DeKALB – Northern Illinois post Renee Sladek started last season watching from the sidelines on crutches due to season-ending knee surgery.
Last week, the redshirt sophomore was helping the Huskies to their first trip to the Mid-American Conference Championship.
Sladek emerged as a scoring threat off the bench during the MAC Tournament. She and the Huskies will face off against South Dakota State at 7 p.m. Thursday in the first round of the Women's National Invitational Tournament.
"I'm starting to finally get back to the point where I'm comfortable with everything," Sladek said. "The season's been a little complicated with some pain.