Dear Huskie Fans,

At this very special time of year, I am so grateful to have the opportunity to say, with sincere appreciation - THANK YOU HUSKIE FANS. On behalf of our coaches, staff and 400 current student-athletes, as well as all the Huskie student-athletes you have supported over the years, thank you.

Coming off our third Huskies Invest: A Week of Giving earlier this month, I especially want to thank everyone who contributed to a record-breaking week that saw us achieve, and surpass, our goal of $300,000. Each year of this effort, we have raised the bar and every time, you have cleared it – from a goal of $100,000 in 2017 to $200,000 last November, to $300,000. This year, during the five-day period of November 4-8, 214 donors generously gave $303,472 to support a wide variety of efforts including Cost of Attendance, unrestricted and sport-specific initiatives. Wow!

Whether you gave $10 or $25,000, we appreciate everyone who participated in the 2019 Week of Giving. The success of this year's Huskies Invest has jump-started our department and gives us great momentum entering 2020, as we continue add to our donor base through our Drive for 25 initiative. 

Of course, my thanks extends beyond those who participated in the Week of Giving to all of our Huskie Athletic Fund donors and season ticket members across all sports. With your help, we continue to move our programs forward and build on this great tradition of NIU Athletics while providing the best possible experience for our student-athletes.

For an example of that tradition building in action, look no further than the NIU women's cross country program, and specifically, standout Ashley Tutt. Last weekend, Ashley completed a history-making season with a 50^th-place finish (among 254 runners) in the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana. Aside from that race, in which she was the top finisher from any MAC team and the top Illinois runner to cross the finish line, she became the first Huskie to win the MAC Cross Country Championship, and took fourth place at the NCAA Regional in Stillwater, Oklahoma. She led Adrian Myers' NIU team to a second-place finish in the MAC, tying for the best mark in school history and the Huskies were just two points shy of taking the title. It wasn't all about Ashley, though, for the first time in school history, NIU had three runners named All-MAC.

Cross country led the way among our fall sports programs, while the men's soccer team continued to show progress in head coach Ryan Swan's third season. The Huskies won a pair of matches in overtime and posted a 4-2-1 record at home. A record three players – all underclassmen – earned first team All-MAC honors with four Huskies honored overall, the most for the program since 2011.

Second-year women's soccer head coach Julie Colhoff saw incremental progress from her young team as she works to build the program. In his first season, Thomas Hammock's football Huskies lost three games by seven points or less while playing – and starting – a host of freshmen, due in part to injuries that decimated, among other positions, its veteran linebacking corps. While Coach Hammock has refused to make excuses, I have seen first-hand the progress being made behind the scenes, whether in accountability in the classroom and other areas, big-time recruiting momentum, and an emphasis on development as we look to build depth. I look forward to seeing many of you at Huskie Stadium Tuesday night to celebrate our 18 seniors.

As football closes out its 2019 campaign, men's and women's basketball, along with wrestling, have already provided a glimpse of what look to be exciting seasons on the hardwood and the mat for 2019-20.  Men's basketball enters Monday night's home game versus Oakland on a five-game winning streak, its longest since 2015-16, and are coming off back-to-back road victories. Led offensively by senior Eugene German, Mark Montgomery's team ranks 16^th nationally in rebounding. Monday's game ends a string of six games in the past 11 days for the Huskies, who then go back on the road until December 21^st.

The Huskie women's basketball team, meanwhile, will spend Thanksgiving in Las Vegas as their six-week, seven-game road swing continues at the South Point Shootout. Lisa Carlsen's squad, which welcomed back sharp-shooter Courtney Woods, has a pair of overtime victories already with all five of its games to date decided by six points or less. NIU returns home to host the Compass Challenge on December 19^th and 20^th with Eastern, Western and Southern Illinois.

Wrestling is already into its dual meet season with a 4-2 record after a 2-1 showing last weekend at the Boilermaker Duals. NIU's next home meet is December 18^th versus Kent State. Remember, the Huskies will host the 2020 MAC Championships, featuring all 15 conference teams, in the Convocation Center this March.

Meanwhile, the MAC defending champion NIU gymnastics team, open their 2020 season January 12th with the first home meet on January 17^th.

Also, I'm happy to report that for the foreseeable future, Huskie teams will continue to be outfitted in adidas gear as a new contract between Northern Illinois University and adidas is finally complete. The contract was completed through the State of Illinois RFP process and is the result of a year-long negotiation between NIU and Adidas. This contract - a seven-year deal which will run through 2026, with an option for a three-year extension -- will provide a much-needed financial boost for our sport programs and will assist us in continuing to provide a first-class student-athlete experience at NIU. This new agreement was done with a focus on student-athlete well-being and how we can best service the footwear/apparel needs of our athletic programs. Adidas has been a great partner for the Huskies for many years now and we are very pleased that the relationship will continue.  

On behalf of Huskie Athletics, I want to wish all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Again, THANK YOU for your support of NIU student-athletes, and we look forward to seeing you at Huskie Stadium Tuesday night and at the NIU Convocation Center soon.   

Go Huskies!


 



Sean T. Frazier
Associate Vice-President and Director of Athletics