were each honored at the 2012 Outstanding Women Student Awards for their contributions to Northern Illinois University. The NIU Presidential Commission on the Status of Women distributed the awards to 43 women from across all disciplines at Northern Illinois. The Outstanding Women Student Awards have been held since 1980 and celebrate women students for their achievements and contributions.

Hoffman is an All-American on the court and in the classroom as she helped lead the Huskies to the MAC regular season title. The history major has already won an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship and has been admitted to law school at Valparaiso University.

Rachan finished her career with an appearance on floor exercise at the NCAA Regionals after winning the state title and taking second place in the Mid-American Conference on floor. She scored the first 9.900 for NIU on floor since 2005 and also led the Huskies on vault and competed on balance beam. A biology major, Rachan plans to attend dental school.

Sio boasts a perfect 4.0 GPA in business management. The senior earned six top-five finishes in the long jump and triple jump during the indoor season, and broke her own school record in the triple jump during the season. She also owns the NIU outdoor triple jump mark.

ARMY GAME TIME ANNOUNCED

2012-04-27T15:45:28Z

Northern Illinois' 2012 football game versus Army at Michie Stadium in West Point will kick off at Noon (ET)/11 a.m. (CT) on Saturday, Sept. 15 and be televised by CBS Sports Network. CBS Sports Network is available to 99 million homes nationwide as well as via satellite on DirecTV Channel 613 and Dish Network Channel 158.

NIU fans interested in following the Huskies to New York and take in the game, as well as the sights of New York City, can check out several travel packages available through Premiere Global Sports online at niusportstravel.com or by calling Premiere Global Sports at 855-329-9274.

Northern Illinois game on Wednesday, Nov. 14 versus Toledo at Huskie Stadium will kickoff at 8 p.m. (CT) and air on ESPN2 or ESPNU. The remainder of NIU's 2012 game times will be announced by the MAC and Northern Illinois later this summer.

SILAS MAKES HIS DEBUT

2012-04-26T16:27:19Z

Former NIU standout Xavier Silas made his NBA debut on Wednesday for the Philadelphia 76ers against the Milwaukee Bucks. Silas came off the bench for the Sixers, playing a little over 18 minutes while scoring five points. With his first action, Silas became the first Huskie to play in an NBA game since Donald Whiteside's last appearance with the Atlanta Hawks on November 4, 1997.

In his second NBA game on Thursday night, Silas scored six points, grabbed three rebounds and had two assists against Detroit

Scott Powers of ESPN Chicago caught up with Silas to talk about receiving his call from the Sixers.