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. 

 

Bauer becomes only the third player in program history to earn CSC Academic All-American, joining Natalie Furry (2002) and Paige Briggs (2023). 

To be selected, athletes must maintain a minimum 3.50 GPA and meet athletic eligibility requirements. 

The 2025 Alyssa Cavanaugh CUSA Player of the Year was one of the top setters in the country, finishing the regular season ranked 22nd nationally and first in the conference in assists per set at 10.42. Her 1,073 total assists during that time ranked 48th nationally and second in CUSA. Bauer also helped the Hilltoppers to the third-best hitting percentage in the country (.312), fifth-best assists per set (13.63), and sixth-best kills per set rate (14.57) in the country. 

Playing in 106 of the 108 total sets this season, Bauer finished her senior year with a total of 88 kills, 1,109 assists, 25 service aces, 225 digs, and 32 blocks. The CUSA First Team All-Conference selection also posted a total of five double doubles on the season, totaling 17 in her career. Bauer was also named CUSA tournament MVP. 

In the classroom, Bauer carried a 3.88 GPA as a Business Management major. 

Student-Athletes at the University of South Carolina ended the Fall 2025 semester with a departmental grade point average (GPA) of 3.51, the second highest semester departmental GPA in program history (Spring 2020 – 3.70).

This marks the department’s 38th consecutive semester with a departmental GPA above 3.0.

The cumulative grade point average for student-athletes in each sport since they arrived at Carolina is 3.52, which stands as the highest cumulative GPA ever for Gamecock student-athletes. In addition, department named 105 student-athletes to the President’s List for earning a 4.0 GPA, 194 student-athletes to the Dean’s List (3.5 GPA) and 435 to the Athletics Director’s Honor Roll (3.0 GPA).

“In this new era of intercollegiate athletics, the commitment to being a student-athlete has not changed,” said Athletics Director Jeremiah Donati. “Our student-athletes work hard at their athletic craft and in the classroom. We appreciate their hard work and the efforts of our academic services staff for the outstanding support they provide our student-athletes. Also, we are incredibly appreciative of our Gamecock Club members whose philanthropic giving helps fund scholarships, meal and housing costs, medical expenses, and other areas of support.”

“To have 38 consecutive semesters of a 3.0 GPA is a result of the culture of excellence that has been developed by our student-athletes,” said Charlie Ball, Senior Associate AD for Academics. “The Dodie Academic Team is dedicated to the academic accomplishments of our student-athletes, which helps build a foundation for career success.”

All 18 teams earned a 3.0 GPA or higher for the semester for the second time in program history. Women’s Tennis had the highest team GPA for the fall at 3.77, followed closely by Men’s Soccer at 3.71, and Equestrian at 3.70.

A total of 26 student-athletes graduated after the Fall semester, with 262 student-athletes earning degrees during the last four semester graduation exercises (since Spring 2024).

Team – Fall 2025 Semester GPA
Baseball – 3.49*
Men’s Basketball – 3.36*
Women’s Basketball – 3.56
Beach Volleyball – 3.69
Equestrian – 3.70*
Football – 3.28
Men’s Golf – 3.54
Women’s Golf – 3.64
Men’s Soccer – 3.71
Women’s Soccer – 3.69
Softball – 3.63
Men’s Swimming and Diving – 3.70*
Women’s Swimming and Diving – 3.69
Men’s Tennis – 3.05
Women’s Tennis – 3.77
Men’s Track and Field – 3.51*
Women’s Track and Field / Cross Country – 3.30
Volleyball – 3.54

* – Highest semester GPA in sport program history

The Fall 2025 Semester continued a history of academic excellence for Gamecock athletics. A snapshot of recent successes include:

* From 2015-16, South Carolina leads all schools with 4,225 members in the Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll. South Carolina led all schools in the SEC Academic Honor Roll in seven of the last 10 years and in top 3 in the remaining three years.

* Ten Gamecocks earned College Sports Communicators Academic All-America honors in 2024-25, the most ever for USC in the history of the Academic All-America program (previous high: 7 – 2013-14 & 2008-09). A total of 53 Gamecocks earned CSC Academic All-District honors in 2024-25.

* Two Gamecocks earned conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors in their respective sports. Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk was the SEC Men’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Louise Rydqvist earned the SEC Women’s Golf Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors.

* All University of South Carolina’s countable intercollegiate sports posted a multiyear score of 950 or better, according to the Academic Progress Rate (APR) statistics for the 2023-24 academic year. Carolina had 13 sports reach a perfect single-year score (1000) for the 2023-24 academic year, the second highest total ever by Gamecock Athletics, only behind 14 sports total in 2015-16. Sixteen of the 18 sports maintained or improved on their previous year APR scores. Eleven of the 18 measured sports surpassed the national multi-year average while volleyball registered a perfect single-year score for the 11th-straight year. Beach Volleyball continues its streak of perfect APR scoring since the NCAA started collecting data for the sport.

* USC athletic programs tied for third in the Southeastern Conference in the latest Graduation Success Rates (GSR), which measures the number of scholarship student-athletes that graduate within a six-year period of their initial full-time enrollment. For the report, the GSR is based on student-athletes who entered college in the fall of 2017. South Carolina’s athletic teams had a 94 percent score, which tied with Auburn University and the University of Mississippi in the SEC behind Vanderbilt (96) and Alabama (96). South Carolina’s Football GSR score (95) ranked second among SEC schools and South Carolina schools. It tied for ninth among all Power 4 schools.

Men’s Volleyball | 1/13/2026 1:02:00 PM

Brady Stump, a member of the Saint Francis men’s volleyball team, has been named the NEC Player of the Week.

Stump showed exactly why he deserved Player of the Week honors, even in a pair of tough losses to No. 8 BYU. He was an offensive threat, totaling 17 kills on the weekend and delivering a 12 kill performance against one of the nation’s top programs. Stump also made his impact felt from the service line with five aces and contributed defensively with four digs. 

Saint Francis returns to action with two games in Kentucky on Friday and Saturday. Game time is 7 p.m. and 4 p.m.