DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2026 was announced Friday (April 24). This year's Hall of Fame induction class includes:
Doug Free, Football, 2003-06 (Manitowoc, Wis./Lincoln)
Matt German, Baseball, 2004-07 (Aurora, Ill./Marmion Academy)
Jordan Godsey, Men's Soccer, 2009-12 (Ocean Springs, Miss./Ocean Springs)
Janay Mitchell, Women's Track and Field, 2010-13 (Teaneck, N.J./Teaneck)
Leslie Pottinger (Davies), Women's Basketball, 1991-95 (Belvidere, Ill./Belvidere)
Nelle Youel (Link), Women's Tennis, 2011-15 (Crystal Lake, Ill./Crystal Lake Central)
The 2026 NIU Athletics Hall of Fame Class will be formally included on "Hall of Fame Weekend" – presented by eo5 Hotels – on Friday, Oct. 23, in the historic Duke Ellington Ballroom at the Holmes Student Center. The ceremony is scheduled for 7 p.m. and is open to the public.
Doug Free, Football, 2003-06
One of the finest linemen in NIU football history, Doug Free set a standard of excellence along the Huskie offensive front. As a redshirt freshman in 2003, Free started 12 games, 10 at left tackle and two at tight end, while earning freshman All-American honor from The Sporting News. A three-time All-MAC selection, earning second team recognition as a sophomore in 2004 and first team honors in 2005 and 2006, Free blocked for a 1,000-yard rusher in each of his four seasons as he started 49 consecutive games for the Huskies.
Free earned All-America honors from College Football News and Pro Football Weekly as a senior in 2006 and played in the East-West Shrine Game. He was selected in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys and played 10 seasons in Dallas, appearing in 124 games, which included 114 career starts.
Matt German, Baseball, 2004-07
Matt German had an outstanding career on the mound for the Huskie baseball team, leading NIU in multiple career pitching categories. In his four seasons as a Huskie, German made 105 career appearances, third-most in program history. He holds the school record for saves (26), opponents' batting average (.212) and strikeouts per nine innings pitched (9.60), and is seventh in program history with a 2.76 ERA.
German was one of five finalists for the National College Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Stopper of the Year Award in 2007 and also earned Second Team All-America honors that season. German also earned First Team All-Region honors from the American Baseball Coaches Association in 2006 and 2007.
Jordan Godsey, Men's Soccer, 2009-12
With 35 career shutouts, Jordan Godsey holds the NIU men's soccer record while also ranking 18th all-time in NCAA Division I history. A four-year starter, Godsey was a two-time MAC All-Tournament honoree, helping the Huskies reach the final in both 2011 and 2012. During the 2011 season, Godsey started all 21 matches as the Huskies tied the school record with 15 wins, winning the MAC Tournament while advancing to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies climbed to as high as 13th in the United Soccer Coaches national poll that season, a school record, as Godsey earned All-Great Lakes Region and First Team All-MAC honors.
Godsey finished his NIU career with a school record 0.80 goals against average and ranks fourth in program history with 275 career saves.
Janay Mitchell, Women's Track and Field, 2010-13
A MAC Champion sprinter, Janay Mitchell set multiple sprint records during her time as a member of the NIU Track and Field team. Mitchell held the school record in the 60 and 200 meters indoors as well as the 100 and 200 meters outdoors during her time as a Huskie, and was also part of multiple relay record teams.
In 2012, Mitchell became the first Huskie to win a MAC Outdoor Championship in the 100 meters, while also helping the Huskies win the 4x100-meter relay. She was the first athlete in program history to win two conference titles at the same MAC Championship meet. Mitchell qualified for the NCAA Preliminaries in both the 100 and 200 meters in 2012 and was also a part of the NCAA Preliminary 4x100-meter relay team that finished 13th, just missing a trip to the NCAA Championships.
Leslie Pottinger (Davies), Women's Basketball, 1991-95
A member of four NIU Women's Basketball teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament, Leslie Pottinger holds the program record with 276 career steals. She also scored 1,217 points and grabbed 606 rebounds during her Huskie career, both of which rank in the top-25 in program history. Pottinger also dished out 287 career assists, 19th-most in Huskie women's basketball history, and recorded one of four triple-doubles in program history.
As a senior in 1994-95, Pottinger scored a team-high 17.7 points per game and earned First Team All-Midwestern Collegiate Conference honors. A two-time conference all-tournament team honoree, Pottinger was a part of 83 career victories during her time as a Huskie.
Nelle Youel (Link), Women's Tennis, 2011-15
One of the best players in NIU Women's Tennis history, Nelle Youel is the program's all-time wins leader and was the 2015 Mid-American Conference Player of the Year. During her outstanding four-year career, Youel recorded 89 singles victory, best in school history, and 74 doubles wins, tied for the most in program history, for a combined 163 wins, a school record.
A three-time All-MAC honoree, Youel earned First Team honors in 2013 and 2015, as well as Second Team recognition in 2014. She is also the only player in program history to be named MAC Player of the Year. As a sophomore in 2013, Youel set the school single-season record with 27 singles victories, a mark that she broke as a senior in 2015 when she won 28 singles matches.
