Hello Huskies!

I hope 2024 is off to a great start for you. After a hectic and travel-filled last month dating all the way back to the trip to Montgomery for the Camellia Bowl, it feels good to be back in DeKalb, especially now that all of our student-athletes are back on campus.

The second week of classes is underway, our winter sports are in full swing, and the “spring” teams are either getting started – like men’s and women’s tennis – or preparing for their season openers in February.

NIU student-athletes are coming off a record-setting fall semester in the classroom with a cumulative grade point average of 3.384, the highest in department history, with 15 teams earning a GPA above 3.0 for the fall term. The NIU women’s basketball team recorded the highest GPA among all Huskie teams with a 3.880 while baseball had the top GPA among NIU men’s teams with a 3.643 mark.  Congratulations also to the 74 student-athletes who earned a perfect 4.0 GPA in the fall.

Of course, the NIU football team put a bow on 2023 with a thrilling 21-19 Camellia Bowl win over Arkansas State. The Huskies finished the season on a three-game winning streak. Coach Hammock and his staff have been busy over the break, welcoming seven transfers and three of NIU’s December signees to campus for the spring semester. Check out the spring roster and look for news on NIU’s future Mid-American Conference opponents soon with the MAC eliminating divisions beginning with the 2024 season.

More football news is headed to all season ticket and Huskie Athletic Fund members soon as the 2024 Huskie Athletic Fund Membership Guide is in production now.  With the Huskies set to visit Notre Dame for the first time in school history on September 7th, the opportunity to purchase tickets will be given to those who are Huskie Athletic Fund members and season ticket holders based on priority points. Look for detailed information on priority for Notre Dame tickets and experiences, the elimination of the season parking pass charges, key dates and more in the HAF membership guide and online at NIUHuskies.com and HuskieAthleticFund.com.

Winter has certainly made its presence felt this January and thankfully, we have the warm confines of the NIU Convocation Center to enjoy Huskie men’s and women’s basketball, wrestling and gymnastics at this time of year. If you haven’t been out to a basketball game, check it out as the staff has done a great job enhancing the game day atmosphere with multiple promotions and contests at every timeout, fun fan interactions like the game ball delivery through the stands, parachute drop, tees for threes, the flex cam, drum cam and more. Ticket deals like the Saturday 2024 PACK make it even more affordable.

Mark your calendars and join us on Wednesday, February 7 as we are celebrating National Girls & Women in Sports Day in a big way this year with two FREE events prior beginning at 5 p.m. prior to the NIU-Ball State women’s basketball game. There will be a Girls Sports Clinic in Victor E. Court for girls ages 6-12 where they will play and interact with NIU female student-athletes. Meanwhile in the South Lobby of the Convocation Center, we will hold a panel discussion on women in sports featuring former NIU athletic director Cary Groth, former Huskie and current ESPN SportsCenter anchor Nicole Briscoe and triple Huskie Dr. Tonya Davis. Registration is open for both events, with all attendees receiving free admission to the women’s basketball game that night. All girls in attendance at the clinic will receive a free T-shirt featuring the female version of the popular “Fighting Huskie” retro logo!

As soon as I wrote “Fighting Huskie” I knew I would have your attention. Up to this point, we have limited use of that popular retro logo to our team gear.  We have heard from our fans, and we know – you want the Fighting Huskie, plus other gear currently worn by NIU coaches and student-athletes. We will be launching a fan store located in the Convocation Center and eventually satellite locations throughout the athletics footprint. We are excited to be able to bring this to our fans and supporters as we find new opportunities to increase engagement and revenue!

As you know (hopefully), athletic competitions like the Beauty & the Beast Gymnastics & Wrestling Meet on Feb. 9 and the “Cram the Convo” Basketball doubleheader on February 24, are not the only activities held in NIU facilities. Friday night, the annual FNBO Challenge between the DeKalb and Sycamore girls and boys basketball teams will take place at the Convo, with IHSA Supersectionals and IESA Wrestling coming in March. Then on Saturday, February 17, NIU will host the first “Polar Plunge” at Huskie Stadium, benefitting Special Olympics.

Over at the NIU Recreation Center, the locker renovation project is nearing completion, painting is ongoing as the interior and exterior “refresh” continues. That includes new equipment like the two new stair steppers and new signage facing Annie Glidden Road.

From activity at the Convocation and Recreation centers to events like the Clinic and Panel Discussion for National Girls & Women in Sports Day, to providing more avenues to get Huskie apparel, we continue to build on our department’s – and NIU’s – connections to the campus, to the community and to our fans and alumni.

Go Huskies!

Sean T. Frazier

Vice President and Director of Athletics and Recreation