The NIU men’s wrestling team will begin its 2005 campaign as the co-favorite to win the MAC.

The MAC preseason poll gave NIU and defending champion Central Michigan a tie for the top spot.

“The easy part is done,” said NIU coach Dave Grant. “It’s the doing that’s tough. It’s one thing to be picked highly, it’s another thing to go out and finish that way.”

Nine of the 10 weight classes had an NIU wrester in its preseason top four. Sam Hiatt at 133 pounds, Andy Hiatt at 141 pounds and Josh Wooton at 149 pounds were all favorites to win their division.

The Huskies begin their season Nov. 13 at the UW-Stevens Point Open.

Women’s golf win

The NIU women’s golf team walked away from the Huskie Classic in Huntley with a 23-stroke victory Monday.

Perfect conditions were the story as the Huskies took a one-shot lead into the final day of play.

NIU took full advantage of the conditions with a season-low 316 for the day, 20 shots better than any other team.

Junior Lisa Bailey led the way for the Huskies with a tournament-low 75 on the final day, tying Cincinatti’s Hillery Wilson for medal honors.

Jackie Heslop, Jackie Bailey, and Jamie Carney finished in the top 10 for NIU.

Tennis freshman perfect

NIU women’s tennis freshman Christy Svetlic posted a 4-0 record last weekend at the Ball State Fall Invitational in Muncie, Ind. over the weekend.

The Missouri native won her first two matches, losing only one game in each match.

After a first-set defeat in a semifinal match, Svetlic bounced back and won four-straight sets to take the Flight B title.

Svetlic, along with NIU senior Ivonne Andrade also won both their matches to remain 5-0 on the season in doubles play.

Golf champ passes away

Former NIU golfer Scott Webster passed away Sept. 27 at a Chicago-area hospital.

Webster was the No. 2 golfer on the NIU Hall of Fame 1976 MAC championship team. That team was the first NIU golf team to win the MAC championship. The ‘76 squad is the only team in school history to compete in the men’s golf NCAA tournament.

The team was inducted into the NIU Hall of Fame in 1997.