Construction crews and maintenance workers spent the summer modifying the Huskie Baseball Diamond into the gem that head coach Joe "Spanky" McFarland desires. The field adjacent to Stevenson South Towers, which was the Huskie Softball Diamond until last...

To say that the new Huskie quarterback has big shoes to fill this fall is like saying there's a lot of corn around DeKalb. Stacey Robinson ran NIU's wishbone attack, and himself, into the NCAA record books the last two seasons. In NIU's 73-18 thrashing...

A meeting will be held Tuesday for students interested in trying out for the NIU softball team, head coach Dee Abrahamson said. Those wishing to walk-on need to be in Room 128 of the Chick Evans Field House at 9 p.m., equipped with their class schedule....

What is the secret to producing veteran-level athletes out of freshman recruits? First, make them forget they are "amateurs." Second, make sure they feel comfortable. And finally, get them out on the court as soon and as much as possible. Head volleyball...

As the fall semester kicks into high gear, many of the students at NIU are prompted to turn their attention to football. But for head baseball coach Joe "Spanky" McFarland, it's back to business as usual. McFarland, along with assistant coach Pete Tsotsos,...

The pioneers of NIU soccer have reached the final leg of their journey. Four-year veterans Karsten Roy, Marcus Roy, John Lechner, Mark Siegwald, John Kelly, Frank Sparacino and Per Ekholdt are in their final year of eligibility. "These seniors are the...

Basketball is usually associated with the winter months, packed gymnasiums and 10 participants. Not any more. One of the fastest growing trends in sports is 3-on-3 outdoor basketball played in tournaments. An estimated 150,000 people attended Chicago's...

Kevin Brown was a talented but raw shortstop in the backwoods of Georgia several years ago. The lanky young player decided to try to walk on the baseball team at Georgia Tech. That's when assistant coach Joe "Spanky" McFarland stepped in. Brown was converted...

For the last three years, Chicago has set aside a weekend to become "hoops heaven" for basketball players all across the country. The third annual Chicago Bulls three-on-three Classic was held Aug. 2-4 in Grant Park with over 14,000 participants and 2,500...

NIU football players speak of building a winning tradition at their school. They believe that it can be done by playing Top-20 teams. Their theory is that by lining up against the likes of Iowa and Florida, win or lose, exposure is built, thus helping...

It's sort of like having a sequel to the movie Jaws without the shark. When NIU and Fresno State meet on the football field Saturday in a rematch of last year's blowout, there will be some familiar faces missing who played key roles in NIU's 73-18 massacre...

A freshman's life is not easy. "Hey freshman, don't forget to bring out the balls," yelled Dusty Showers to freshman defender Derek Niepomnik. But the veterans of the NIU soccer team better treat this year's freshmen with some respect. They just might...