Sports News

National Champions

Only two NCAA schools had a national champion in both men’s and women’s wrestling. One of those schools was @northcentralcol. #FearTheBird -Tweet from Coach Joe Norton

Two national champions have elevated the Cardinal wrestling program to new heights for 2021. Yelena Makoyed ’23, wrestling at 170 pounds, finished the season at a perfect 13-0. She becomes the first female wrestler to earn a national championship trophy for North Central’s program. On the men’s team, Cody Baldridge ’22 (197 pounds) entered the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Championships with more than 75 career wins as a Cardinal and as a three-time national qualifier. A native of Morris, Ill., Baldridge finished the current season with a record of 11-2 and became North Central’s first national champion for men's wrestling since Athletic Hall of Famer Ed Jackson ’69 won the NAIA 130-pound title in 1969. “Yelena and Cody did a phenomenal job at nationals,” said head coach Joe Norton ’10/M ’13. “They not only won titles, but they dominated. They were both very cool under pressure and prepared to win. Both are extremely dedicated to the sport and work as hard as any student-athletes I’ve ever coached.” early, to run a little faster, to take the stairs every day, and ultimately do things I don't want to do, but probably should do to succeed,” Makoyed said. “Trying to be good at a sport, academics and maintaining a job all at once is very challenging but it will mentally prepare me for challenges up ahead. I feel like I can do anything if I set my mind to it. Hard work brings confidence.” The women's wrestling team earned sixth place with six All-Americans at the 2021 National Cliff Keen Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championships (NCWWC). The men’s team placed fifth and had seven All-Americans at the 2021 National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Championships.

Athletic department finding new ways to tackle tough topics

A new tool to foster a more diverse, equitable and inclusive atmosphere is helping athletic department coaches, staff and administrators embrace antiracism and allyship training.

The department is participating in the 21-Day Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Challenge developed by the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR). Sue DeNigris ’02 Kane, associate athletic director, first implemented the Challenge with an initial cohort of 10 staff members in November. Kane is also co-leader of North Central's Athletics Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council.

“The Challenge started out as a voluntary opportunity to supplement the athletic department's anti-racism and allyship efforts,” Kane said. “The response was so great that we decided to roll it out to the entire department.” The 21-Day Challenge covers different themes with accompanying resources and discussion questions. Participants begin by talking and reading about history through the lens of race. These discussions are followed by topics like microaggressions, whiteness, implicit bias, and media and competitions. The final section focuses on allyship and action steps.

Each section includes resources and discussion questions that staff members can read and engage with at their own pace during the Challenge. This has allowed for deep conversation and provided a wealth of information that coaches and supervisors can take back to their respective teams.

Participants say that the Challenge facilitates meaningful discussion and they feel more empowered to engage in difficult conversations. Head women's basketball coach Maggie McCloskey-Bax said, “This programming is very beneficial; I plan to take what I learned here to educate others and continue to educate myself.” McCloskey-Bax has shared some of the content with her team to enable her student-athletes to become leaders on campus around these issues.

Assistant baseball coach Joe Heller ’09/M ’11 said he appreciated the opportunity to examine societal issues from varying perspectives and sees the Challenge as a valuable tool to become more educated about those issues.

“(It) allows you to come out of your comfort zone and learn more about other people's situations, perspectives and way of life,” he said.

For more information visit www.northcentralcardinals.com/dei.

New softball coach brings extensive resume

Venus Taylor was named the seventh head coach in the history of the North Central College softball program after two seasons at NCAA Division I Charleston Southern University. She led the Buccaneers to a Big South Conference Tournament appearance in 2019.

Prior to Charleston Southern, Taylor led Judson University to the NCCAA World Series in three consecutive seasons—2016, 2017 and 2018—while earning Regional Coach of the Year honors in each of her four years there.

Adding to her coaching résumé spanning all collegiate divisions, Taylor served as head coach at Bradley University from 2003 to 2005 and led Lake City Community College to a NJCAA National Championship in 2001. Taylor played collegiately at Western Illinois University (WIU) where she earned Mid-Continent Conference (now The Summit League) Player of the Year in 1997 and was elected into the WIU Hall of Fame in 2009.

Taylor was a three-time all-star (19971999) and two-time world champion (1999, 2004) during her nine-year professional softball career, which included a stint with the Chicago Bandits.

Sports Day celebration goes virtual

The 35th annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day (NGWSD) was adapted to a virtual format for 2021, but that didn’t change the passion among female athletes for recognizing the day’s importance. The panel featured former student-athletes (from left) Jackie Errico’11/M’13, who launched her business Jackie Errico Fitness in 2019; Megan Allen’90 Gossett, senior manager of digital strategy and solutions for Epsilon; panel host Dakotah Poitra M ’22, athletics graduate assistant; and Sue DeNigris ‘02 Kane, assistant athletic director.