Northwestern University Athletics
1997-98 End-of-Year Recap
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | General
June 8, 1998
EVANSTON, Ill. - The 1997-98 athletic season for Northwestern University saw 15 Wildcat athletes earn All-America honors. First-team accolades were awarded to Courtney Allen (women's swimming), Amy Balcerzak (women's swimming), Allyson Bowman (women's swimming), Mark Bybee (wrestling), Dominique Diezi (women's swimming), Kelly Igoe (women's swimming), Cathy Lundin (women's swimming), Ashley Mosher (women's swimming), Sam Neider (wrestling) and Scott Schatzman (wrestling). Women's fencer Michelle Schaffner earned second-team honors while men's golfer Luke Donald was named third-team All-America. Honorable mention status was awarded to Kristina Divjak (women's basketball) and Joy Stover (women's swimming), while Jeremy Kurella (baseball) earned a place on the freshman All-America team.
Among fall sports, the women's soccer team advanced to the Big Ten Tournament championship game for the first time in team history. Men's soccer posted the program's most victories since 1990 and volleyball notched as many victories against Big Ten competition this season as in the past three seasons combined. A total of 15 Wildcats earned All-Big Ten honors this fall, led by the football team with seven.
During the winter season, the women's swimming team tied its best-ever national finish by earning 10th place at the NCAA Championships as eight swimmers collected a total of 23 All-America awards. Men's swimmer Steve Steketee won the Big Ten Championship in the 200 freestyle, the first NU conference champion since 1966. Women's epeeist Michelle Schaffner became NU's first women's fencing All-American with her seventh-place finish at the NCAA Championships while Evan Eschmeyer became the first NU men's basketball player in school history to earn back-to-back first-team All-Big Ten honors. Kristina Divjak (women's basketball) was named honorable mention Kodak All-American and three wrestlers were accorded All-America status for the second time in three years.
The spring season saw the men's tennis, women's tennis and men's golf teams qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Men's tennis player Marc Silva won the Big Ten Singles title en route to conference Player of the Year honors while Katherine Nasser picked up the Big Ten Women's Tennis Player of the Year award. Two Wildcats were named Big Ten Freshman of the Year during the spring: Jeremy Kurella (baseball) and Brooke Siebel (softball). The women's golf team took third place at the Big Ten Championships, its best conference finish ever, while winning back-to-back tournaments for the first time in school history.
In the coaching ranks, women's swimming coach Jimmy Tierney earned Big Ten Coach of the Year honors and women's fencing coach Laurie Schiller was named the Midwest Fencing Coaches Association Coach of the Year. Milestones reached this season included softball coach Sharon Drysdale recording her 600th career victory while the volleyball program collected its 400th all-time win.
A total of 16 Wildcats were named Academic All-American by their respective sport's coaches organization while football junior Barry Gardner was named second-team GTE Academic All-American by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). In addition to Gardner, three Wildcats earned GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-District honors: Kristina Divjak (women's basketball), Wendy Scholz (women's soccer) and Nathan Strikwerda (football). A school record of 99 NU student-athletes were named Academic All-Big Ten during the school year, breaking the previous high of 91 set in 1993-94.
15 All-Americans
Courtney Allen - women's swimming
Amy Balcerzak - women's swimming
Allyson Bowman - women's swimming
Mark Bybee - wrestling
Dominique Diezi - women's swimming
Kristina Divjak - women's basketball
Luke Donald - men's golf
Kelly Igoe - women's swimming
Jeremy Kurella - baseball (All-Freshman team)
Cathy Lundin - women's swimming
Ashley Mosher - women's swimming
Sam Neider - wrestling
Michelle Schaffner - fencing
Scott Schatzman - wrestling
Joy Stover - women's swimming
17 Academic All-Americans
Amy Balcerzak - women's swimming (coaches)
Katie Ballman - softball (coaches)
Josh Carothers - men's swimming (coaches)
Dominique Diezi - women's swimming (coaches)
Amylou Dueck - women's golf (coaches)
Malik Elliott - wrestling (coaches)
Barry Gardner - football (GTE/CoSIDA)
Laurie Gillis - softball (coaches)
Josh Habig - men's golf (coaches)
Tricia Kay - softball (coaches)
Julie Lind - field hockey (coaches)
Sam Neider - wrestling (coaches)
Erin Robson - softball (coaches)
Scott Schatzman - wrestling (coaches)
Wendy Scholz - women's soccer (coaches)
Kristi Simons - field hockey (coaches)
Joy Stover - women's swimming (coaches)
4 GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-District Athletes
Kristina Divjak - women's basketball
Barry Gardner - football
Wendy Scholz - women's soccer
Nathan Strikwerda - football
14 Big Ten Players of the Week/Month
Adrian Autry - football (offensive, Oct. 20)
Jenni Beseres - softball (pitcher, April 6)
Carmen Burbach - volleyball (Oct. 20)
Jackie DeBoard - softball (pitcher, March 26)
Shannon Duffy - women's tennis (month of April)
Evan Eschmeyer - men's basketball (Dec. 8)
Barry Gardner - football (defensive, Sept. 2)
Brian Gowins - football (special teams, Sept. 2)
Anwawn Jones - football (special teams, Oct. 20)
Andy McDermott - men's soccer (Nov. 11)
Jill Nesbitt - softball (player, April 6)
John Seaman - baseball (pitcher, March 30)
Mike Stritch - baseball (co-player, April 13)
Mike Stritch - baseball (player, May 4)
6 Big Ten Players, Coaches and Freshmen of the Year
Jeremy Kurella - baseball (freshman)
Katherine Nasser - women's tennis (player)
Laurie Schiller - fencing (midwest coaches assn.)
Brooke Siebel - softball (freshman)
Marc Silva - mens tennis (player)
Jimmy Tierney - women's swimming (coach)
34 All-Big Ten Athletes
Amy Balcerzak - women's swimming
Brian Baron - baseball
Megan Chawansky - women's basketball
Eric Collier - football
Cathleen Cooke - women's soccer
Casey Dailey - football
Jackie DeBoard - softball
Wendy DeFord - field hockey
Amber DeWall - women's basketball
Kristina Divjak - women's basketball
Luke Donald - men's golf
Shannon Duffy - women's tennis
Ollie Dunn - baseball
Evan Eschmeyer - men's basketball
Barry Gardner - football
Shanel Gohsler - field hockey
Brian Gowins - football
Kyla Hattabaugh - softball
Paul Janus - football
Andy McDermott - men's soccer
Brian Musso - football
Katherine Nasser - women's tennis
Kristen Palmer - women's soccer
Lindsey Prezell - softball
Wendy Scholz - women's soccer
John Seaman - baseball
Brooke Siebel - softball
Marc Silva - men's tennis
Kristi Simons - field hockey
Steve Steketee - men's swimming
Nathan Strikwerda - football
Mike Stritch - baseball
Erica Westrich - women's soccer
Alex Witt - men's tennis
99 Academic All-Big Ten Athletes
43 in fall sports (field hockey, football, men's soccer, women's soccer, volleyball)
31 in winter sports (men's basketball, women's basketball, men's swimming and diving, women's swimming and diving, wrestling)
25 in spring sports (baseball, fencing, men's golf, women's golf, softball, men's tennis, women's tennis)
