Rain washed away the final day of the women’s golf MAC Championships as NIU finished sixth in the conference, its best finish since 1999.

The Huskies finished with a two-round 649, 39 strokes behind champion Kent State.

Leading the way for NIU was Jackie Heslop, who finished 11th overall with a 157.

At the tournament, sophomore Lisa Bailey was named Second Team All-MAC, the first honor of its kind for NIU.

“What a tremendous accomplishment by Lisa,” coach Pam Tyska said. “She has been so consistent in leading this team and she deserved this honor. Overall, it was a great weekend for this young golf team. We had our best round at the MAC Championships, shooting 307 in the first round and now we have our first All-MAC pick. The team made some great strides this year.”

Bailey finished tied for 20th in the championships with her 161.

Track races to second

NIU finished second at the 12-team Central Collegiate Championships on Saturday.

The event, which featured mainly Illinois schools, was won by Illinois State, which finished with a 195, ahead of the Huskies’ 157.

April Lowery (400-meter dash), Christina Nieto (5,000-meter run), Margaret Gorski (shot put) and Alicja Czajka (3,000-meter steeplechase) all won individual events for NIU.

Wrestling awards

After finishing another season in the USA Today Top 25 Coaches Poll, the No. 22 Huskies will host their awards banquet Sunday.

After falling two wins shy of making All-America status, sophomore Mike Grimes took the honor of winning the Most Outstanding Wrestler Award at the banquet.

“Mike (Grimes) really developed as the season went on and was our top performer at the NCAA meet,” Grant said.

Josh Wooton took home the Bruce Swierczeski Most Valuable Wrestler award for the Huskies. The junior finished the season with a 15-9 record and the MAC title in the 141-pound weight class.

The Huskies’ Most Outstanding Freshman Award went to redshirt Chad Vandiver, who at 125 pounds, was one of four Huskies to get 20 wins.

Sophomore Danny Burk won the Most Improved Award.

End of spring season

The Huskies finished their exhibition season Saturday with a third place finish at the Illinois Governor’s Cup.

NIU (5-2-5) went 1-1 at the tournament, picking up a 2-1 win over Western Illinois and a 1-0 loss to Southern Illinois.

Softball games cancelled

After having a three-game series with Toledo snowed out over the weekend, the Huskies have shifted their focus to a non-conference dual with Illinois State.

The game, slated for a 5 p.m. start Wednesday, will be the Huskies last game before starting their final home MAC series this weekend.

The series with Toledo will not be rescheduled because of the limited time remaining in the regular season.