During her first three seasons at Rockford Lutheran High School, NIU freshman guard Stephanie Raymond lost a combined seven games.

At about the midpoint of her freshman season at NIU, Raymond and the Huskies already have lost eight games and are three games below .500.

Raymond knew about the differences from high school athletics to college, but losing, in particular, is something she has had to deal with more often than she and the Huskies would like.

“You can tell she’s been used to winning because when we lose you can really see her get hurt by it,” NIU senior forward Lindsay Secrest said. “It really shows.”

During her time as an athlete, Raymond has experienced many victories. From the junior high court to the high school hardwood, she has seen success even on the track.

As an eighth grader at St. Paul Junior High in Rockford, Raymond and the Lady Rams cruised through the state playoffs, beating opponents by an average of 22 points en route to a state title.

“We were a small school, and everybody doubted us, which made the win that much better,” Raymond said.

She also was named the most valuable player of the tournament.

Once in high school at Rockford Lutheran, Raymond saw four consecutive years with 20 or more wins. The NIU women’s team has not seen a 20-win season since it won 24 in the 1993-‘94 season.

During her four seasons in high school, she accumulated a career 99-15 record, including the playoffs where she won three regional titles and one sectional.

“A reason she was so successful in high school was because she scored more than 2,000 points in her career,” NIU coach Carole Hammerle said. “She’s had a lot to do with her success. It’s a big adjustment going from high school to college, and I think she’s doing a very nice job of making that adjustment.”

During her senior season at Lutheran, Raymond lost a career-high eight games, but was named to the Associated Press Class A All-State first team.

Thirteen games into her first college season, Raymond now leads the Huskies in steals, is second in assists and is fifth in scoring.

“She is fearless, so fearless,” Hammerle said. “She is one of the best point guards I’ve been able to coach. She makes everyone around her look good, which is a characteristic you like to have in a point guard.

Even on the Lutheran track team, she won. She was able to qualify for the state tournament in at least one event during each of her first three years.

One thing Raymond has learned during her athletic career is to keeping working and to always get better, she said. Raymond’s team goal is to get a winning season under their belt.

“I hope to help bring lots of wins to this program,” Raymond said. “I know there hasn’t been a winning season here for a while, so it’d be nice to get one.”