Feb. 10, 2005
Great Wins
A number of our teams this year have secured tremendous wins over traditional powers. This fall, our football team beat Ohio State for the first time in 33 years. The men's soccer team continued the trend with a victory over traditional soccer power and defending (and eventual) national champion, Indiana. The women's basketball team earned a significant win by defeating powerhouse Penn State, undefeated in league play at the time. As big as these wins were, the wrestling team's win over Iowa may have been the most significant. Our wrestling team had not beaten Iowa in 37 years, and Iowa has been a dominant force in wrestling for decades. It was also one of the most exciting athletic events I've ever witnessed -- there was a large, enthusiastic crowd and our team staged a remarkable comeback to claim the victory. We were down 19-3, when all of a sudden matches started going our way. As the contest entered the last few matches, and the crowd began to realize that the team could pull off the impossible, the atmosphere in the arena became electric. Junior John Velez, wrestling in the last match and battling a shoulder injury, showed tremendous heart and courage in clinching the win. It was an ending you usually only see in the movies.
Nationally Ranked Teams
Many of our winter and spring teams are receiving national attention for their strong play this year. The following teams are nationally ranked -- women's lacrosse (third), women's tennis (fifth), women's fencing (sixth), men's swimming (14th), wrestling (17th) and women's swimming (20th). In addition, our softball team started strong last weekend, going 4-1 and narrowly losing to No. 2 Arizona. Congratulations to all of these teams for their great success and for representing Northwestern so well.
Michael Jenkins
It is not often that I feature individual student-athletes in this column. One of the great stories in our athletic department this year, though, has been the emergence of walk-on Michael Jenkins as a key contributor on the men's basketball team. In his two previous seasons, Mike had played a total of 43 minutes, mostly in mop-up time. He continued to work hard to improve his game, however, and started to get some significant playing time in games early this season. His big opportunity came when T.J. Parker came down with the stomach flu just prior to the Indiana game. He certainly made the most of this opportunity. Michael started the game, did a great job running the offense and led the team to a victory (and at 5'9", led the team in rebounding!). Since then, he has started five games and is taking on an increasingly important role on the team. The highlight of the season thus far for Michael was the Iowa game where he made a 3-pointer at the buzzer to win the game in overtime, and was carried off the court by our fans a they chanted "Mich-ael Jenk-ins, Mich-ael Jenk-ins." This is Northwestern's version of Rudy.
While recruiting is obviously very important, often I think too much attention is paid to recruits. Sometimes star recruits and high school All-Americans become busts and non-recruited players like Michael become solid players. You can time and test student athletes, but you can't measure their heart and character, both of which Michael has in abundance. Coach Bill Carmody deserves credit for staying with Michael and giving him a chance (Bill said he couldn't ignore what he was seeing in practice). Some coaches are reluctant to play walk-ons, because they think it reflects badly on their recruiting. The players know who the players are, though, and Michael has earned the respect of his teammates and other players in the Big Ten. Congratulations, Michael, on all that you've accomplished.
NCAA Certification
As I mentioned in a previous column, we are in the middle of the NCAA Certification process. A big step in the process is when the NCAA sends a peer review team of administrators from other schools to your campus. The peer review team reviews the school's self study, and meets with administrators, coaches and student-athletes. Our peer review team will visit campus next week. The NCAA Certification focuses on the school's commitment to academic integrity, equity, sportsmanship, student-athlete welfare, governance and rules compliance. Following the visit, the peer review team will issue a report regarding our athletic department.