The Rotary Student of the Month for May (and the final Student of the Month for the 2023-2024 school year) is Caroline Harbecke. In addition to achieving high academic honors, Caroline has been involved with tennis (both singles and doubles) and other activities. She plans to attend the University of Iowa in the fall.
Christina Sutcliffe is in her 12th season as NIU's Head Softball Coach. Her teams have excelled both athletically and academically.
This week's speaker was Christina Sutcliffe, Head Softball Coach at NIU. Christina is in her 12th season at NIU. Her assistant coaches are Alaynie Woollard and Hannah Clark.
The 2024 team's roster is primarily represented by talent from the Great Lakes region, with players hailing from Illinois (14), Indiana (4), Ohio (2), Wisconsin (2), California (2), Florida (2), Iowa, and Arizona. The team leads the MAC in Stolen Bases and is Top 10 in the country for Stolen Bases Per Game. Infielder Caitlyn Shumaker (Senior, Ohio) has broken NIU's career stolen base record, while Catcher and Outfielder Ellis Erickson (Senior, Florida) has one of the longest hitting streaks in the country.
The NIU softball facilities have recently been upgraded with pole and fence removal to enhance fan viewing, backstop padding, graphic-wrapped outfield fences and padding on the top rails, refreshed visitor bullpen, refreshed hitting cage, reroofed dugouts, and an expanded bullpen for the home team. A capital campaign project is currently underway to raise funds for improved and enlarged dugouts.
During her tenure, Coach Sutcliffe's teams (and individual players) have accumulated many athletic honors, including:
13 MAC Pitchers of the Week
22 MAC Players of the Week
19 First Team All MAC
12 Second Team All MAC
3 MAC Freshman of the Year
3 All Great Lakes Region 1st team, 6 2nd Team, 5 3rd Team
5 MAC Nan Harvey Winners
1 NFCA All American 3rd Team
1 NFCA Top 25 Freshman of the year (1st in MAC history)
Broken 26 NIU records
In the meantime, Christina and her assistant coaches have kept a strong focus on academic success as well. In the past decade, NIU Softball has also had:
132 MAC Academic Honor Roll Players
62 MAC Commissioner’s Awards
21 MAC President’s Awards
18 MAC Distinguished Scholar Athletes
122 NFCA All-America Scholar Athletes
77 Academic All MAC
11 CoSIDA Academic All District 1st Team, 1 2nd Team
2 CoSIDA Academic All American 1st Team (first since 1988), 2 3rd Team
Team was 4th in the country in SB GPA in 2022-2023
The NIU Softball team is also very active in community service, with each player completing at least 20 hours per year. One of their favorite causes is Cal's Angels, a St. Charles-based 501(c)(3) pediatric cancer foundation with a mission of granting wishes, raising awareness, and funding research to help kids fighting cancer. Christina is always seeking additional opportunities for her team to serve the DeKalb and Sycamore community.
Christina Sutcliffe has set a high bar for her team with the following mission and vision:
Mission
United as one, we are competitive and resilient on and off the field. We hold each other accountable to exceed our standards and achieve excellence. As a pack, we proudly represent our school and our community.
Vision
Forward together, we buy into the hard work and mental toughness it takes to become champions. By outworking everyone and executing our goals, we will become the powerhouse of the MAC.
You can still catch one (or all) of the team's three remaining home games this weekend:
Saturday, May 4, 11:00 AM, vs. Miami University (OH), Mary M. Bell Field
Saturday, May 4, 1:00 PM, vs. Miami University (OH), Mary M. Bell Field
Sunday, May 6, 12:00 PM, vs. Miami University (OH), Mary M. Bell Field
April 28, 1789 – Three weeks into a journey from Tahiti to the West Indies, the HMS Bounty is seized in a mutiny led by Fletcher Christian. Captain William Bligh and 18 loyal supporters were set adrift in a small boat. Christian and other mutineers eventually establish a settlement on Pitcairn Island. Bligh survived and resumed his shipping trade.
April 29, 2004 – President George W. Bush dedicates the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.D. It consists of 56 pillars, representing U. S. states and territories, and a pair of small triumphal arches for the Atlantic and Pacific theaters of the war and sits on the National Mall between the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument.
May 1, 1960 – American U-2 spy plane pilot Francis Gary Powers was shot down over central Russia.
May 2, 2011 – Osama bin Laden, the suspected mastermind behind the September 11 terrorist attacks and the FBI’s most wanted man is killed by US special forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
Birthdays & Club Anniversaries
Member Birthdays
Becky Springer
October 3
Paul Stromborg
October 3
Joyce Klein
October 21
Matt Nelson
October 22
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS, 2024-2025
President – Steve Wilder
President Elect – Jonelle Bailey
Director (President Nominee) – Becky Springer
Director (President Designee) - Matt Nelson
Past President – Brandon Diviak
Treasurer – Dr. Michele Jurkovic
Secretary – Pat Shafer
Sergeant at Arms – Paulette Renault
Monthly Committees
July: Board of Directors
August: Brandon Diviak, Jeff Keicher, Pat Shafer
September: Dave Hamilton, Jeff Jacobson, Jim Stoddard
October: Paul Callighan, Matt Nelson, Paul Stromborg
November: Sue Emberson, Jeff Frank, Phil Meyer
December: Larry Berke, Ray Dembinski, Riley Oncken
Fellowship: Paulette Renault, Larry Berke, Sue Emberson, Dave Hamilton, Pat Shafer
Foundations:Paul Stromborg, Jim Buck, Sue Emberson, Matt Nelson, Jim Stoddard
Membership: Jonelle Bailey, Ray Dembinski, Brandon Diviak, Bob Hammon, Jeff Jacobson, Steve Kuhn, Phil Meyer, Matt Nelson, Riley Oncken, Jeff Petersen, Bob Wildendradt
New Generations: Chip Houdek, Julie Sgarlata, Becky Springer, Steve Wilder
Public Image: Bob Brown, Paul Callighan, Jeff Keicher, Joyce Klein, Tasha Sims
Scholarships:Tim Neubert, Don Clayberg, Ray Dembinski, Michele Jurkovic, Steve Kuhn, Julie Sgarlata
Service: Brandon Diviak, Alicia Cosky, Jeff Frank, Michele Jurkovic, Rob Mondi, Tim Neubert, Brendan Wilson
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