This weekend in NIU Athletics: April 22

The women’s golf and men’s tennis teams will compete in Mid-American Conference Championships this weekend

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Wes Sanderson

Redshirt senior tennis player Kristopher Ortega runs during a match against Binghamton University April 1 in DeKalb.

By Jordan Radloff

Women’s golf:

The conclusion of the women’s golf team’s conference season has arrived with the start of the MAC Championships on Friday in Toledo, Ohio, at the Stone Oak Country Club Course.

“We’re very excited for the MAC Championships,” head coach Kim Kester said in an NIU Athletics news release. “We’re starting to perform better and make more birdies; things are going in the right direction. If we just put together three great rounds, across the board, start to finish, we’ll come back with that Championship and that’s what we’re most looking forward to.”

Four Huskies will start for the team in the championship competition with two backups also in attendance for later rounds. The women’s golfer starters are seniors Caroline Klemp and Sofia Gomez Enriquez, junior Ahra Ko and sophomore Jasmine Ly, and the two substitutes are freshman Jóhanna Lúðvíksdóttir and sophomore Emily Romancew.

Men’s Tennis:

The NIU men’s tennis team will compete in the Mid-American Conference Championships this weekend in Kalamazoo, Michigan, starting with a matchup against the top-seeded Western Michigan University in the semifinals round at 9 a.m. on Saturday. The MAC men’s tennis finals round will take place at noon on Sunday.

Junior Oliver Valentinsson and sophomore Mikael Vollbach have led the team in singles match performances while the duo of Valentinsson and redshirt senior Kristopher Ortega have led the team in doubles victories.

The Huskies are the fourth-seeded team in the conference and have an overall record of 11-10 and MAC record of 5-5 on the season.

Men’s golf:

The NIU men’s golf team will compete in the Robert Kepler Intercollegiate on Saturday and Sunday in Columbus, Ohio. The event is hosted by Ohio State University and will take place at the Columbus Country Club golf course.

Women’s Tennis:

The Huskie women’s tennis team will have two home matchups against two different MAC opponents this weekend. The first matchup will be against Ball State University at 1 p.m. Friday, followed by a matchup against Western Michigan University at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday.

The team has a 15-11 overall record and a 2-6 MAC record.

Senior tennis players Fernanda Naves and Christy Robinson earned recognition as the MAC doubles pair of the week this past week.

Track and Field:

The NIU track and field team will compete in the Musco Twilight competition Saturday in Iowa City, Iowa. The event is hosted by the University of Iowa.

Baseball:

The NIU baseball team will have a home series this weekend against Ball State University. Friday’s game has been postponed to Monday, so the series will begin with a doubleheader starting at  noon on Saturday followed by noon games on Sunday and Monday. NIU is currently 7-27 overall for the season and 6-12 in the Mid-American Conference.

Softball:

The NIU softball team will travel to Athens, Ohio, this weekend to take on Ohio University in a three game MAC series. Play will begin with a doubleheader starting at noon on Saturday followed by a single game at 11 a.m. Sunday. The Huskies have a 11-22 overall record and a 5-12 conference record this season so far.