General | February 23

DEKALB, Ill. – Nine teams are in action this week in NIU Athletics with the Huskie gymnastics team competing for the final time at home this season on Friday night. Saturday afternoon features NIU's annual Cram the Convo basketball doubleheader with the Huskie women's team hosting Eastern Michigan, followed by the NIU men's basketball team against Ball State. 
 
Men's Basketball
Tuesday, Feb. 24: at Toledo, 6 p.m. – ESPN+ | Live Audio | Live Stats
Saturday, Feb. 28: vs. Ball State, 3 p.m. – ESPN+ | Live Audio | Live Stats | Buy Tickets
 
The NIU men's basketball team opens the week with a trip to Toledo before returning home to host Ball State on Saturday. Tuesday's visit to Toledo will be NIU's fifth road game in its last seven contests, the Huskies won their last road game last Tuesday (Feb. 17) at Buffalo, 72-70. Gustav Winther is 10-of-11 from the field over the last two games and currently leads the MAC shooting 64.8 percent.
 
Toledo brings a 14-13 overall record, 8-6 in league play, into Tuesday's game while Ball State enters the week with a mark of 8-19, 3-11 in the MAC.
 
Women's Basketball
Saturday, Feb. 28: vs. Eastern Michigan, 1 p.m. – ESPN+ | Live Audio | Live Stats | Buy Tickets
 
NIU women's basketball has just one game this week, taking on Eastern Michigan in the first game of Cram The Convo Saturday at 1 p.m. The Huskies nearly came back from a 19-point deficit at Western Michigan last Saturday getting as close as two points before falling 65-60 to the Broncos. Maria Serracanta and Sa'Mahn Johnson both led NIU with 14 points and combined to go 5-for-7 from the three-point line. Serracanta is tied for the top assist/turnover ratio in the MAC at 1.86. She has had 11 assists against one turnover in the last three games.  
 
Track and Field
Friday-Saturday, Feb. 27-28: at MAC Indoor Championships (Mount Pleasant, Mich.) – Live Results
 
The NIU women's track and field team travels to Central Michigan this weekend for the MAC Indoor Championships. Arianna Calloway and Jasmijn Raes are both ranked in the top-10 in the high jump heading into this weekend's conference meet, Calloway is ranked fifth while Raes is ranked sixth. Precious Umukoro heads to the meet ranked ninth in the MAC in the triple jump and 11th in the long jump.
 
Competition is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. CT on Friday with the pentathlon and will also start at 9 a.m. CT on Saturday with the shot put.
 
Gymnastics
Monday, Feb. 23: at Illinois State, 6 p.m. – ESPN+ | Live Scoring
Friday, Feb. 27: vs. Central Michigan, 6 p.m. – ESPN+ | Live Scoring
 
NIU gymnastics begins its week with a Monday night meet at Illinois State, the second meet for the Huskies in a span of seven days. NIU finished second in the Beauty and the Beast Meet on Friday night and recognized seniors Jocelyn Harbeck, Samantha Nickle and Kiera O'Shea following the competition. 
 
Elizabeth Poncin, Dawsyn Sallee and Drake White each recorded wins in the meet. Poncin recorded a 9.825 on bars, the highest score from the Huskies this season. Sallee tied a career-high on vault with a 9.850 while White won on floor for the second time this season with a 9.800.
 
Baseball
Friday, Feb. 27: at Lindenwood, 1 p.m. – Live Stats
Saturday, Feb. 28: at Lindenwood, 12 p.m. (DH) – Live Stats
Sunday, March 1: at Lindenwood, 1 p.m. – Live Stats
 
The NIU Baseball team is on the road this week to take on the Lindenwood Lions in a four-game series at Lindenwood. The Huskies went 4-3 during their two-week trek through North and South Carolina. NIU was 2-1 in South Carolina this past weekend, defeating Presbyterian 3-1 and rallying from 5-0 down at Wofford on Sunday to win 9-6. At 4-3 NIU is off to its best start since 2004. The Huskies have the top three pitchers in the MAC in strikeouts through the first two weeks with Carter Cox and Danny Cihocki leading the league with 15 and Max Vaisvila third with 14.
 
Men's Golf
Monday-Wednesday, Feb. 23-25: at Lake Las Vegas Invitational (Henderson, Nev.) – Live Scoring
 
NIU Men's Golf begins its spring season this week at the Lake Las Vegas Invitational, hosted by Louisiana at Reflection Bay Golf Club. The Huskies will play five tournaments this spring before the MAC Championship May 3-5. The Huskies finished in the top half of the team standings in two events in the fall, taking fifth at the Badger Invitational and sixth at the Purdue Fall Invitational. Craig Long leads the team in scoring average at 71.733. Eight of his 15 rounds this season have been even par or lower. NIU finished second at Lake Las Vegas last season.
 
Women's Golf
Tuesday-Wednesday, Feb. 24-25: at GCU Invitational (Phoenix, Ariz.) – Live Scoring
 
The Huskie women's golf team returns to the course this week as they compete at the GCU Invitational, February 24-25. NIU will face Wyoming, Grand Canyon, Idaho, and Northwood University during the tournament.
 
NIU was last in action in Arizona at the BGSU Women's Intercollegiate Invitational. Sophomore Mia Raines ended her tournament with an eagle of the final hole as she led the Huskies on the course, finishing in a tie for eleventh. Dakota Tallent was the second Huskie to finish inside the top-15 as four Huskies recorded all three rounds in the 70s.
 
Men's Tennis
Saturday, Feb. 28: at Chicago State, 3:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 1: vs. Grinnell College, 11 a.m.
 
The Huskies split their road matches this past weekend, falling 7-0 to No. 21 Wisconsin on Saturday and bounced back for 4-0 win over Marquette on Sunday. Federico Scotuzzi clinched the match point over the Eagles on Sunday afternoon. 
 
NIU has won five of their last six matches and are just around the corner from conference play, opening at UIC on Saturday, March 7. Saturday's match against Chicago State was originally scheduled in January but was postponed due to weather. Grinnell College has won four straight matches and will play at North Central College on Saturday before making the trip to DeKalb. 
 
 
Women's Tennis
Friday, Feb. 27: at Bradley, 5 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 28: vs. Kansas City (Peoria, Ill.), 12 p.m. 
Sunday, March 1: at Western Illinois, 11 a.m.
 
NIU women's tennis is back in action this weekend with three matches following an off week. The Huskies are riding a five-match winning streak, last defeating Saint Louis, 4-2, on Sunday, Feb. 15. Nataly Ninova and Lucia Yecora are both 9-1 in their last 10 singles matches. 
 
Bradley, Kansas City and NIU will each face one another this weekend at Parkside Fitness in Pekin, Ill. The Huskies have won their last four matches against Bradley dating back to 2022. Western Illinois will host Milwaukee on Saturday before welcoming NIU on Sunday. 
 
--NIU--