DeKALB | Leading the NIU men’s soccer team in assists is MAC Player of the Week Chris VanDuerm.

The senior has four assists and two goals on the season and is second on the team with eight points.

“He definitely was the man of the match against UW-Milwaukee,” said NIU men’s soccer coach Steve Simmons.

VanDuerm scored the Huskies’ lone goal in their 1-0 overtime win over UWM on Sunday

Birdie busters

The NIU women’s golf team will travel to Franklin, Ind., to play in the Shoot Out at the Legends golf tournament this weekend.

The Huskies are rolling into Indiana with confidence on their side. In their last three tournaments, the women have come in first place once and second place twice.

Sophomore Nicci Schultz and junior Abbie Many have been leading the Huskies recently. The pair finished tied for seventh place with scores of 153 at the Huskie Classic last weekend.

Bouncing back

A 16th-place finish at the Xavier Invitational was not what the NIU men’s golf team had in mind. But the Huskies will look to redeem themselves this weekend at the Earl Yestingsmeier Invitational in Muncie, Ind.

So far this season the Huskies have yet to find their swings. In its first four tournaments, NIU’s best finish was seventh place at the Wolverine Intercollegiate back on Sept. 17.

Wrestling hires new coaches

Coming off yet another successful season in 2005-2006, the NIU wrestling team hired two new coaches.

Mike Castillo, a 2001 NCAA qualifier, and three-time NCAA champion and 2004 olympian Joe Williams will come on as assistant coaches for the Huskies.

“We are very excited about bringing in two experienced coaches to NIU,” coach Dave Grant said. “Mike and Joe have been involved in very successful programs and their knowledge and experience will be very valuable to help move our program forward.”

Going the distance

The NIU cross country team will head to Lisle to run in the Benedictine Eagle Invitational Friday.

The Huskies are coming off a 19th-place finish at the Notre Dame Adidas Classic last weekend. Sophomore Meghan Ginter had a team-best 69th place-finish out of 188 runners.

This weekend will be the second-to-last opportunity for the Huskies to improve before the MAC championships in Buffalo, N.Y., on Oct. 28.

Lacy Searcy is a Sports Reporter for the Northern Star.