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Tag: athletes

North Park Allihopa, Places Third Nationally at the USA Ultimate Division III College Championships

“Coming in as the 14 seed with only 12 girls, we had two goals. One was to have fun and take in the experience of Texas and Nationals, and the second was to give us a chance to win at the end of games.”

(Back row:) Simone Carroll, Julie Spencer, Michaela Scholte, Kara Lownsberry, Abby Gentile, (Middle row:) Hannah Sahyouni, Vikky Young, Abby Imperial, Erin Staurseth, (Front row:) Kajsa Meyer, Maggie Johnson, Ellie Manderfeld

Hard-earned congratulations are due to the women’s ultimate frisbee club team, North Park Allihopa, for placing third nationally at the USA Ultimate Division III College Championships this past weekend.

called Allihopa’s performance “the best kind of Cinderella story” in recapping the team’s championships weekend.

“The second-time D-III Championships qualifiers, North Park Allihopa, the 14th overall seed, found themselves facing the top seeded heavy favorites from Bates in the semifinals this afternoon. Allihopa arrived in Texas with a roster of 12 people, went 1-2 in pool play, squeaking into their pool’s final spot in bracket play, and got two huge upsets in the pre-quarterfinals yesterday afternoon and the quarterfinals this morning. Running almost exclusively a zone designed to preserve their legs, they overtook third-seeded Williams in the quarterfinals and fifth-seeded Middlebury in the quarterfinals. But they finally ran into a wall they couldn’t tear down in Bates. Cold Front was too much for them to handle early, and understandably tired in their seventh game of the weekend, couldn’t find the energy they needed to put together a comeback. But they did cement themselves in the public eye. Everyone will be excited to see what they can do next year.”

Coaches Cameron Hodgkinson C’11 and Jimmy Sykora shared their pride in both the team’s accomplishment and the rally of community support.

“Coming in as the 14 seed with only 12 girls, we had two goals. One was to have fun and take in the experience of Texas and Nationals, and the second was to give us a chance to win at the end of games. We accomplished both of those, with the girls playing for each other and showing off their athleticism and heart throughout the tournament. It was also amazing the support we received from family and friends, who traveled from all over the country to watch and cheer the team on! We had over 20 in attendance.”

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Vikings Advance to the Elite 8

North Park’s men’s soccer squad advanced to the third round of the NCAA Division III tournament for the first time in team history after cruising to a 6-1 victory against the Wis.-Platteville Pioneers Sunday.

Battling a stiff wind and driving rain, the North Park Vikings defeated Virginia’s Washington & Lee University 3-0 to advance to their first-ever NCAA Elite Eight soccer game Sunday.

Senior Shatil Khoury struck first for the Vikings, scoring just 1:47 minutes into the first half on a pass from sophomore Peder Nalum Olsen. The 25-mile-per-hour wind-whipped flags and made the ball difficult to pass, keeping the Vikings on the defense for most of the first half. But sophomore goalie Mathias Stulen was able to keep the ball out of the net the entire game, earning the shutout.

The Vikings scored on the Generals again with just 5 minutes left in the first half, when sophomore Gustav Ericsson deked a defender and passed to senior Mathias Warp, who booted the ball in. The Vikings final goal came in the second half off a sweet backward heel pass from Warp to senior Chase Lennartz.

Although the Generals had more shots on goal than the Vikings, they failed to capitalize on their best opportunity, with Stulen making a diving save on a line drive shot by the Generals with just 7:30 left in the game.

The Vikings will move on to the Elite Eight round of the tournament, where they will face the winner of Saturday’s matchup of Ohio’s Otterbein University v. University of St. Thomas of Minnesota. That game will also be hosted by North Park, at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Holmgren Athletic Complex.

If the Vikings win tomorrow, they will move into the Final Four, with a shot at the Division III National Championship in North Carolina in the beginning of December.

Sunday’s game will again be live streamed on  and on the .

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Vikings Make Sweet 16

North Park’s men’s soccer squad advanced to the third round of the NCAA Division III tournament for the first time in team history after cruising to a 6-1 victory against the Wis.-Platteville Pioneers Sunday.

North Park’s men’s soccer squad advanced to the third round of the NCAA Division III tournament for the first time in team history after cruising to a 6-1 victory against the Wis.-Platteville Pioneers Sunday.

Led by CCIW Coach of the Year John Born, the Vikings dominated the Pioneers, with goals by Gustav Ericsson, Carel Kuzona, Erlend Kemkers and Ricky Pimentel. Those players join Jason Gonzalez, Peder Nalum Olsen, and Matias Warp in being named Monday as All-Conference Players, with Warp being named Player of the Year and Olsen Newcomer of the Year.

Born called Sunday’s victory a huge relief. “Getting our first NCAA victory under our belt sure felt good,” Born said. “We were excited and thankful to be able to play in front of a great home crowd.”

Scoring in the opening minute of the game, the Vikings swiftly put to rest any concerns they might be rusty after a bye round.

“When we scored 40 seconds into the game, there was no doubt in my mind that we were ready to play at a high level,” said Athletic Director Jack Surridge.

The NCAA National committee also announced the Vikings will also host their matchup against Virginia’s Washington & Lee University at noon Saturday, as well as the other regional semifinal, Minnesota’s St. Thomas v. Otterbein University of Westerville, Ohio, at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

Previously, the farthest the Vikings had advanced in the NCAA tournament was to the second round, in 2010, 2011, and 2012. With their latest victory, the Vikings have now won 18 games in a row.

Going forward, Surridge believes the team is in a great position to go all the way.

“We are a formidable opponent when we play at this high level,” Surridge said.

Saturday’s games will again be live streamed on  and on the .

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