NIUHuskies.com, the official online home for Northern Illinois Athletics, is pleased to announce the launch of a new blog, "Huskie Happenings." The section includes links to a daily newsstand, online chats, feature stories and interviews, game-day and multimedia information, promotions, calendars and much more. We hope this will become your first and last stop everyday for all the information you crave about Huskie Athletics!

HORTON TO ENTER SPARTAN HoF

Isn't he a little young to be a hall-of-famer?

Thanks to Jon Styf of the Daily Chronicle for this tidbit. Men's soccer player Brad Horton is being inducted into the Sycamore High School Hall of Fame. Last year, Horton led the Huskies with six goals and 15 points. He was an NSCAA High School All-American that scored eigth hat tricks and totaled 44 goals as a senior. They turn that Hall of Fame class around pretty quick; Horton's only going to be a sophomore this year.

HASF SPRING DRIVE-ING ME CRAZY!

HOOD EYES THE NEXT LEVEL

As the DeKalb Daily Chronicle's John Sahly writes, the Major League Baseball Draft started yesterday and runs through Thursday, Jordin Hood unquestionably has the talent to be selected at some point in the draft. The question is, when? Just one day in, Hood is still on the board.

SPEAKING OF BASEBALL ...

Brian Smith put up dazzling numbers as a freshman pitcher for Northern Illinois in 2005. He had six wins, three complete games and an ERA of 2.85. The next season, his ERA jumped to 6.03 and he needed surgery to remove bone spurs from his right elbow.