Hello Huskie Nation!
The world of college athletics continues to spin at a rapid pace and that might not be more true at any time than in the month of November as fall sports begin to wind down and winter sports start to heat up.
I would like to start by congratulating our men's soccer team on its victory Wednesday night against Bowling Green that earned them a share of the Missouri Valley Conference Championship. What a tremendous accomplishment for Coach Swan and his team and I encourage all of Huskie Nation to come out to the NIU Soccer and Track & Field Complex on Sunday afternoon, Nov. 9 at 1 p.m. when they begin the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament against Western Michigan.
With the start of November also comes midweek MACtion football and as we play those MACtion games for the final time we recognize and appreciate the platform that nationally televised, standalone games have provided to our program throughout the years.
There has been recent conversations about playing MAC programs in non-conference games in the future and while no games are currently scheduled, we value the regional rivalries we have with the likes of Ball State, Toledo and Western Michigan and are looking forward to the opportunity to play MAC schools in the non-conference segment of our schedule in the future.
It seems hard to believe but the basketball season is already upon us. Coach Burno and the men's basketball team got off to a terrific start on Monday against ULM with a great win in the MAC/Sun Belt Challenge, playing exciting basketball, scoring 102 points. Men's basketball is at Wisconsin tonight in the first of a number of regional non-conference games that also includes the likes of Loyola and Bradley.
Women's basketball hosts its first regular season home game tonight when they face Milwaukee. It seems hard to believe that it was just seven months ago when we welcomed our new head coach Jacey Brooks into the Huskie family and I know all of Huskie Nation will get behind Coach Brooks and her team as they begin a new era this season.
This weekend, our wrestling team also officially begins its season at Michigan State after hosting its annual Red/Black meet last week. Gymnastics and indoor track and field are also right on the horizon in December, so I hope you have a chance to get out and support our Huskie student-athletes during the winter seasons.
Nationally, the landscape of college athletics continues to evolve at a rapid pace, in particular when it comes to the issues of NIL, rev share and the cap system. The College Sports Commission has provided guidance in regards to reporting of NIL deals in order to maintain eligibility. NIL deals worth $600 or more must be reported within five days into NIL Go, the online platform the College Sports Commission uses to evaluate compliance with the rules. Failure to do so could result in a student-athlete being ruled ineligible. We continue to operationalize our processes and procedures regarding these ever-evolving issues, doing our due diligence for both our coaches and our student-athletes.
Since my last Frazier's Corner, we were able to officially announce conference homes for gymnastics and wrestling for next season. We are pleased for those two programs to be joining the Mountain West and Pac-12, respectively, as we continue working on our conference transitions. Earlier this fall, Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez was on campus and we had productive meetings. While it may not be made public immediately, we expect to know our home and away football opponents soon, which will allow us to begin planning and logistics for next fall.
In the Horizon League transition, we are beginning to receive drafts of conference schedules for next year and have begun the process of aligning with the league requirements in order to be eligible for its men's and women's basketball excellence and performance funds.
Finally, a huge thank you to Huskie Nation for once again stepping up and delivering during our 2025 Huskies Invest: A Week of Giving. For the fifth consecutive year, Huskies Invest raised over $1 million, with this year's total setting a record at over $1.2 million from more than 900 donors. The support from our alumni, fans, families and community members continues to be inspiring as it shows the pride and passion that the NIU community has for the Huskies. Your support for Huskies Invest directly impacts our 400-plus student-athletes and enhances the experience we are able to provide them.
If you missed Huskies Invest, contributions and gifts are still being accepted via the Huskie Athletic Fund by visiting HuskieAthleticFund.com or calling (815) 753-1923.
It is – as always – a great time to be a Huskie and we thank you for your continued support.
Go Huskies!
Sean T. Frazier
Vice President and Director of Athletics and Recreation
Northern Illinois University
