Marty Engel is no ordinary freshman. Engel is a mental giant, who concentrates only on the task at hand. That task yesterday was Illinois State's No. 1 player Bennie Van Zyl of South Africa, whom Engel took care of 6-2, 6-3 as NIU, now 8-13, discarded...

Joe "Spanky" McFarland is not a happy coach after his team split two doubleheaders against Valparaiso University and Chicago State University this past weekend. If you look at the Huskie's record of 8-16, you would figure a split would be adequate for...

NIU head softball coach Dee Abrahamson isn't making excuses. The NIU women's softball team (16-16) entertained Notre Dame Tuesday in doubleheader action that saw the Huskies fail to take advantage of many scoring opportunities in the first game and end...

When it comes to distributing athletics money between men and women, a recent survey reveals that NIU dispenses cash at about the national average. But that breakdown has some critics saying the numbers show that colleges aren't following the mandates...

For the past two weeks, the NIU men's tennis team has done without the expertise of its coach, Chuck Merzbacher. They will no longer have to make due without him as Merzbacher is expected back in DeKalb for today's 3 p.m. home match against Illinois State...

Last year for the NIU football team was described as a transition season. But even with a season under the Huskies' belts, the upcoming campaign might be called Transition II. Second-year head coach Charlie Sadler is installing a more pass-oriented offense...

Just one week ago, the NIU softball team was 7-14 and looking to improve many facets of its game, not to mention its record. In the past week, the Huskies have done just that by winning eight out of nine games and nine out of 10 overall—including a...

NIU's softball team finished second int he Illinois State University/Subway Classic for a second straight year. But NIU coach Dee Abrahamson preferred this year's version much more. After an 8-2 Sunday semifinal win over Creighton University, the Huskies...

In one respect, the NIU men's tennis team was 1-1-1 in its weekend trip to Indiana. The Huskies started their trek Saturday morning with a 7-1 Mid-Continent Converence victory over Valparaiso University and were on track for a second league win over the...

While it may seem like the worst of times, NIU women's tennis coach Patty Gorth hopes something good can come out of a weekend in which Miami (Ohio) University defeated the Huskies by an 8-1 margin. The 8-6 Huskies were originally slated to play Ball...

Statistically, most doubleheaders end up being split. Predictably, the NIU baseball team fell into that numbers trap two times over the weekend. The Huskies split a twin bill with Valparaiso Saturday and Chicago State Sunday. Saturday's match-up with...

Saving its best for last, the NIU women's golf team held on to third place amidst an impressive 16-school field in the Indiana University women's Invitational. The Huskies put together a 323 tally for their final 18 holes on Sunday in order to finish...