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.  

For the first time, Northern Illinois Athletics was included in the annual Student Choice Awards event that was coordinated by the NIU Student Association.

NIU head coaches Dave Doeren (football) and Connie Teaberry (women's track and field) were on hand along with volleyball's Kristin Hoffman, Adam Kiel of football and several members of the Huskie football team as the awards were presented on Tuesday, April 10 at the Duke Ellington Ballroom. Doeren was named Coach of the Year while the Huskie football team was the SA's Team of the Year. Hoffman accepted the award as Athlete of the Year, and Kiel was honored for his dedication as a campus leader in the area of community service. The women's track and field team won the award for Most Improved Team on campus, which Teaberry accepted on behalf of the Huskies. 

Congratulations to these award winners and thanks to the Student Association for recognizing YOUR Huskies!

Huskie Wire's Anthony Zilis recently caught up with NIU Volleyball Head Coach Ray Gooden and his wife Stephanie to discuss the wild ride their careers have taken them on lately.  Click here to read.

The Huskies earned another conference championship over the weekend with the football team's win against Ohio Friday night, while volleyball's season came to an end in the NCAA Tournament.

Football: The Huskies clinched their first MAC title since 1983 Friday night in Detroit with a 23-20 victory against the Ohio Bobcats. Trailing 20-0 at halftime, NIU engineered a second-half comeback that included three Chandler Harnish touchdown passes and a stout defensive performance. The win, though, was not secured until Mat Sims converted on a 33-yard field goal as time expired. The Huskies will now play Sunday, Jan. 8, 2012, in the GoDaddy.com Bowl against the Sun Belt Conference champion Arkansas State Red Wolves.

Volleyball: Northern Illinois's season came to a close Friday night in Ames, Iowa, as the Huskies were defeated by No. 25 Miami, 3-1, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Lauren Wicinski paced the Huskies with 23 kills, while Kristin Hoffman registered a double-double with 47 assists and 13 digs. NIU finishes the season with a 28-7 record.

Men's Basketball: There were two more tough losses for the Huskies during the week, as NIU lost to Utah Valley and Nebraska Omaha. On Monday night, the Huskies were tied with UVU into the second half, but a scoring drought doomed Northern in a 58-47 defeat. In their return home Saturday afternoon, Tim Toler scored 25 points and the team committed a season-low eight turnovers, but the Mavericks' 52 percent shooting performance lifted them to a 77-72 win against NIU.

Women's Basketball: NIU pulled out a close win Tuesday night with a 53-50 win against instate rival Southern Illinois. Trailing 50-49 late, Alicia Johnson sank a jumper with 13 seconds left to put NIU ahead for good. The Huskies were paced by Amanda Corral, who put in 17 points in the win.

Wrestling: The Huskies pushed Purdue to the brink Thursday night in DeKalb, but couldn't pull out a win in a 19-15 loss at the annual NIU Showcase Meet. Trailing 16-9 with three matches left, the Huskies scored wins at 184 and 197 to pull within one point of the Boilermakers. Yet, Jared Torrence's valiant effort at heavyweight was for naught, as Purdue won the final match in triple-overtime to escape with a win.

With finals week in full swing, the schedule becomes very light for the Huskies. Men's basketball plays their lone road game in December Saturday at UIC, while the women's basketball team also heads to the Windy City to face Chicago State Sunday. Meanwhile, track & field kicks off their 2011-12 schedule Friday at the Iowa State Holiday Preview.

Over the holiday, two-time reigning MAC Player of the Year Lauren Wicinski was profiled by the Daily Herald's Elena Ferrarin.  Click here to read all about the sophomore standout's story. 

The Huskies had much to be thankful for during the Thanksgiving weekend, as football clinched the MAC West title for the second-straight season and volleyball earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament.

Football: The Huskies locked up the MAC West championship Friday at Huskie Stadium with a tough 18-12 win against Eastern Michigan. With the offense struggling, the defense stepped up to the occasion with four sacks of EMU QB Alex Gillett, while limiting the Eagles to 280 yards of total offense. Chandler Harnish gave the Huskies the winning points with a 68-yard scamper late in the third quarter.

Volleyball: Northern Illinois closed out their regular season Saturday afternoon with a commanding 3-0 sweep of the Marquette Golden Eagles. NIU held sizable advantages in hitting percentage (.315-.116), blocks (9-1) and kills (41-34) in the victory, which was their second of the season against MU and fourth against Big East opponents. On Sunday, the team learned they would earn a spot in the 64-team NCAA Tournament, where they will face Miami (Fla.) in the first round.

Men's Basketball: Despite shooting over 50 percent from the field in the second half, Northern Illinois was unable to come away with a win Saturday as they fell to Boise State, 71-57, in Taco Bell Arena. Abdel Nader led NIU with 16 points in the game, while Tony Nixon contributed 11 points in the losing effort. The Huskies held a 33-29 rebounding advantage to the Broncos, but also committed 21 turnovers.

Women's Basketball: The Huskies dropped two games against Missouri Valley Conference foes during the week to drop to 2-3 on the young season. The week started with a 50-45 loss to the Bradley Braves, despite Amanda Corral's three treys and seven rebounds. The struggles continued Saturday afternoon with an 81-62 defeat against Illinois State. Ashley Sneed led NIU with 14 points, but ISU's 52.9 field goal percentage was too much to overcome.

Wrestling: Northern Illinois returned to dual action Saturday in Bloomington, Ind., where they went 2-1 at the 2011 Hoosier Duals. The Huskies began the day with a 22-14 victory against Campbell and a 25-7 thrashing of SIU-Edwardsville. However, they would drop their final match of the day against nationally-ranked Indiana, 22-12. Individually, Nick Smith, Tyler Loethen and Brad Dieckhaus won all three of their matches on the day.

With November ending and December beginning, the Huskies will have a big week of competition. The headliners are both Friday, as Football plays Ohio for the MAC Championship at Detroit's Ford Field and volleyball takes on the Miami Hurricanes in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. Meanwhile, men's basketball plays at Utah Valley Monday and hosts Nebraska-Omaha Saturday, women's basketball takes on Southern Illinois Tuesday, and wrestling hosts Purdue in the annual Showcase Meet.

This past week was one characterized by big games for NIU Athletics. Football took a step closer to their second-straight MAC title, volleyball tried to take home the MAC Tournament championship and men's soccer advanced to the Round of 32 in the NCAA College Cup.

Football: Northern Illinois trailed by as many as 17 points against the archrival Ball State Cardinals, but an explosive offense and an effective two minute drill helped lift the Huskies to a 41-38 victory over BSU. In the game, Chandler Hanrish set a school record with 519 yards of total offense, while Mathew Sims' two field goals late in the game helped NIU tie then win the Battle for the Bronze Stalk.

Volleyball: For the second straight season, the Huskies came up just short in their quest for the MAC Tournament championship, NIU swept Bowling Green, 3-0, on Friday to advance to the semifinals. There, they took down Ball State, 3-1, to set up a showdown with Central Michigan Sunday afternoon. Yet, it was not meant to be for NIU. After trailing, 2-0, the Huskies stormed back to tie the match a two sets apiece, but the Chippewas would take the decisive fifth set by a 15-11 margin to win the tournament, 3-2.

Men's Basketball: Northern Illinois' struggles continued on the hardwood this week, as the team went 0-3 with two close losses at home and one on the road at Iowa. Monday, NIU nearly pulled off an amazing comeback in the final minutes against Milwaukee, but it was the Panthers who emerged with a 59-57 win. The Huskies then traveled to Iowa City, Iowa, Thursday, where they ran into a hot-shooting Hawkeye team, falling 88-55. The team completed their week at home against Eastern Illinois with a 67-55 loss to the Panthers.

Women's Basketball: The Huskies went two-for-two in DeKalb this week with two exciting wins in the Convocation Center. On Wednesday, NIU went to double overtime against Western Illinois before taking a 91-84 decision against the Leathernecks. In the game, six Huskies scored in double figures. Northern followed that up with an impressive 58-52 win against the Temple Owls, a team that was nationally-ranked a season ago.

Men's Soccer: Northern Illinois' season came to a close this past week in the NCAA College Cup, as the team advanced to the Round of 32 before bowing out. The Huskies opened up their tournament with a bang Thursday with a 3-0 win against Western Illinois in the tournament's opening round. NIU's defense played a major factor in the game, allowing the Leathernecks only one shot on goal the whole 90 minutes. That run, however, came to an abrupt halt on Sunday, as the Creighton Bluejays used their nationally-ranked defensive unit to stop the Huskies, 3-0.

The Huskies' schedule for Thanksgiving week includes a trio of games sandwiched around Turkey Day. On Wednesday, the women's basketball team will welcome Bradley to the Convo for a Thanksgiving Eve tilt at 7 p.m. Then on Friday, football will try to clinch the MAC West championship and a spot in the Marathon MAC Championship game at 10 a.m. when they face the Eagles of Eastern Michigan. The Huskies' Thanksgiving homestand wraps up Saturday afternoon when volleyball takes on BIG EAST power Marquette at 4 p.m. inside Victor E. Court. Additionally, wrestling travels to Bloomington, Ind., for the Hoosier Duals and basketball heads west for a Saturday night game against Boise State.

Two Mid-American Championships in one weekend. Take a deep breath, and say it again... 

Needless to say, it's a great day to be Huskie. Thursday night, the women's volleyball team claimed the MAC West and regular season titles with a 3-1 triumph at Western Michigan, the Huskies first at WMU since 2007. To boot, it was NIU's first MAC regular season championship in a decade.

Fast forward to Sunday and teleport to Akron from Kalamazoo, and the Huskies triumphed over Western Michigan Sunday in similar 1-0 fashion to clinch the Mid-American Conference's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament - the first such championship for NIU since 2006.

Let me repeat my opening statement: It's a great day to be a Huskie!

To honor the outstanding accomplishments by these men and women, NIU will honor the team's during the men's basketball game tonight (Nov. 14) against Milwaukee during a timeout and will also congratulate the team's in the first quarter of NIU's Black Out football game versus Ball State. Both games will begin at 7 p.m.

If fans of the men's soccer team would like to celebrate with the Huskies today, Fatty's will be hosting a NCAA Selection Party at 3:30 p.m. Come on out and watch to see what lies ahead on the road less traveled for the Northern Illinois Huskies.

It was a monumental week for Northern Illinois athletics, as the men's soccer team won the MAC Tournament championship - earning a berth in the NCAA Tournament in the process - and the volleyball team won the MAC West Division and regular season titles.

Football: The Huskie offense kept up their offensive momentum Tuesday against Bowling Green with a 45-14 thrashing of the Falcons. Chandler Harnish led the NIU attack with 294 yards passing and 151 on the ground, while the entire offense accumulated 623 total yards on the BGSU defense. On the other side of the line, the Huskie defense shut out the Falcon offense in the second half, limiting them to a measly 90 yards in the last 30 minutes of the game.

Volleyball: Northern Illinois went 2-0 during the week to clinch the 2011 MAC regular season championship and the top seed in this week's MAC Tournament. On Thursday, the team traveled to Kalamazoo, Mich., where they dispatched the Western Michigan Broncos, 3-1, to wrap up the MAC title. The Huskies extended their winning streak to 13 matches Saturday with a hard-fought 3-2 win against Bowling Green.

Men's Basketball: NIU opened their regular season Friday night in West Lafayette, Ind., where they fell to the Purdue Boilermakers, 96-34, in the rededication of Mackey Arena. Tim Toler paced the Huskie offense with 11 points on the night, while Freshman wing Abdel Nader added nine points and freshman forward Kevin Gray grabbed a game-high seven rebounds.

Women's Basketball: The Huskies dropped two games during the week to open their 2011-12 season. Tuesday, the team lost in an exhibition game against Indiana Wesleyan, 61-52, as NIU struggled to find any offense. They followed that up Sunday by dropping a 73-42 decision in Chicago against the Ramblers of Loyola. Ashley Sneed led NIU with a career-high 12 points on the day.

Men's Soccer: Northern Illinois brought home the MAC Tournament championship and an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament over the weekend with a pair of wins in Akron, Ohio. In the semifinals Friday, the Huskies used a Gael Rivera second half goal to get past Buffalo, 1-0, meaning they would face fourth-seeded Western Michigan, who upset top-seed Akron on penalty kicks earlier in the day. Sunday's title match also came down to the wire, but Sean Totsch found the back of the WMU net with 6:40 left in regulation to win, 1-0. NIU's NCAA Tournament opponent will be determined Monday afternoon on NCAA.com.

Wrestling: Northern Illinois put two wrestlers on the podium Saturday at the Michigan State Open, as Nick Smith and Rob Jillard both took top four finishes in East Lansing, Mich. Smith, who was competing less than two hours from his hometown of Ida, Mich., advanced all the way to the finals after winning three matches at 125. However, he would fall in the championship to Northwestern's Levi Mele. Jillard finished fourth at 133 after making it to the semifinals with two dominating wins.

Cross Country: The NIU cross country team closed out their 2011 season Saturday when they hosted the 2011 NCAA Midwest Regional. The team finished 28th behind Courtney Oldenburg's time of 23:21.16 on the 6K NIU North 40 to finish 121st. Further behind the junior was freshman Jamie Burr, who posted a season-best second place showing among Huskie runners with a time of 24:25.02 to take 164th overall.

Northern will have at least one team competing every day this week, including a host of games in DeKalb. Football highlights the week with a Tuesday night showdown against Ball State at Huskie Stadium in the Battle for the Bronze stalk. In addition, men's and women's basketball each have a pair of home games, including a doubleheader Sunday, while men's soccer will learn their opponent for Thursday's first round Monday afternoon. The top-seeded women's volleyball team will head east to Geneva, Ohio, to compete in the MAC Tournament.

They met through playing volleyball, and now married, they coach together on the same team.  NIU volleyball Assistant Coaches Dan and Coley Pawlikowski's journey was recently chronicled by the Northern Star's Mike Romor.  Click here to read.

It was a big weekend for the NIU volleyball team, as the Huskies entered in second place in the MAC West Division and left the weekend in first after 3-0 wins at home over Toledo and Ball State.  NIU is currently tied with Western Michigan for first place in the West and the No. 1 overall seed in the MAC Tournament.  The Huskies and Broncos meet in Kalamazoo, Mich., Thursday to break the tie.

Reactions from the successful weekend are right here:

"Schepler's ace puts volleyball team in first in MAC" -- by Ryan Wood, Daily Chronicle

"Somebody grab a broom - NIU volleyball defeats Toledo" -- by Abbe Barton, Northern Star

With the move into November, Northern Illinois also began the transition to its winter sports schedule with men's basketball and wrestling opening their schedules and football, men's soccer and volleyball entering the home stretch of their respective slates.

Football: It was a wild game in Toledo's Glass Bowl between NIU and the Rockets, but it was the Huskies who emerged victorious by a 63-60 score. Trailing by four late in the fourth quarter, Huskie QB Chandler Harnish found Perez Ashford in the back corner of the endzone with 19 seconds left to give NIU the win, a share of the MAC West lead and bowl eligibility. Among the standout performances were Harnish's career-high six touchdown passes - three of which went to Nathan Palmer - and Tommylee Lewis' two kickoff returns for touchdowns.

Volleyball: Northern Illinois earned its 22nd and 23rd wins of the season and extended their current winning streak to 11 over the weekend at Victor E. Court with victories over MAC West rivals Toledo and Ball State. On Friday, the Huskies used a .429-.256 hitting percentage advantage and nine aces to defeat the Rockets, 3-0. NIU earned a critical 3-0 win Saturday night to push themselves into a tie for first place with Western Michigan.

Men's Basketball: The young Huskies squad showed signs of promise during Friday's exhibition against Carthage College, but it was the Red Men's 13 three-pointers that doomed NIU in Carthage's 74-70 overtime win at the Convocation Center. Abdel Naber put up a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Tim Toler scored 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the loss.

Men's Soccer: Northern Illinois wrapped up their 2011 regular season schedule by splitting a pair of road matches. The Huskies outshot Milwaukee Wednesday, 21-10, but were unable to fin the back of the net in a 1-0 non-conference loss, ceding control of the Lewang Cup. Northern would return to their winning ways on Saturday, though, with a crucial 2-1 win against the Hartwick Hawks. The victory gave NIU the No. 2 seed in this weekend's MAC Tournament in Akron.

Wrestling: The Huskies opened their 2011-12 regular season with a split in the triangular with North Central and No. 21 Stanford. After a sluggish start, NIU posted four straight wins to take a 30-15 decision against the North Central Cardinals. Later, Northern dropped a tough one to the nationally-ranked Cardinal, 20-13, after leading 13-7 through six matches.

NIU enters the thick of November with a busy week coming up. On Tuesday, the football team travels to Bowling Green to take on the Falcons and women's basketball takes on Indiana Wesleyan in the Convocation Center in exhibition action. In addition, volleyball closes out their regular season with two big road matches at Western Michigan and Bowling Green, men's soccer heads to the MAC Tournament, wrestling competes in the Michigan State Open, and both basketball teams open their regular seasons on the road (men at Purdue; women at Loyola).

With a huge weekend ahead, the Huskies are on the American Volleyball Coaches Association's (AVCA) map.  In the AVCA's weekly blog, Saturday's 7 PM CT NIU-Ball State contest at Victor E. Court is mentioned as one of the key national match-ups of the week.  Ball State stands just one game ahead of NIU for first place in the MAC West Division and the Huskies are looking to avenge a five-set loss in Muncie, Ind., on Sept. 30, which is also the last time that NIU dropped a match.  Since then, the Huskies have reeled off nine straight wins and have stayed ahead of the Cardinals in the RPI rankings.  NIU leads the MAC with a No. 20 ranking, while BSU stands 33rd.  With their last two MAC home matches this weekend, the Huskies could grab a share of first place in the West and overall in the MAC with wins Friday against Toledo and Saturday over the Cardinals.

The Huskies closed out October with a light week of competition, as only five teams were in action. Despite the short week, it was a highly successful one with volleyball extending their season-long winning streak and men's soccer clinching a spot in the MAC Tournament.

Volleyball: The Huskies made it nine in a row this weekend in Michigan as they recorded wins at Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan. On Friday, NIU avenged last month's home loss to the Eagles with a 3-1 victory in Ypsilanti, Mich. The win also gave Huskie head coach Ray Gooden his fourth 20-win season in ten season at Northern. The Huskies followed that up Saturday with another 3-1 win, this time against the Chippewas of Central Michigan.

Men's Soccer: Northern Illinois posted their third-straight conference win and clinched a spot in the MAC Tournament with a 3-0 rout of Bowling Green. Pat Sloan, Kenny Kranz and Jayson LeSeth all scored goals for the Huskies in the win, while goalie Jordan Godsey made four saves to record the shutout. The shutout was the ninth of the season for NIU.

Women's Soccer: The Huskies closed out their 2011 season with a tough 2-0 loss to Western Michigan in DeKalb. NIU had several chances to score, but was unable to find the back of the net in the loss. Northern finishes the season with a 2-15-2 record overall and 1-10-0 in the MAC.

Cross Country: Northern Illinois placed 11th at the MAC Championships Saturday in Muncie, Ind., posting a one spot improvement from last season. Courtney Oldenburg led the way for NIU with a time of 23:01.60, taking 54th place in the field. In second place for the Huskies was Claire McAuley, who crossed the finish line in 23:05.10.

Wrestling: NIU kicked off their 2011-12 season Saturday afternoon with the annual Wrestle-Offs. The exhibition, which helps determine the starting lineup for the season, saw the Black team top Red by a 17-14 margin. Nick Smith, Kevin Fanta, Tyler Loethen and Arber Bebo notched wins for Black, while Rob Jillard, Caleb Busson, Mike Lukowski and Jared Torrence got wins for Red.

The Huskies kick off November with football taking on Toledo at the Glass Bowl Tuesday night and men's basketball opening their season with an exhibition at the Convocation Center against Carthage. In addition, volleyball is at home against Toledo and Ball State, wrestling hosts Stanford and North Central and men's soccer travels to Milwaukee and Hartwick.

It was clearly a successful week for Northern Illinois, as they won all but two games during the past week. Meanwhile, men's golf and women's tennis posted excellent performances in their final competitions of the fall season

Football: After building a 31-10 lead through three quarters, the Huskies held on to beat Buffalo Saturday, 31-30, when the Bulls missed what would have been the tying extra point with 14 seconds to go. During the game, Chandler Harnish broke another NIU career record by surpassing George Bork's completion record in the second quarter. On defense, the Huskies picked off two passes and recovered two muffed punt returns.

Volleyball: Northern Illinois pushed their winning streak to seven with two dominating wins over MAC East opponents over the weekend. On Friday, the Huskies blanked Kent State, 3-0, courtesy of 51 kills and a 33.6 hitting percentage. NIU repeated that performance Saturday against MAC East leader Ohio, sweeping the Bobcats, 3-0, in a rematch of last season's MAC Tournament championship.

Men's Soccer: NIU posted their first two wins in MAC play during the week to improve to 2-2 in conference and 10-4 overall. On Wednesday, the Huskies used two second half goals from James Stevenson and solid goaltending from Jordan Godsey to shut out Western Michigan, 3-0. For Sunday's Senior Day, it was Stevenson again who was the hero, finding the back of the net in the 41st minute to lift Northern past Florida Atlantic, 1-0.

Women's Soccer: The Huskies wrapped up the road portion of their schedule over the weekend, dropping two matches in Ohio. Against Miami (Ohio), the Huskies fell 3-0 after being outshot 19-8 in the match. The team's struggles continued Sunday, when they fell to Bowling Green by a 2-0 margin despite holding the Falcons without a shot in the first half.

Men's Golf: Northern Illinois traveled to Maryland Monday and Tuesday for the Georgetown Intercollegiate, placing seventh out of 12 teams. Bryce Emory paced the Huskies with a third place finish individually, while Matt Gorman took 27th place. The tournament was NIU's last for the fall season, as they will return to action in February for the MAC Match Play tournament.

Women's Tennis: The Huskies put the finishing touches on their 2011 fall season over the weekend, as they hosted the ITA Second Chance Regional in Rockford, Ill. In singles, the team posted eight wins over the weekend, while they were 4-2 in doubles play.

It will be a relatively light week for NIU Athletics, as only five teams will be in action. In DeKalb, women's soccer wraps up their season with a match Thursday against Western Michigan and wrestling begins their season Saturday with the annual Wrestle-Offs. Also, volleyball heads east to face Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan, men's soccer battles Bowling Green Saturday and cross country competes in the MAC Championships in Muncie, Ind.

NIU volleyball star Lauren Wicinski's media parade continues this week as she is featured in Sports Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd" for the Oct. 24 issue that just hit newsstands and mailboxes.  Go pick up a copy to see for yourself or click here to see the online version!

NIU volleyball sophomore standout Lauren Wicinski continues to blossom, and the Chicago Tribune's Philip Hersh featured her story in today's paper.  Click here to read.

The 2010 MAC Player and Freshman of the Year is also featured in the Northern Star today by writer Abbe Barton for her "assault" on the Huskie volleyball records.  Click here to read.

The middle week of October was a successful one for NIU Athletics. The hallmark moment was off the field, though, as the Kenneth and Ellen Chessick Practice Center Campaign kicked off Saturday before the Huskie football team took on Western Michigan for Homecoming. The 83,500 square foot facility will house a full-size, 120-yard artificial surface football practice field with buffer space surrounding the field on all sides, in addition to a four-lane track, batting cages, and storage cages, among other amenities.

Football: It was a very successful Homecoming for the Huskies, as NIU throttled West Division rival Western Michigan, 51-22. Northern accumulated 697 yards of total offense against the Broncos, including 494 on the ground. In addition, Chandler Harnish became the 11th quarterback in the NCAA's Football Bowl Subdivision history to gain 200 yards rushing and passing in the same game.

Volleyball: Northern Illinois earned their second consecutive 2-0 weekend with two key wins over MAC East foes Akron and Buffalo. On Friday, the Huskies were pushed to five sets against the Zips, but used a commanding fifth set to propel them to a 3-2 win over UA. NIU returned to the court Saturday night against Buffalo, defeating the Bulls in a 3-0 sweep. Sophomore Lauren Wicinski led the Huskie attack with a career-high seven aces.

Men's Soccer: NIU traveled to Northwestern in their lone match of the week Wednesday. Despite solid defense in the first half and some chances on offense, the Wildcats dropped the Huskies at Lakeside Field, 2-0. The loss was the first for NIU against a Big Ten opponent in over two years.

Women's Soccer: It was a heartbreaking two matches for the Huskies, as they were dealt two one-goal losses at home. On Friday, NIU lost to Eastern Michigan, 1-0, on a windy day at the NIU Soccer Complex. The Huskies returned to action Sunday afternoon with a match against defending MAC champion Central Michigan. Despite limiting the Chippewas' offense to only seven shots on goal, Northern still dropped the match, 1-0.

Cross Country: The Huskies wrapped up their 2011 regular season with a 14th place out of 21 teams showing at the Bradley Classic in Peoria, Ill. Courtney Oldenburg led the way for NIU with a time of 22:42.09, which ranks as the 12th best 6K time in NIU history.

Men's Tennis: NIU headed east to Columbus, Ohio, for the ITA Midwest Regionals. In the main draws, Axel Lagerlof advanced to the Round of 32 before falling to 15th-seeded Stephen Hoh of Illinois in straight sets. In doubles, Maksym Bartiuk and Roman Turtygin also advanced to the Round of 32, but fell to Ohio State's 12th-ranked duo of Kevin Metka and Steven Williams, 8-1.

Women's Golf: Northern Illinois could not solve the Hawthornes Golf and Country Club course Monday and Tuesday in Fishers, Ind., as they placed 14th at the MAC Preview. Allie Parthie led NIU tied for 72nd place with a 171-shot performance.

Six Huskie teams will be in action during the upcoming week, including a pair of men's soccer matches at the NIU Soccer Complex Wednesday and Sunday and volleyball hosting Kent State and MAC-leading Ohio at Victor E. Court.

Five Huskie teams were in action during the past week. Among the highlights were Saturday's football win over Kent State and volleyball's two wins in conference play.

Football: Northern Illinois returned to Huskie Stadium Saturday to post a dominating 40-10 victory over Kent State. The Huskie defense only allowed seven rushing yards and 70 yards of total offense on the day, while recording 14 tackles for loss and seven sacks in the rout. Chandler Harnish found the endzone twice and Matthew Sims was a perfect four-for-four on field goals.

Volleyball: The Huskies won both of their matches during the week to improve to 4-2 in MAC play. On Thursday, NIU swept Western Michigan, 3-0, while sophomore Lauren Wicinski became the fastest Huskie to join the 1,000 kill club. Northern doubled Thursday's performance Saturday night by topping Miami (Ohio), 3-0, on NIU Volleyball Alumni Night.

Men's Soccer: The Huskies kicked off a three-game road trip Tuesday when they headed north to face Marquette. After going scoreless in regulation and in the first overtime, Jayson LeSeth launched a shot into the right corner of the MU net to win it for the Huskies, 1-0. NIU then traveled east to face defending NCAA champion Akron, where they fell to the No. 3 Zips, 2-0.

Women's Soccer: Northern Illinois tallied their first MAC win of the season Friday night, when they defeated Buffalo, 1-0. Lauren Eberts scored the lone goal with a marker in the 67th minute. On Sunday, NIU and Kent State combined for five goals in the match. However, KSU's two scores in the final four minutes of play edged them ahead of NIU, 3-2.

Women's Golf: The Huskies closed out their home tournament on Monday by placing seventh in the 12-team field. Allie Parthie paced NIU with a tie for ninth place, while Kelsie Passolt and Katie Kuhn both posted top 30 finishes at the Kishwaukee Country Club.

Northern Illinois' homecoming week will feature seven teams in action, including Saturday's crucial football game against Western Michigan and two home women's soccer matches.

The Northern Star recently caught up with volleyball's senior setter Kristin Hoffman for a "Five Minutes With" session.  Click here to read.

After going off for a career-best 39 kills Saturday at Toledo, the nation's kills leader Lauren Wicinski was featured by Rick Armstrong in the Beacon News on Sunday.  Click here to read.

Six Huskie teams were in action during the last full week of September, including volleyball opening MAC action at home and football closing up their non-conference slate against Cal Poly.

Football: Northern Illinois got back on track Saturday with a convincing 47-30 victory over Cal Poly. The Huskie offense set season-highs in first downs (33), rushing yards (355) and total yards (542), while the defense only allowed seven points in the first half to help NIU to a 34-7 halftime advantage. During the game, quarterback Chandler Harnish broke George Bork's 48-year record of touchdowns accounted for when he hit Perez Ashford on a three-yard touchdown pass late in the second quarter.

Volleyball: The Huskies split their conference-opening matches over the weekend at Victor E. Court. NIU won only their second conference opener in 10 years on Friday with a 3-0 sweep of Central Michigan, extending their win streak to four and stopping CMU's win streak at four. That Huskie win streak, though, was snapped on Saturday night, as Eastern Michigan left DeKalb with a 3-1 victory over NIU.

Men's Soccer: Northern Illinois improved to 7-1 on the season Saturday with a 1-0 win over the Drake Bulldogs. The lone goal of the game came from the foot of James Stevenson, who pushed a shot past Drake goalkeeper Jordan Kadlec in the 26th minute. Jordan Godsey was again stellar in net with seven saves on the day.

Women's Soccer: NIU fought long and hard on Friday and Sunday, but lost both matches on their MAC opening weekend. The Huskies welcomed conference favorite Toledo to DeKalb on Friday and took them to overtime before falling 1-0 on an overtime goal by the Rockets. Their struggles continued on Sunday, as they dropped a 3-0 decision to Ball State.

Men's Golf: The Northern Illinois men's golf team headed to southern California for the Saint Mary's Invitational on Monday and Tuesday, where they finished tied for 13th with Pacific. Bryce Emory led NIU with a +10, 226 to finish tied for 31st overall, while Nick Schiavi was tied for 33rd with a +11, 227 performance.

Men's Tennis: The Huskies headed to Des Moines, Iowa, for the Drake Invitational over the weekend. Axel Lagerlof highlighted NIU's weekend by advancing to the A Bracket finals before falling to Drake's Anis Ghorbel 6-2, 6-2. The Swede also won the doubles consolation bracket, teaming up with Max Phillips to go 2-1 in the doubles side.

The Huskies will wrap up September and begin October this week with a host of competitions. Both soccer team's will be in action Friday through Sunday, while the women's golf team hosts the NIU Huskie Classic Sunday and Monday.

It was an eventful week in Huskie athletics, as six teams were in action during the past week. The main event, of course, was the Soldier Field Showdown II between NIU and No. 7 Wisconsin, where 41,068 people watched the Huskies and Badgers play inside the historic Chicago stadium.

Football: Keyed by 384 yards of total offense from QB Russell Wilson, Wisconsin defeated Northern Illinois, 49-7, at Soldier Field. The Huskie offense, meanwhile, could only manage 237 yards of total offense against the stout UW defense. During the game, Dr. Kenneth and Ellen Chessick made a $3 million gift to Northern Illinois Athletics that will name the Kenneth and Ellen Chessick Indoor Facility. The gift is the largest ever made to NIU Athletics and the second largest ever made to the university.

Volleyball: Northern Illinois won their second and third straight matches over the weekend, as they returned to Victor E. Court to face UIC and South Florida. On Friday night, the Huskies doused the in-state rival Flames in a 3-0 sweep, as they outhit UIC .371-.103. On Sunday afternoon, NIU moved to 3-0 against Big East teams with a 3-0 win over the USF Bulls. On the season, eight of NIU's 11 wins have come by sweeps.

Men's Soccer: The No. 13 Huskies went down to the wire twice over the weekend at the Northwestern Lakeside Classic, encountering different results both times. On Friday, NIU was shocked in overtime by Xavier, who used an overtime marker to defeat the Huskies, 2-1. Northern got back on track Sunday afternoon, though, as Gael Rivera's overtime goal sent the Huskies home with a 2-1 win over Cal-Davis.

Women's Soccer: The Huskies turned up the defense in two home matches over the weekend at the NIU Soccer Complex. On Tuesday, NIU outshot Eastern Illinois, 24-7, but was unable to reach the back of the net in a 0-0 tie with the Panthers. NIU would redeem themselves for Sunday's Senior Day festivities with a dominating 2-0 shutout of Loyola to earn their first win of the season.

Women's Golf: The Northern Illinois women's golf team teed off on their 2011 fall season with two tournaments in neighboring states. On Monday and Tuesday, the Huskies took fourth place at the Green Bay Invitational in Green Bay, Wis., with Katie Kuhn leading all Huskies with a total of 149. The squad returned to action over the weekend at the Cardinal Classic in Munice, Ind. with an eighth place finish.

Men's Tennis: Northern Illinois began their fall schedule over the weekend in River Forest, Ill., at the River Forest Collegiate Invitational. Leading NIU on the courts were Maksym Bartiuk and Axel Lagerlof, who both emerged from singles competition undefeated.

With the men's golf team currently in action in sunny California, six teams will be in action over the next week, including football hosting Cal Poly Saturday afternoon and women's soccer and volley each hosting a pair of matches in DeKalb.

Last week the Huskie volleyball team received six votes in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 25 Coaches Poll.  Following a 3-1 week of play on the road, NIU has remained in the AVCA coaches' minds as they received four votes this week.  Prior to last week's poll, the Huskies had not received votes in the AVCA Top 25 Poll since 2001. 

The Labor Day weekend was a busy one for Huskie athletics, as five teams were in action during the long weekend. During the week, the Huskies finished 7-1-1 in competition, while volleyball won the Bluejay Invitational in Omaha, Neb., and men's soccer took the Michigan Invitational title.

Football: The Huskies kicked off their season in dominating fashion Saturday night with a convincing 49-26 triumph over the Army Black Knights. After Army drew within 7-6 midway through the first quarter, Chandler Harnish and the Huskie offense exploded for 42 unanswered points en route to a 49-6 lead after the third quarter. The Huskies would finish the game with 509 total yards of offense against the Black Knight defense.

Volleyball: Coming off a 3-0 win against Green Bay on Tuesday, the Huskies took home the Bluejay Invitational title in Omaha, Neb. The team opened with a 3-0 sweep of host Creighton on Friday night. They followed that up on Saturday morning by toppling Marquette by a 3-1 margin. They would close things out against South Dakota with a 3-0 sweep of the Coyotes to clinch the tournament title.

Men's Soccer: Northern Illinois captured the Michigan Invitational title over the weekend with two wins over 2010 NCAA Tournament squads. On Friday, NIU knocked off Oakland, 2-1, on a 85th minute goal from Pat Sloan. They would follow that up on Sunday with a 1-0 shutout of the host Wolverines, with Sloan scoring the lone tally in the match.

Women's Soccer: The Huskies had two matches over the weekend against Missouri Valley Conference members Illinois State and Northern Iowa. On Friday, NIU made the short trip south to Normal, Ill., where they fell to the Redbirds, 5-0. However, Sunday's performance against the UNI Panthers was more promising in a 1-1 tie. Despite falling behind early, the Huskies tacked on a goal in the 46th minute from Corrine Frankenberg. However, neither team was able to break the deadlock.

Cross Country: Northern Illinois opened their 2011 season at the UIC Opener in Palos Heights, Ill., which was the Huskie debut for head coach Greg Hipp. Courtney Oldenburg led the way for NIU with a 12th place finish on the two-mile course, crossing the line with a time of 11:48.90. Also in the top half of the field were Claire McAuley (25th - 12:15.10) and freshman Jamie Burr (26th - 12:15.90).

All five squads will be in action next weekend as well, including men's soccer hosting the NIU adidas Invitational Friday & Sunday, women's soccer at home against Wisconsin Thursday and cross country hosting the NIU Open on the North 40 course Saturday morning. Stay tuned to www.niuhuskies.com for all the latest news on Huskie athletics.

The Huskies opened the first weekend of the new school year with plenty of action, as the volleyball and women's soccer teams both hosted tournaments, while the men's soccer team traveled to the Gateway City to take on Saint Louis.

Volleyball: The Huskies kicked off their 2011 season with the NIU Invitational, where they compiled a 2-2 record between Friday and Saturday. Northern Illinois opened the tournament with a 3-1 win over IUPUI. On Friday night, NIU posted an impressive 3-0 sweep against Cincinnati - a team that went to the NCAA Tournament last season and received votes in the AVCA Preseason Poll. However, the Huskies dropped both of their matches on Saturday, falling to No. 18 Iowa State, 3-1, and No. 14 Northern Iowa, 3-0.

Men's Soccer: The Huskies used a dominant first half and stingy defense to take down the Billikens of Saint Louis, 2-1, in NIU's first regular season match of 2011. Northern Illinois tallied goals in the 36th and 42nd minutes - in addition to out-shooting SLU, 8-1 -  to take a commanding 2-0 lead into the half. Despite numerous chances for Saint Louis, goalkeeper Jordan Godsey and the NIU defense never relinquished the lead.

Women's Soccer: The Huskies dropped both of their matches this weekend, as they hosted South Dakota State, North Dakota and Western Michigan in the NIU Tourney. On Friday, Northern Illinois took on SDSU and fell by a score of 3-0, despite shutting out the Jackrabbits in the second half. NIU returned to the pitch on Sunday, but had similar results, as they were downed by the Fighting Sioux of North Dakota, 2-0.

The 2011-12 year gets even busier this week, as football and cross country open up their respective seasons, while volleyball, men's soccer and women's soccer all hit the road for more tournament action. Stay tuned to www.niuhuskies.com for all the latest news on Huskie athletics.

NIU volleyball's Kristin Hoffman and Lauren Wicinski were both mentioned by the Chicago Tribune Tuesday for being named to the Preseason All-Mid-American Conference Team.  Click the links for more info.

NIU volleyball sophomores Sarah Angelos and Lauren Wicinski are headed to Europe today.  The second-year duo will be traveling to Pula, Croatia, for the seventh annual European Global Challenge on July 17-22 as members of the USA Volleyball A2 Junior National Team.

Angelos and Wicinski will participate in a three-day training camp with Great Britain's Senior Women's National Team, which is set to compete in the 2012 London Olympics, before heading to the 2011 European Global Challenge to face some of the world's top national, collegiate and club teams.

Recently, the Daily Chronicle's Ryan Wood caught up with both Huskies before they left.  Click here to read today's article about Angelos and Wicinski's unique trip.

Also, be sure to come back to NIUHuskies.com in the upcoming weeks to see video footage of their trip.

Coached by Northern Illinois volleyball assistants Dan and Coley Pawlikowski, Huskie incoming freshmen Jess Lubic, Haley Norris and Emily Paschke led their Kane County Gold club team to a first place finish at the 2011 Volleyball Festival in Phoenix, Ariz.  Most of the 64-team field was from volleyball hotbeds California, Arizona, Hawaii and Texas.

In the semifinals, KCG took down Club Troy, who is run by University of Southern California Coach Mick Haley.  Then KCG lost to Santa Monica Beach Club in the winner's bracket finals (18-25, 26-24, 15-17).  Since the tournament was double elimination, KCG had to play the next morning versus the loser's bracket's City Beach, from the bay area.  After defeating City Beach, KCG played Santa Monica again, and won in two sets (25-23, 25-15).  Because Santa Monica had yet to lose in the bracket, KCG had to play one more set to determine the championship, and won 25-22 to claim the prestigious title.

Congrats to the Pawlikowskis, Jess Lubic, Haley Norris and Emily Paschke!  

"Swing Away" is their name and that's exactly what they did. NIU volleyball assistant coach Coley Pawlikowski (pictured on the left), who is the team captain, and her Swing Away girls went undefeated (10-0) over the weekend to win the 2011 USA Volleyball Open National Championship, avenging last year's second place finish. Hosted in Dallas, Texas, at the Dallas Convention Center, Pawlikowski and Co. took down the best of the best around the country from May 28-June4. Playing as the libero, Pawlikowski helped her team be the last one standing in the AA division, which was comprised of 19 of the best teams from all over the nation.

A former Huskie herself, Pawlikowski's team is composed of several other former NCAA Division I players from CSU San Bernardino, Dayton, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Wake Forest.

USA Volleyball has hosted its annual championship tournament for 80 years and it's one of the largest national championships of all sports in the United States. For more information, visit the USA Volleyball website.

NIU volleyball incoming freshman MacKenzie Roddy was recently featured on TheBackSet.com as she is getting ready for Southern California Volleyball Association's Regionals with her club team, Rancho Valley Volleyball Club.  Click here to read the article.

Recently, Northern Illinois volleyball's Kristin Hoffman went on a community service tour with Students Today Leaders Forever (STLF).  During her week-long trip, the junior took NIUHuskies.com's Flip Cam with her to give Huskie fans a glimpse of her trek and the people she reached out to.

Most students like to get away and go wild on spring break.  But not Hoffman, who has been one of NIU's most community service-dedicated student-athletes.  For her spring break, Hoffman wanted to be involved with STLF because the organization's mission reflects her own personal values.  Founded in 2003, STLF's mission is to reveal leadership through service, relationships, and action.  Whether the setter is on or off the court, Hoffman displays those characterstics in community service trips, leading the NIU volleyball Relay For Life team and on the court as the captain of the offense.  The video below shows Hoffman in action, displaying such wonderful characteristics.

The Northern Illinois volleyball team traveled to Madison, Wis. this past weekend to compete in Wisconsin's Spring Badger Invitational.  The Huskies split with Iowa (25-27, 25-14), split with UW-Milwaukee (21-25, 25-19), defeated Michigan Tech (26-24, 25-15), and fell to Minnesota (15-25, 19-25).

Amber Walker made her debut at libero against Wisconsin, joining the spring rotation at the position that also includes Sue Hayes and Justine Schepler.  Walker led the platoon with 20 digs on the weekend.

Lauren Wicinski contributed a team-best 21 kills over the four matches.  Allison McGlaughlin posted 16, while Meghan Romo and Sarah Angelos chipped in with 15 each.

NIU continues its spring schedule this Saturday at Northern Iowa.  The slate in Cedar Rapids, Iowa includes Drake, North Dakota State, Northern Iowa, Northwestern, and South Dakota State.

Last weekend, NIU hosted its annual Salvani Spring Play Date.  During the successful, undefeated run for NIU, the Huskies split against Lewis (25-21, 19-21) and beat the NIU Alumni Team twice (25-19, 25-13 and 25-22, 25-20), Loyola (25-16, 25-9), Southern Illinois-Edwardsville (25-19, 25-17), Winona State (25-23, 25-18).

Of the notable performances from the day, Amber Walker played significant time at outside hitter and passed the ball very well.  Sue Hayes and Justine Schepler platooned the libero spot well.  Meghan Romo played in all six rotations, scoring well out of the back row.  Mary Kurisch played solid all day as the main middle blocker and was a dominant physical presence.

The Huskies head to Madison, Wis., on Saturday to take on Iowa, Marquette, Michigan Tech, Minnesota, North Dakota State, Northern Iowa, UW-Green Bay, UW-Milwaukee and host Wisconsin.

Rick Armstrong of the Aurora Beacon News had a busy couple of days covering Northern Illinois University Athletics. He had three stories in today's paper. He had this feature on the Mid-American Conference's Volleyball Player and Freshman of the Year, Lauren Wicinski. He also filed this feature story on NIU defensive lineman Mike Krause and what his return to the field meant to the team this season. He also had a preview story on tomorrow's match up with Ball State and the Huskies opportunity to clinch the MAC West with a victory.

Sundance Wicks, men's basketball assistant and man of the world, learns some new tricks on the volleyball court, courtesy of Coley and Dan Pawlikowski. The Pawlikowski's are assistant coaches for the NIU volleyball team, which is currently tearing up the competition with a 23-2 record. Boom. Shaka. Laka.