NIU Athletic Director Jim Phillips has ended his two-month search for a replacement of Sports Information Director Mike Korcek.

Donna Turner of Tulane was announced as the Huskies new associate athletics director for communications Wednesday.

“We are excited to welcome Donna into the Huskie Family,” Phillips said. “She brings an impressive resume to DeKalb. Her credentials are outstanding and the experience that she has attained made her a great fit for NIU.”

Turner served the past six years as the assistant athletics director at Tulane at New Orleans and played a vital role in helping the school cope with Hurricane Katrina.

“I’m very excited to join Jim Phillips and his team at Northern Illinois,” Turner said. “This is a tremendous opportunity to be a part of an up-and-coming program.”

Prior to Tulane, Turner spent one year as the director of media relations and publicity for the Women’s Tennis Association and a five-year stint as the assistant athletics director for sports information at the University of Houston.

A big promotion

The NIU men’s basketball team’s Director of Basketball Operations Sean Harrington has been promoted to assistant coach.

Harrington will replace former assistant Rick Ray, who left the team for an assistant position at Purdue University.

“I am very excited about the opportunity in front of me,” Harrington said. “I have been very fortunate to learn from some great coaches, especially [NIU] Coach [Rob] Judson.”

Among the best

NIU Athletics Director Jim Phillips and the Northern Illinois University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced that its 469 student-athletes combined for a cumulative 3.036 grade point average at the completion of the 2006 spring semester. The GPA is the highest NIU athletics mark on record.

“This is an ongoing goal that we have been working toward over the years,” said Phillips.

Another new face

Ryun Ferrell of Drake has been named the new NIU women’s tennis team’s head coach. Ferrell will relieve Pontus Hiort, who had been pulling double duty as both men’s and women’s coach. Hiort will remain the men’s head coach.

Ferrell compiled an 81-76 record in seven seasons with Drake. During his tenure with the Bulldogs, 10 different players have accounted for 17 Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete awards.

“I’m truly excited about the direction NIU athletics is going and with Jim Phillips, it’s clear that amazing things can be accomplished and I want to be a part of that,” Ferrell said. “I certainly enjoyed my time at Drake and the young ladies I was fortunate enough to work with, but I’m eager to help he Huskies become even more successful.”

Drake beat NIU 6-1 in the spring, but NIU is 3-2 all-time in meetings with Ferrell’s programs.