Barrington’s Schiavi signs with NIU

Golf became a serious business for Nick Schiavi during his sophomore year at Barrington.

And when Northern Illinois made a serious entry into the recruiting process, Schiavi found it had the perfect combination of golf and business programs.

So, the three-year varsity captain at Barrington and member of its 2008 fifth-place state team signed a letter of intent two weeks ago with the Huskies, who are expected to contend for a Mid-American Conference title next season.

“It’s a good fit and a big school and the golf program is doing really well,” said Schiavi, who led Barrington to regional titles the last two seasons. “The commitments they already had looked really, really good. I’m excited to be a part of it.”

Schiavi chose NIU, which started showing interest a year ago, over Michigan State, Illinois Wesleyan and DePauw. He shot a career-best 68 this fall and finished second in the regional and Mid-Suburban League tournaments.

Schiavi is part of second-year coach Tom Porten’s recruiting class which includes Springfield’s Josh Edison and two players from Ohio.

“I’m really, really pleased to get a player of Nick’s caliber in the late signing period,” Porten said in a release from NIU. “He chose Northern to help us continue to build a strong foundation to our program.

“He has very high expectations coming in and wants to ultimately play professionally. The bottom line is he’s a quality kid, good student and quality athlete. I’m excited to see him progress at the college level and excited to work with him.”

Schiavi’s grandfather played football at Penn State and his dad Mark played high school baseball, basketball and football at Lake Zurich. But at an early age he started to get hooked on golf by his dad and his mom Marci.

Schiavi gave up basketball and baseball after his freshman year at Barrington to focus on golf. His scores started to drop from the 80s for 18 holes to the 70s.

“I really started to take it seriously,” Schiavi said. “My family and I talked about how I wanted to play Division I and play for a really good school and I definitely completed my goal.”

Another plus for NIU is one of its practice facilities is Kishwaukee Country Club. Schiavi won the 2010 men’s club title and his dad Mark is a member there.

Schiavi played in amateur tournaments this winter in Florida, Las Vegas and North Carolina. He plans to play in a U.S. Open local qualifier in mid-May and other amateur events this summer to prepare for his next challenge.

“I’m hoping to start right away,” Schiavi said. “Their recruiting class is really, really impressive so I have to work really hard this summer, which I plan on doing.”