Happy Holidays Huskies!
 
As we head for the finish line of 2020 and look forward hopefully to 2021, I want to take this opportunity to wish you and yours a very happy holiday season. I hope that you have managed, through this year that defies description, to stay healthy and to navigate all the changes and challenges we have all encountered in 2020.
 
For me, the end of the year presents an opportunity to reflect on the events of the past 12 month while looking ahead with hope to what the new year will bring.
 
One thing I will most remember about 2020 is the efforts of the many people who helped get us through this pandemic. For NIU Athletics, that includes each and every one of you who stepped up and supported NIU student-athletes through the recently completed Huskies Invest: The Campaign. Whether you participated in the Virtual Golf Tournament, bought a Fan Cutout for the NIU Football season, donated directly to the COVID-19 Relief Fund or to one of our sports programs, NIU Recreation or the NIU Marching Band, you have been there for us in 2020. With more than 1,000 gifts totaling over $625,000 in this year when it was most needed, I cannot thank you enough.
 
Thanks also go out to our coaches and staff for everything they have done to get us through a unique and exhausting year. They have gone above and beyond in their efforts to safeguard the health and well-being of our students, while continuing to provide opportunities for them to advance academically and athletically. As with so many aspects of life, everything has been more difficult in 2020 and that includes classes and study tables, team meetings, travel, organizing workouts and practices and more. To get a sense of at what it took for the NIU Football team to get through the entire season - without a single positive COVID-19 test I will add – check out this feature on NIUHuskies.com.
 
Congratulations and Thank You to NIU student-athletes as well. They got it done in the classroom this fall! We saw 13 student-athletes from eight different teams earn degrees from NIU earlier this month, while through (mostly) virtual classes and online learning, student-athletes combined to post a school record 3.36 cumulative grade point average for the fall semester. WOW! Nearly every program achieved a team GPA above 3.0 and records were set by individual programs across the board.
 
I can't let this Frazier's Corner go by without sending a huge Congratulations to head coach Adrian Myers – the 2020 MAC Coach of the Year - and the NIU Women's Cross Country team on winning the first Mid-American Conference title in that program's history! After falling just two points short of the team championship in DeKalb a year ago, Myers and his crew would not be denied in 2020, coming away with the win by three points. That win definitely goes on the top of the highlight list for 2020!
 
We know there will still be challenges in 2021. We're already gearing up for the busiest spring semester in school history as 15 NIU teams will be in action! With the volleyball and men's and women's soccer seasons moved to the spring of 2021, there will be non-stop action. It all starts January 2^nd with a men's and women's basketball doubleheader at the NIU Convocation Center.
 
While we don't know when we will be able to welcome fans back to our venues, we hope you continue to keep up with all the Huskie teams. The Huskie Calendar on NIUHuskies.com is a great way to see all the schedules in one place, and it is sure to be up-to-date as schedules, especially this year, are subject to change! The new, free NIU Huskies mobile app is also a great way to check the schedules, get scores, stats, even links to video and radio broadcasts right on your phone. Remember, you can still get in on the Huskie Howl Fan Cutout program for basketball and coming soon for volleyball, wrestling and gymnastics!
 
As we enter 2021, we still are in the mode of testing, social distancing, virtual learning and games with no fans. However, there IS light at the end of the tunnel with the release of the vaccines that gives me hope for the future, just as our student-athletes and their amazing capacity to adapt and fight through adversity has given me hope throughout 2020.
 
Please continue to support these deserving Huskies in any way you can. We need you, we have missed you and we cannot wait to see you in person at our events again! On behalf of all of us at NIU Athletics and the Frazier Family, we wish you a very safe and happy holiday season.
 
 Go Huskies!  
 
 Sean T. Frazier
Associate Vice-President and Director of Athletics