DEKALB, Ill. – The annual Beauty and the Beast competition where the NIU gymnastics and wrestling teams compete simultaneously in the Convocation Center highlights this week in Huskie Athletics. Men's basketball will also return home on Saturday while five other teams will compete on the road this week. 

Men's Basketball
Tuesday, Feb. 17: at Buffalo, 5:30 p.m. – ESPN+ | Live Audio | Live Stats
Saturday, Feb. 21: vs. Ohio, 2 p.m. – ESPN+ | Live Audio | Live Stats | Buy Tickets

The NIU men's basketball team finishes a stretch of four of five away from home on Tuesday as the Huskies travel to Buffalo. NIU returns to the Convocation Center on Saturday afternoon as it hosts Ohio. Makhai Valentine leads the Huskies in scoring at 14.0 points per game and has scored in double figures in 17 of the last 19 games. 

Buffalo enters Tuesday's game with a 15-10 overall record, 5-7 in league play. Ohio comes into the week with a 13-13 mark, 7-6 in MAC play. 

Women's Basketball
Wednesday, Feb. 18: at Kent State, 6 p.m. – ESPN+ | Live Audio | Live Stats
Saturday, Feb. 21: at Western Michigan, 12 p.m. – ESPN+ | Live Audio | Live Stats

NIU women's basketball heads on the road for a pair of games this week, beginning on Wednesday with its lone meeting this season with Kent State. 

The Huskies had four players score in double figures on Saturday in an overtime setback to Akron. Nevaeh Wingate led all scorers with 22 points and had eight rebounds. She was 8-for-9 from the free throw line. Wingate has scored in double figures in five straight games, averaging 16.0 points per game and shooting 44.4 percent from the field.

Kent State (11-13, 5-7 MAC) is coming off a 71-61 loss at Ohio on Saturday. Western Michigan will travel to Bowling Green on Wednesday before hosting NIU on Saturday. 

Baseball
Wednesday, Feb. 18: at East Carolina, 3 p.m. – ESPN+ | Live Stats
Friday, Feb. 20: at USC Upstate, 2 p.m. – Live Stats
Saturday, Feb. 21: at Presbyterian, 2 p.m. – ESPN+ | Live Stats 
Sunday, Feb. 22: at Wofford, 12 p.m. – ESPN+ | Live Stats

NIU Baseball continues it's season-opening trek through the Carolinas this week, starting with Wednesday's game at East Carolina that will air on ESPN+. The Huskies won their series at North Carolina A&T with a 6-5 win on Monday. Cole Smith broke a 3-3 tie with a two-run home run in the top of the sixth and added a run-scoring double in the top of the eighth. Smith drove in six runs in the series against the Aggies, NIU's first season-opening series win since 2018.

Sophomore Carter Cox had a career-high 10 strikeouts in five innings in the Huskies' 10-2 win over NC A&T on Friday. That was the most strikeouts for any pitcher in the MAC on opening weekend.

The Huskies are facing all four of its opponents this week for the first time. East Carolina and USC Upstate played in the NCAA Regionals a year ago. USC Upstate won the Big South regular season and tournament titles. 

Gymnastics
Friday, Feb. 20: vs. Southeast Missouri State and Wilberforce (Beauty and the Beast), 7 p.m. – Live Video | Live Stats

NIU gymnastics will have its senior night this coming Friday in the Beauty and the Beast Meet while hosting a tri-meet against Southeast Missouri State and Wilberforce. 

In the Huskies last meet, NIU traveled to Bowling Green and set a new season-high on vault while taking five. Dawsyn Sallee led NIU on vault, tying a career-high with a 9.850 and taking first place. Mikayla Brown was the other winner for the Huskies, scoring a 9.800 on beam. 

NIU swept on vault with Sallee, Jocelyn Harbeck and Audrey Brenner taking the top three spots. Drake White tied a career-high on floor with a 9.825.

Wrestling
Friday, Feb. 20: vs. SIU (Beauty and the Beast), 7 p.m. – Live Video | Senior Night

The Huskies will conclude dual competition on Friday, February 20 as they host SIUE in a Mid-American Conference dual. Action is set to begin at 7 p.m. as NIU hosts their annual "Beauty and the Beast" dual in conjunction with the NIU gymnastics team. The Huskie wrestling program will honor their senior class prior to the dual.
 
NIU capped their non-conference slate of dual on February 13 as they defeated Northwestern 28-9 in Evanston. The Huskies claimed their second win over the Wildcats in the last three seasons. Charles Curtis got his first win over a ranked wrestler, posting a 7-5 decision over then- No. 32 Billy DeKraker in the 141-pound bout. NIU won the first four bouts before winning three of the last six. 

Softball
Friday, Feb. 20: vs. Kentucky (Memphis, Tenn.), 3 p.m. – Live Stats
Friday, Feb. 20: vs. Indiana State (Memphis, Tenn.), 7 p.m. – Live Stats
Saturday, Feb. 21: vs. Morehead State (Memphis, Tenn.), 11 a.m. – Live Stats
Saturday, Feb. 21: vs. North Carolina A&T (Memphis, Tenn.), 5 p.m. – Live Stats
Sunday, Feb. 22: vs. Bradley (Memphis, Tenn.), 9 a.m. – Live Stats

The Huskies softball squad returns to action as they are set to compete at the Blues City Invitational this weekend, hosted by Memphis. The Huskies will take on Kentucky, Indiana State, Morehead State, North Carolina A&T, and Bradley in the three-day tournament.
 
The Huskies (1-2) started their season last week at the Bevo Classic, defeating Abilene Christian in their first game of the season. NIU fell to Ohio State and then-No. 2 Texas as weather forced their game against Syracuse to be cancelled. Seniors Danielle Stewart and Rylie Hartman went .500 at the plate, recording a combined seven hits. Stewart had the Huskies lone home run to give them the lead against ACU and scored four of the Huskies 10 runs.

Men's Tennis
Saturday, Feb. 21: at Wisconsin, 12 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 22: at Marquette, 11 a.m.

NIU hits the road for the first time this dual season following a seven-match homestand. The Huskies (6-1) went 3-0 last weekend, recording wins over Southern University, Omaha and Wisconsin-Whitewater. 

Iker Gaztambide Arrastia went 3-0 at both No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles over the weekend and earned MAC Singles Player of the Week for the second time this season. The senior is 7-0 in singles play. Chiao Bo Suo Nan and Federico Scotuzzi recorded wins this weekend and now each riding three-match winning streaks. 

Wisconsin (8-1) posted wins over DePaul and Purdue last weekend. The Badgers lone loss this season came from No. 16 Baylor. Marquette (1-8) split their matches against Illinois State and Northwestern last weekend, defeating the Redbirds 4-2 at home. 

Track and Field
Friday, Feb. 20: at Iowa Open – Live Results

In its final meet before the conference indoor championship next weekend, the NIU track and field team heads to Iowa City, Iowa, to compete in the Iowa Open. Last weekend, Jasmijn Raes won the high jump competition at DePaul's Blue Demon Alumni Classic. Raes is currently ranked sixth in the MAC in the high jump with teammate Arianna Calloway ranked fifth. In the triple jump, Precious Umukoro is ranked ninth in the conference. 

Field events at the Iowa Open are scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. with events on track slated to start at 1 p.m.