Eddie Carifio

"If we get them to be close with us and trust us a little bit more, I think it'll benefit everybody." — Callie Countryman on the freshmen and sophomores stepping up for Sycamore. And they've had plenty of reps for the Spartans so far this summer.

NIU softball coach Christina Sutcliffe alleges she was fired for raising concerns about gender inequity: delayed cage upgrades for her team while baseball got quick upgrades, unequal assistant coach positions, and a male-only logo across athletics.

"All of a sudden the kid who broke the school record for assists last year has more weapons to feed." — Coach Doug Brewington on how Ari Rich's emergence is changing things for Presley Meyer and the Cogs' offense.

Only two starters return from Sycamore's 27-win regional champion team. Seniors Logan Hodges and Xander Lewis must lead a rebuild and chase back-to-back-to-back regional titles. "I just hope this year I can do that for the younger guys," Hodges said.

LeMarrio Moore spent the offseason in the weight room getting stronger for a reason: DeKalb basketball needs him. The rising junior is one of only three main varsity-experienced players back after a 13-19 season. Summer league is showing promise.

Sycamore senior pitcher Bella Jacobs and senior catcher Kairi Lantz were named 3A first-teamers by the ICA earlier this week. The Spartans and Kaneland each had three representatives on the 3A team, while DeKalb and Genoa-Kingston also had all-state representation.

First camp done. Players impressed. Rob Stover's debut as Sycamore football coach shows continuity with Joe Ryan's winning culture. Running back Vasilios Arhos: "I love the program he's got going."

Grace Brunscheen is ready for her junior year. The Kaneland star averaged 10.7 points a game last season and is working to expand her post game this summer. "Mentality and mental health is super-important," she said.

At 5-10, Emma Craig is undersized for her position. But the DeKalb sophomore isn't backing down. She's using summer league to build strength and confidence against bigger competition. "This team really pushes me to be my best," she said.

Will Rosenow doesn't know if he'll play football or throw shot put in college. But at Sycamore, he's figured out each sport make him better at the other.

Krista Cobb wasn't going to let one bad throw out of 25,000 ruin her joy. The Sycamore senior rebounded from a rough showing at the Interstate 8 meet, took third at state and was named the Daily Chronicle 2026 Girls Track Athlete of the Year.

In the biggest game in school history, the Geneva baseball team went small to get things started in an 11-7 win over Rockford Boylan on Saturday in the Class 3A Sycamore Sectional championship game. Josh Frieders was 3 for 3 and scored in both the third and fourth innings.

The NIU baseball team's run in the NCAA Tournament ended Sunday with a pair of losses, closing out the team's historic run. Gavin Baldwin homered twice and Carter Cox turned in a gutsy pitching performance on short rest.

Nathan Larson struck out 12 and kept DeKalb off the scoreboard until the seventh inning, powering Huntley's 4-1 win in the Class 4A DeKalb Regional championship game.

The NIU baseball team remained undefeated in the postseason, beating Coastal Carolina 12-10 on Friday night in the first game of the Tallahassee Regional, its first NCAA tournament win in program history.