The first NIU men’s basketball “Midnight Madness” will take place at 11:45 p.m. on Oct. 15 at the Convocation Center’s Victor E. Court.

In this free event, students will be able to meet the Huskies players, win prizes and see a team scrimmage.

The team’s first full practice is at 11 a.m. on Oct. 16. The first exhibition game is Nov. 8 against the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Player of the week

Fraser Gibson won the MAC Player of the Week award Monday in men’s soccer, becoming the first Huskie since October 2002 to win the award.

A freshman, Gibson made the first two starts of his career in this weekend’s games against Bowling Green and Kentucky.

In Friday’s game against Bowling Green, the freshman scored two goals, leading the Huskies to a 6-3 victory.

Gibson scored the only goal of the game in NIU’s 1-0 upset Sunday of the Great Lakes Region’s No. 7 team, Kentucky.

Current Huskies goalie Steve Goletz was the last NIU player to win the award.

Cross country wins

The NIU cross country team came away from the Benedictine Eagle Invitational Friday with seven of the top 10 individual spots and a team victory.

Alicja Czajka led the Huskies with a second-place finish, finishing the 5-kilometer race in 18:39.2.

Following right behind Czajka in fourth and fifth place were sophomore Jessica Schauff and senior Michelle Rhoden.

NIU place-winners were closed out by sophomore Emily Ramsey, freshmen Stacey Rosch, Denisse Valladares and Bonnie Miller finishing seventh-10th place.

NIU won the 10-team event by 64 points.

Train rolls on

The NIU baseball fall World Series began Saturday with junior Nick Hall on the mound for the NIU Cardinal Squad in the intrasquad scrimmages.

The 6-foot-5 pitcher struck out six and walked none in eight innings, leading his squad to victory in Game 1 of the five-game set.

The only earned run scored on Hall was a seventh-inning solo home run by junior newcomer Brian Toner.

Games will be played at 3 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday at Ralph McKinzie Field.