Man, was this an interesting year.

This year saw some things that have never been seen before in all of the annals of Northeastern University athletics. Selecting a News Male Athlete of the year is like coppin’ a new mix CD at Skippy Whites; enjoyable, but tedious and monotonous at the same time.

Still, as many highs and lows that typified Husky athletics (see next week’s “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly,”), selection of this honor has to come down to two sports: football and men’s soccer.

The football team had a phenomenal campaign, led by a phenomenal defense predicated on speed and aggression. Head coach Don Brown played a high-risk, high-reward style, and it benefited the Huskies for much of the 2002 campaign. The squad went 10-2, won is first conference title, and made it to the I-AA playoffs.

The soccer team’s year was equally remarkable, but much more spectacular in that the team was 3-6 at one point, and advanced all the way to the second round of the NCAA College Cup. Defense was also the name of their game; the Dogs allowed three goals only twice after Oct. 5. An upset win over Lehigh followed by an epic loss to Boston College at home ended their extraordinary season.

Which team accomplished more? Though Northeastern soccer coach Ed Matz had a fantastic campaign, he has been doing more with less for years now. His teams have finished near the top of the America East the last three or four years, and lost in the AE championship in 2001 before taking the crown last year. The football team, on the other hand, was picked to finish near the bottom of the Atlantic-10 after a 5-6 campaign, and essentially came out of nowhere to win the conference. That gives the advantage the Husky gridders.

Now who to choose? With all due respect to the leadership of quarterback Shawn Brady, the steel-willed determination of bulldozing back Tim Gale, and the late-season exploits of freshman standout Cory Parks, the team’s staple was defense. There was power, speed, and quickness all over the unit. Still, there were three names that stood above the rest: Steve Anzalone, Art Smith, and Liam Ezekiel.

Anzalone, arguably the best defensive lineman in the A-10 last season, is more than deserving of the honor, but played on perhaps the deepest position on the team. Would the team have been as successful without the Weymouth native in the fold? Absolutely not. But the loss would have been better assuaged if he had missed time with injury than say, at cornerback. If it was possible to have tri-players of the year, this would be easy, but we can’t, so it’s not.

So is it Ezekiel? The sophomore from Arlington has been a beast since he stepped foot on Parsons Field, becoming only player in school history to earn all-conference honors (third team) as a freshman. He followed that by leading the I-AA in tackles, forcing three fumbles, posting two sacks, and returned an interception for a touchdown. In summation, there is nothing this man cannot do on the football field.

But what of Smith? After leading the A-10 in interceptions last season with seven, he had only two last year. Why? Because nobody wanted to throw the ball at him. When they did, it was after teams had fallen way behind, and needed to rely on the pass to get back into games. Otherwise, he was probably pass-rushing the quarterback (three sacks) or laying wood on opponents (three forced fumbles).

And the verdict? If the Huskies lost Smith, it could have decimated the secondary and forced them to scale back some of their defensive gambles. By the same token, losing one of the premier linebackers in the nation would leave a leaky middle in the defense.

That said, the winner has to be … the both of them. As valuable as Smith was to a good secondary unit was as amazing as Ezekiel was to a solid group of linebackers. When one measures the impact of each to their team, it has to be a push.

Congratulations to the 2003 Northeastern News Male Co-Athletes of the year, Art Smith and Liam Ezekiel.