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Thursday, April 30, 2015
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Sports
Sports’ end of year rankings
Top 5 stories: No. 2
Football crushed at Homecoming NIU loses home, MAC regular season winning streaks in 34-17 defeat
Top 5 stories
No. 5: Gymnastics sets school scoring record against Eastern Michigan No. 4: Track and field posts historic finish at MAC Indoor Championships No. 3: Sean Frazier unveils Facilities Master Plan No. 2: Football loses Homecoming game, win streaks against Central Michigan No. 1: May 4
Frank Gogola Sports Editor T @FrankGogola
DeKalb | Football’s latest home loss was more than just an average loss, which is why it comes in at No. 2 in Sports’ countdown of the top five stories. The Huskies’ 34-17 loss to the Central Michigan Chippewas on Oct. 11 at Huskie Stadium came in NIU’s 108th Homecoming Game. The loss put the Huskies in a situation where they had to win their final six regular season games to make the MAC Championship game, which they did. Additionally, the loss ended the Huskies’ 28game winning streak Rod Carey at Huskie Stadium and Head coach their 24-game MAC regular season winning streak. Prior to the 3417 loss, NIU’s last home loss came on Sept. 27, 2009, against the Idaho Vandals, and its last loss at home to a MAC team came on Nov. 12, 2008, against Central Michigan. “I’m not disappointed about the streaks.
know, they worked hard. We just need to work harder.” Central Michigan tailback Thomas Rawls carried the ball 40 times for 270 yards and two touchdowns in the upset. Rawls became the first player since the 2009 season to rush for 200-plus yards against the Huskies; South Florida’s Mike Ford rushed for 207 yards against NIU in the 2010 International Bowl on Jan. 3, 2010. “Only thing I do is show up and try to have a tremendous … week of practice Nick Smith | Northern Star File Photo Aregeros Turner, then-sophomore wide receiver, is tripped up by a Central Michigan defender in the and have a huge impact in the game; that’s Oct. 11 game at Huskie Stadium. The 34-17 loss to Central Michigan ended the Huskies’ 28-game just my role,” Rawls said, according to the winning streak at Huskie Stadium and 24-game MAC regular season winning streak. Northern Star. “I’m just out there, and I’m That’s stuff you guys put on paper,” said we lost the game, and at Homecoming … tough, and this offensive line is tough, and head coach Rod Carey, according to an Oct. so I’m disappointed for that. And basically, our receivers are tough. And [we’re] just 13 Northern Star article. “I’m disappointed I’m just disappointed for these guys. You out there playing football, CMU football.”
Top 10 athletes: No. 3
Corral all-around star for women’s basketball Frank Gogola Sports Editor T @FrankGogola Dilip Kumar Sripuram | Northern Star File Photo
Kayti Grable, softball sophomore first baseman, bats in a game against North Dakota State on March 19 at Mary M. Bell Field. Grable has powered the Huskies with 11 home runs, a 4.12 batting average and a .512 on-base percentage.
Top 10 athletes: No. 4
Grable gives surge to softball’s offense Chris Loggins Staff Writer T @NSSportsLoggins
DeKalb | Softball sophomore first
baseman Kayti Grable blasts her way to No. 4 on Sports’ list of top 10 athletes. After winning MAC Freshman of the Year last season, Grable has hit for an average of .412 with an on-base percentage of .512 and a .733 slugging percentage. She’s compiled 54 hits, 11 home runs, 39 RBIs and 27 walks. Grable recently tied the Huskies’ single season record of 11 home runs, a record she’s on pace to break with four regular season games and the MAC Tournament remaining. Grable is on track to break into second place on NIU’s single-season RBI list, the top three for slugging percentage record, the top four on
Top 10 athletes
No. 10: Isaac Kannah No. 9: Da’Ron Brown No. 8: Amanda Stepp No. 7: Drew Hare No. 6: Shawn Scott No. 5: Mackenzie Roddy No. 4: Kayti Grable No. 3: Amanda Corral No. 2: May 4 No. 1: May 4 the on-base percentage list and the top five for batting average record. “It’s tough,” Grable said of her recent success, according to an April 23 Northern Star article. “You just have to keep working hard and keep improving. That’s what I think my main goal was: to keep getting better and keep staying consistent.”
DeKalb | Amanda Corral, women’s basketball senior guard, shoots her way up the list to No. 3 on Sports’ countdown of the top 10 athletes. Corral, who was named to the All-MAC First Team, led the Huskies and ranked fourth in the MAC with 16.2 points per game. Her 3-point field goal percentage of .419 led the conference. She chipped in 4.6 rebounds and
2.5 assists per game and was a two-time MAC West Player of the Week honoree this season. Corral missed the first three games of the season as she had surgery on her left hand. She was forced to wear a small makeshift cast on her left hand for a good portion of the season. “From a scoring standpoint, from a defensive standpoint she’s our go-to, and she’s our stopper, and I think it’s pretty hard to win games without her,” said
head coach Kathi Bennett, according to a Jan. 12 Northern Star article. “She’s Amanda Corral made a huge Shooting guard difference.” Getting it done off the floor as well, Corral was named to the Academic All-MAC Team and the Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team. She has a 4.0 GPA in pre-physical therapy.
Top 5 newcomers: No. 2
Soccer’s Annala shines on big stage Steve Shonder Staff Writer T @NSSportsShonder
DeKalb | Amy Annala, women’s
soccer’s freshman goalkeeper, comes in at No. 2 in Sports’ top five newcomers after helping the Huskies make their first semifinals appearance since 2007. The MAC All-Freshman Team and MAC All-Tournament Team honoree helped to lock down a strong defense for women’s soccer, and she had a tendency for coming through in big moments. Annala made six saves in regulation before making another two
in the shootout, which ended up sending the Huskies to the MAC TournaAmy Annala ment semi- Goalkeeper finals against the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks. “I think she’s adjusted incredibly well,” said volunteer assistant coach Angela Righeimer, according to an Oct. 6 Northern Star article. “I can remember my freshman year being a goalkeeper, and it’s very hard to come in as a freshman and take on that role. And she’s
Top 5 newcomers No. 5: Anthony Johnson No. 4: Lauren Gierman No. 3: Kelly Smith No. 2: Amy Annala No. 1: May 4 taken it on so well. It is a physical game and … she doesn’t play like a freshman. She plays like a Div. I college goalkeeper. She’s good.” Ananala finished the season tied for second in the MAC with 115 saves and was third in saves per game with 5.48.