DeKalb, Ill. - Northern Illinois University Chief of Staff Dr. Matthew Streb and Associate Vice-President and Director of Athletics
Sean T. Frazier have announced the "LEaD Huskies" class of 2018-19.
Seven sophomore student-athletes and one junior have earned the prestigious honor of being selected to this program, after being nominated by their head coaches. This class is the seventh group of LEaD Huskies since the program began in 2013-14.
This year's LEaD Huskies are: Riley Blackwell (Women's Basketball), Grace Harris (Track & Field), Lauren Ingle (Women's Golf), Miranda Karlen (Volleyball), Kara Mickelson (Softball), Kamron Smith (Baseball), Ashley Tutt (Cross Country) and Alex Welch (Men's Soccer).
"Every year I am so impressed by the academic and athletic accomplishments of our newest LEaD Huskie class. This year's class is no exception. I cannot wait to start working with them," said Streb.
The LEaD Huskies program gives the selected individuals a platform to showcase their leadership throughout the NIU community and receive special mentoring to continue their success after graduation. The requirement to be eligible for this program is having a grade point average of 3.5 or higher and having the potential to be honored for significant athletic awards.
LEaD is an acronym that stands for Leadership Enhancement and Development. This program was implemented in the NIU Athletics department by Streb, then the Huskies' Faculty Athletics Representative, to identify student-athletes during their sophomore year that have demonstrated the ability to perform at excellent levels academically, as well as showing the potential to serve in leadership roles in regards to the classroom and on their respective teams.
The past classes of LEaD Huskies have achieved at the highest levels, earning numerous academic and athletic awards, including Academic All-Americans, NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships and All Mid-American Conference selections. They have also set school records, served on MAC and even NCAA committees.
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