Northwestern University Athletics
The 1999-2000 NU Athletic Year in Review
7/12/2000 12:00:00 AM | General
July 1, 2000
EVANSTON, Ill. - The 1999-2000 athletic season for Northwestern University ended on a high note, as the men's golf and women's tennis teams defended their Big Ten championships. In addition, men's golfer Luke Donald finished the year as the No. 1 golfer in the country in the MasterCard College Golf rankings. As a whole, the Northwestern athletic program finished 37th out of 240 Division 1-A schools in the Sears Directors' Cup standings.
The season also saw 13 Wildcat athletes earn first-team All-America honors. Accolades were awarded to Merritt Adams (women's swimming), Courtney Allen (women's swimming), Amy Balcerzak (women's swimming), Tashy Bohm (women's swimming), Allyson Bowman (women's swimming), Jess Daley (men's golf), Dominique Diezi (women's swimming), Luke Donald (men's golf), Brianne Fowles (women's swimming), Vivian Imaizumi (women's fencing), Lauren Moore (women's swimming), Susie Sample (women's swimming) and Scott Schatzman (wrestling). Thirty-five NU athletes earned All-Big Ten honors, including 18 who were awarded first-team recognition.
Among fall sports, the men's soccer team used a late-season surge to post its best Big Ten record ever and won a Big Ten Tournament game for the first time. Senior goalkeeper Matt Keeler became the first Wildcat to earn first-team All-Big Ten in men's soccer.
During the winter, the women's swim team notched its best-ever national finish by earning sixth place at the NCAA Championships, highlighted by runner-up finishes from Courtney Allen (50 free) and Amy Balcerzak (100 breast). The Wildcats also won a school-best five individual titles at the Big Ten Championships, setting three conference records in the process. The women's fencing team also enjoyed its best season ever, going 35-1 and winning the Midwest Conference championship before finishing a best-ever sixth at NCAAs. The Wildcats ranked as high as No. 2 nationally during the regular season.
The spring season proved to be the windfall, as all six NU teams advanced to postseason play, including five in NCAA competition. Both men's golf and women's tennis repeated as Big Ten champions, and Donald was named Big Ten Player of the Year in men's golf after winning the Big Ten individual title. During the regular season, the men's golf team was ranked No. 1 in the country. Women's tennis, ranked as high as 10th nationally during the year, advanced to the Round of 16 at NCAAs before falling to top-seeded Stanford. The men's tennis team also fell to the No. 1 Cardinal in NCAA play, but in the first round. Women's golf advanced to the NCAA Championships for the first time in history after a stunning second-place performance at the East Regional. Led by Big Ten Player of the Year Brooke Siebel, the softball team went 2-2 at an NCAA regional in Norman, Okla., in its first national championship appearance since 1987. Finally, the baseball team won 30 games and advanced to the Big Ten Tournament for the first time since 1995.
Women's swimming coach Jimmy Tierney earned Coach of the Year honors from the Illinois Swimming Association for the second year in a row, while Pat Goss was named Big Ten Men's Golf Coach of the Year for the third time in four years. Chris Regenberg was named the GCAA's Midwest District Women's Golf Coach of the Year.
Two Wildcats were named Academic All-America -- Balcerzak earned first-team GTE Academic All-America honors in the women's fall/winter at-large category from the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), while junior Joe Hietpas was named second-team GTE Academic All-America in baseball for the second straight year. For the third year in a row, a record number of NU student-athletes were named Academic All-Big Ten (109).
A complete list of awards and honors follows.
Baseball (30-27, 13-15/6th in Big Ten)
Won 30 games and advanced to Big Ten Tournament for first time since 1995
Men's Basketball (5-25, 0-16/11th in Big Ten)
Ben Johnson fourth freshman to lead team in single-season scoring in NU history
Women's Basketball (7-21, 3-13/10th in Big Ten)
First 10th seed to defeat a seventh seed at Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament
Women's Cross Country (7th at Big Tens)
Rachel Evjen earned All-District at NCAA regional meet
Women's Fencing (35-1, 6th at NCAAs)
Midwest Conference champions, best overall record in head coach Laurie Schiller's 32-year career
Field Hockey (4-14, 0-10/6th in Big Ten)
Jessica Yates and Amy Haase earned All-Big Ten honors
Football (3-8, 1-7/10th in Big Ten)
Damien Anderson was NU's fourth 1,000-yard rusher in five years, only Wisconsin has matched that feat
Men's Golf (1st at Big Tens, 8th at NCAAs)
Big Ten Champions for second straight year, Luke Donald ended year No. 1 in MasterCard national rankings
Women's Golf (6th at Big Tens, 24th at NCAAs)
Qualified for NCAA Championships for first time in history after stunning second-place performance at regionals
Men's Soccer (6-14, 2-3/4th in Big Ten)
Best-ever record in Big Ten play, won Big Ten Tournament game for first time in history
Women's Soccer (4-12-1, 1-8-1/11th in Big Ten)
Kristen Palmer graduates as school's all-time assist leader and earned first-team All-Big Ten
Softball (30-26, 12-6/4th in Big Ten, 17th at NCAAs)
Advanced to NCAA Championship for first time since 1987, Siebel named Big Ten Player of the Year
Men's Swimming (5-4, 2-4/9th in Big Ten)
Steve Harms placed in three Big Ten events, graduates as school record-holder in 1,000 and 1,650 freestyle
Women's Swimming (4-5, 2-3/3rd in Big Ten, 6th at NCAAs)
Best NCAA team finish in school history, five individual Big Ten titles is a school high
Men's Tennis (11-12, 4-6/7th in Big Ten, 33rd at NCAAs)
Youthful team is a surprise NCAA Championship qualifier
Women's Tennis (24-5, 8-2/1st in Big Ten, 9th at NCAAs)
Big Ten Champions for second straight year, advanced to Sweet 16 of NCAA Championships
Women's Volleyball (4-26, 2-18/11th in Big Ten)
Six athletes earned Academic All-Big Ten honors
Wrestling (5-9, 2-6/7th in Big Ten, 29th at NCAAs)
Scott Schatzman ranked No. 1 most of winter at 141 pounds, Mark Bybee Big Ten champion at 174 pounds
Big Ten Individual Champions (7)
Merritt Adams - women's swimming (200 butterfly)
Courtney Allen - women's swimming (50 freestyle)
Amy Balcerzak - women's swimming (100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke)
Tashy Bohm - women's swimming (200 backstroke)
Mark Bybee - wrestling (174 lbs)
Luke Donald - men's golf
Women's swimming 200 medley relay (Merritt Adams, Courtney Allen, Amy Balcerzak, Dominique Diezi)
First-Team All-Americans (13)
Merritt Adams - women's swimming
Courtney Allen - women's swimming
Amy Balcerzak - women's swimming
Tashy Bohm - women's swimming
Allyson Bowman - women's swimming
Jess Daley - men's golf
Dominique Diezi - women's swimming
Luke Donald - men's golf
Brianne Fowles - women's swimming
Vivian Imaizumi - women's fencing
Lauren Moore - women's swimming
Susie Sample - women's swimming
Scott Schatzman - wrestling
GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-Americans (2)
Amy Balcerzak - women's swimming (First Team, women's fall/winter at-large)
Joe Hietpas - baseball (Second Team, baseball)
Players and Coaches of the Year (6)
Amy Balcerzak - women's swimming (Illinois Swimming Association Swimmer of the Year)
Luke Donald - men's golf (Big Ten Player of the Year)
Pat Goss - men's golf (Big Ten Coach of the Year)
Chris Regenberg - women's golf (GCAA Midwest Region Coach of the Year)
Brooke Siebel - softball (Big Ten Player of the Year)
Jimmy Tierney - women's swimming (Illinois Swimming Association Coach of the Year)
All-Big Ten (35)
Merritt Adams - women's swimming
Courtney Allen - women's swimming
Damien Anderson - football
Amy Balcerzak - women's swimming
Kevin Bentley - football
Harold Blackmon - football
Tashy Bohm - women's swimming
Elizabeth Burden - women's golf
Mark Bybee - wrestling
Bob Dainton - baseball
Jess Daley - men's golf
Dominique Diezi - women's swimming
Luke Donald - men's golf
Shannon Duffy - women's tennis
Brad Erickson - men's tennis
Emily Gilley - women's golf
Amy Haase - field hockey
Joe Hietpas - baseball
Erin Jancic - softball
Matt Keeler - men's soccer
Jeremy Kurella - baseball
Dwayne Missouri - football
Katherine Nasser - women's tennis
Dan Padgett - baseball
Kristen Palmer - women's soccer
Gabe Ribas - baseball
Zach Schara - baseball
Alyson Schulz - softball
Lauren Schwendimann - softball
Brooke Siebel - softball
Nice Spoerke - men's soccer
Brandon Swalve - men's soccer
Jay Tant - football
Erica Westrich - women's soccer
Jessica Yates - field hockey
Academic All-Big Ten (109)
47 in fall sports (women's cross country, field hockey, football, men's soccer, women's soccer, women's volleyball)
37 in winter sports (men's basketball, women's basketball, women's fencing, men's swimming and diving, women's swimming and diving, wrestling)
25 in spring sports (baseball, men's golf, women's golf, softball, men's tennis, women's tennis)
