The handwriting was on the wall.
When Penn State joined the Big 10, Northern Illinois` place in the Midwest Collegiate Field Hockey Conference-which includes five Big 10 schools and NIU-was in jeopardy.
Now the sport at NIU is on the bubble.
Athletic Director Gerald O`Dell will recommend to the athletic board April 15 that field hockey be dropped. The sport has been played formally at NIU since 1970, and from Oct. 20, 1976, to Oct. 6, 1979, the Huskies had a 42- match unbeaten string.
If the sport is dropped, there`s a good possibility women`s soccer will be added.
A year ago, NIU`s softball team finished second in the Illinois State/
Subway Classic with a 1-4 record because of the tournament`s unique format. Last weekend, the Huskies finished second again, this time with a 4-1 mark. They swept Saturday`s round-robin, beating Illinois State 7-3, seventh-ranked Missouri 2-1 and Creighton 3-0. In Sunday`s semifinals, NIU (15-15) beat Creighton 8-2, then lost 5-1 to Missouri in the title game, snapping a nine-game winning streak. Kristin Vandenhouten was named the North Star
Conference pitcher of the week, going 4-0, incluing the upset victory over Missouri.
The women`s golf team finished third behind the host school and Minnesota in the 16-team Indiana Invitational. Nicole Jerey led the Huskies with a 54-hole total of 241. Freshman Shelley Wendels raised a few eyebrows with a 242 effort.
In the Huskies` first football scrimmage of the spring Saturday, Rob Rugai completed 7 of 10 passes for 58 yards and a 12-yard touchdown to Steve Rodgers for the first-team offense. Corey Frazier had a 75-yard interception return for a TD, linebacker Steve Wild was all over the field and Brian Steger kicked field goals of 33 and 40 yards. The left-footed, bare-footed placekicker is a transfer from UCLA.
