Valpo volleyball senior libero Emma Hickey (Granger, Ind./Penn) was recognized Tuesday for her stellar work both on the court and in the classroom over the course of her four-year career, as she was named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-America Second Team.
 
The MVC Libero of the Year and an AVCA Honorable Mention All-Region selection this season, Hickey ranked 11^th nationally and second in the MVC in 2025 with 5.06 digs/set, capping a collegiate career where she ranked among the top-15 nationally in each of her four seasons. She was a five-time MVC Defensive Player of the Week selection, giving her nine weekly honors for her career — tied for third-most in MVC history.
 
Hickey closed her career with 2,665 digs, 17^th-most in NCAA D-I history. She closed the 2025 campaign as the active career leader in digs across all divisions and owned over 600 more digs than the next-highest D-I athlete.
 
In the classroom, Hickey owned a 3.936 GPA (as of the time of voting) as a civil engineering major. She was the 2025 MVC Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year and a three-time member of the MVC Scholar-Athlete Teams. Hickey has earned the MVC Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Award, been named to the MVC Honor Roll and received Valpo Presidential Academic Honors. She is also a member of Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society.
 
Hickey is the fourth different Valpo volleyball player to earn Academic All-America honors, combining for five such accolades, and is the first since Rylee Cookerly was named to the Academic All-America First Team in the fall of 2021. Valpo Athletics now boasts a total of 42 Academic All-Americans, 30 of which have come in the last 22 years — with at least one such honoree in 19 of those 22 years.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Ole Miss track & field throwers Akaoma Odeluga and Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan have swept the SEC Field Athlete of the Week awards, the conference office announced on Tuesday afternoon.
 
Odeluga set the SEC lead in both the women’s shot put and weight throw after her winning performances last week at Kentucky’s Rod McCravy Memorial to open the 2026 indoor season. Odeluga took the weight throw crown on a massive five-foot PR of 22.95m/75-03.50, which ranks second nationally and fifth on Ole Miss’ stacked women’s weight throw all-time list. In the shot put, Odeluga had her best open ever at her winning toss of 17.92m/58-09.50, which also ranks second nationally and leads the SEC by nearly three feet.
 
Robinson-O’Hagan, three-time NCAA Champion and watch list member for The Bowerman, also took the SEC lead in men’s edition of both the shot put and weight throw. He won the shot at an NCAA-leading 20.76m/68-01.50, the best mark this early into the collegiate season (Jan. 10) in available records (since at least 2008). In the weight, Robinson-O’Hagan was the top collegiate finisher at 23.78m/78-00.25, which ranks third nationally.
 

Ole Miss track & field heads to Nashville this week for the Vanderbilt Invitational, which is set to run Jan. 16-17.
 

ACADEMIC ALL AMERICA TEAMS

MOREHEAD, Ky. —

It was a storybook season for volleyball senior M.E. Hargan with a plethora of accolades on and off the court, and she’s added yet another to her trophy case. Hargan earned a spot on the prestigious Division I Academic All-America team, as selected by the College Sports Communicators. Hargan is a third-team honoree.

Only 21 student-athletes among the thousands in DI earned Academic All-America, and she is the lone representative from the Ohio Valley Conference.

“I am super honored and grateful to be recognized at this high level for all the hard work I’ve been putting in the last couple of years,” she said. 

She is the seventh all-time Eagle volleyball student-athlete to be an Academic All-American and the first since Olivia Lohmeier in 2021. Others include Emma Keough (2011), Holly Evans (2010), Missy Blanford (1988), Kristen Pedersen (1982) and Tessa Fraki (1982).

Hargan was first named academic all-district and earned that honor for the third consecutive season. She also earned the highest individual scholastic award in the league, the OVC Scholar Athlete.

Hargan, from Elizabethtown, Ky., wrapped up her indoor collegiate career in November as the 2025 Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Year and was named Honorable Mention AVCA All-South Region. She has a 3.88 lifetime grade point average in veterinary science.

She led the Ohio Valley Conference with 493 kills this season (27th nationally), averaging 4.61 kills per set and ranking 15^th in the country in NCAA Division I. Her 569 points (5.32 points per set average) ranked 21st in the nation overall and 11th in per set.

One of Morehead State’s most prolific hitters, Hargan finished her career with 1,488 kills – ranking third in program history for the modern era (2008-present when rally scoring changed to 25-point sets). Her 493 kills this season were the third-highest total in the modern era in the Eagle record book. Hargan finished with three seasons in the top 10 in program history for kills.

 

Her 2,575 total attacks’ tally is the second-highest in the program’s modern era. She also finished with 956 career digs, ranking ninth in the records. Her 98 career service aces and 36 career block solos both rank 10^th in the program, as does her 439 career sets played.

HOUGHTON, Mich. – Michigan Tech volleyball has added Keeley Nellis to its roster for the upcoming 2026 season. Nellis is transferring to Tech from NCAA Division I Lamar University, where she was a member of the volleyball team for the past two seasons. The native of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, will have two years of eligibility remaining as a defensive specialist.

“We are very excited to add Keeley to our roster,” Tech volleyball coach Cindy Pindral said. “She adds a ton of experience playing at the D1 level and is a perfect fit for Michigan Tech, as she is pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering. She has excellent touch and is very competitive. Keeley adds a lot of depth to our defensive specialist group.”

Nellis appeared in 57 matches and 192 sets over the past two seasons for the Cardinals and totaled 579 digs, averaging 3.02 per set. As a freshman in 2024, she led the team with 421 digs and ranked second with 33 aces. She ranked fourth in the Southland Conference in digs (4.30/set) and seventh in aces (0.34/set) and was ranked seventh nationally amongst freshmen in digs. Nellis recorded 20 double-digit dig matches, including a career-high 24 against Nicholls (Nov. 7, 2024). She had nine aces against Nicholls on Sept. 6, 2024. Nellis had 158 digs in 2025, appearing in 28 matches and 93 sets. She was named to the Bluff City Showdown All-Tournament Team in 2024.

Nellis played high school at Oceanside Collegiate Academy, helping guide her team to back-to-back state titles (2021 and 2022) as one of the top defensive players in the Palmetto State. She received All-Palmetto Region honors in 2022 and followed that up with all-region recognition again in 2023. An Academic Honorable Mention All-America, Nellis was a defensive captain as a senior. She competed for Carolina Rogue Volleyball Club.

 

DEKALB, Ill. – Six NIU Athletics teams will be in action this week, including home dates for men’s basketball, wrestling and women’s tennis, who will host both Missouri and Wisconsin this weekend at the Nelson Tennis Center at Chick Evans Field House. Women’s basketball, gymnastics and track and field will also be in action on the road this week. 

Men’s Basketball

Tuesday, Jan. 13: at Eastern Michigan, 5:30 p.m. – ESPN+ | Live Stats | Live Audio

Saturday, Jan. 17: vs. UMass, 2 p.m. – ESPN+ | Live Audio | Live Stats | Buy Tickets

Following a weekend off, the NIU men’s basketball team returns to action with a pair of games this week. The Huskies travel to Eastern Michigan on Tuesday before hosting UMass on Saturday. Dylan Ducommon has scored in double figures in seven-straight games and is averaging 15.3 points per game during that stretch. In league play, Ducommun is averaging a team-high 16.8 points per game, tied for 10th-best in the Mid-American Conference.

Eastern Michigan brings an 8-9 overall record into Tuesday’s contest, including a 2-3 mark in league play after falling to Western Michigan, 79-62, in Kalamazoo (Jan. 10) last time out. UMass comes into the week with a 10-7 record, 1-4 in league play.

Women’s Basketball

Wednesday, Jan. 14: at Toledo, 6 p.m. – ESPN+ | Live Stats | Live Audio

Saturday, Jan. 17: at Ohio, 12 p.m. – ESPN+ | Live Stats | Live Audio

The NIU women’s basketball team plays a pair of road games this week. The Huskies head to Toledo on Wednesday to face the Rockets at 6 p.m. The two teams split last season’s two games with the road team winning each. NIU halted Toledo’s 20-game home court winning streak on Jan. 1, 2025 with a 59-58 win at Savage Arena. On Saturday NIU takes on Ohio the Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio at 12 p.m. The Huskies are coming off a 65-48 loss to Bowling Green on Saturday. Senior forward Teresa Mbemba led the Huskies with 15 points off the bench. Mbemba is averaging 10.5 points per game in conference play and shooting 63.0 percent from the field. 

Gymnastics

Saturday, Jan. 17: at Eastern Michigan, 3 p.m. 

NIU gymnastics heads to Ypsilanti, Mich. this weekend for a tri-meet against Eastern Michigan and SUNY Brockport in the Golden Girls Classic on Saturday. 

The Huskies fell at Kent State in their season opener on Sunday, 195.350-191.675. Freshman Avery Riiff tied for first place on beam with a 9.800 in her first-ever collegiate competition. Sophomore Drake White competed as an all-arounder, scoring a career-best 38.000. 

Eastern Michigan (1-0) is coming off a 192.925-191.900 over Bowling Green while Brockport (1-2) enters the tri-meet following a 191.200-187.600 win over Ithaca College. 

Wrestling

Friday, Jan. 16: vs. Central Michigan, 7 p.m. – ESPN+ | Live Scoring

Returning to DeKalb, the Northern Illinois University wrestling program is set to host the Central Michigan University Chippewas in a MAC dual on Friday, January 16. Action will take place at 7 p.m. inside Victor E. Court. The Huskies and Chippewas will have their second meeting in a week as they met at the 2026 NWCA National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa on January 9. The Huskies pulled out a 20-14 win in that dual as they would take fourth at the competition.

 

At the NWCA National Duals, the Huskies posted wins over Harvard (22-20), Central Michigan, and Campbell (53-0). The Huskies competed against then-No. 8 South Dakota State (26-10) and Drexel (21-12) over the two-day competition. Markel Baker went 5-0 on the weekend, including a win over No. 33 Andrew Austin of Central Michigan. Devon Dawson (Brooklyn Park, Minn./Goddard) went 4-0 on the weekend and had a pair of ranked wins.

Women’s Tennis

Friday, Jan. 16: vs. Wisconsin, 2 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 17: vs. Missouri, 9 a.m. 

Saturday, Jan. 17: vs. Chicago State, 6 p.m. 

The dual season is underway this weekend for NIU women’s tennis as the Huskies host Wisconsin, Missouri and Chicago State at the Nelson Tennis Center at Chick Evans Field House. NIU takes on the Badgers on Friday at 2 p.m. and will have a doubleheader on Saturday, beginning with Missouri at 9 a.m. and Chicago State at 6 p.m.

NIU competed in the Northwestern Invitational in Evanston, Ill. this past weekend against both DePaul and Northwestern. The Huskies recorded seven doubles victories and two singles wins over the three-day invite. 

Wisconsin finished the 2025 regular season ranked No. 23 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament while Missouri was also nationally ranked last season.

Track and Field

Friday, Jan. 16: at Bill Bergan Open (Ames, Iowa)

The NIU track and field team returns to action for the first time in 2026 this Friday, Jan. 16, when the Huskies compete at Iowa State’s Bill Bergan Open. Field events are scheduled to begin at 11:20 a.m. while events on track are scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Arianna Calloway is the defending champion in the high jump at the Bill Bergan Open. 

NIU competed once in December before breaking for the Holidays as the Huskies attended Notre Dame’s Blue & Gold Invitational. Stella Oyebode won the 60 meters, Emma Curry won the 800 meters and Precious Umukoro won the triple jump at Notre Dame.