Monday, May 3, 2004
Surprise, surprise: A look at some unexpected success
Article by:
Ian Waddick - Assistant Sports Editor
• iwaddick@northernstar.info
From the success of the football team to the futility of the men’s
basketball squad, NIU sports saw their share of surprises during the
2003-’04 school year.
The remaining 14 NIU sports were no different, as there were many individuals
who emerged to do some surprising of their own.
The following is a list of the top 10 surprising athletes of the year.
Elizabeth Berquist
Track and field
The freshman set the NIU high jump record in the first meet of her career.
Tony Deldin
Men’s soccer
He scored three goals and finished with a team-high eight points as
a sophomore.
Elaine Eliadis
Women’s soccer
The freshman scored two goals and finished tied for second in team points
with six.
Anthony Gallagher
Football
After he stepped in as an unknown, the senior averaged 40 yards per
punt and pinned 23 balls inside the 20-yard line.
James Hughes
Men’s basketball
The redshirt freshman finished with a .606 field-goal percentage and
averaged about five points per game. He started almost half (14) of
his team’s 30 games.
Jack Komar
Men’s tennis
Komar, a freshman, excelled in singles play, finishing with 24 wins,
which was good enough for second on the team.
Rob Lee
Football
Lee, who stepped in for the departed All-MAC selection Vince Thompson,
finished ninth on the team with 38 solo tackles.
Kate McCullagh
Volleyball
The Woodstock native finished third on the team with 93 blocks and was
named to the all-freshman team.
Mike McKinney
Men’s basketball
The freshman defensive stopper routinely was put on the opposing team’s
best perimeter player. He finished with the third-most assists and fourth-most
rebounds despite playing the sixth-most minutes on the team.
Stephanie Raymond
Women’s basketball
The point guard, who started 16 games, averaged 8.9 points per game
and was named to the freshman All-MAC Team.
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