Vikings Softball Team Has Covenant Flavor

CHICAGO, IL (March 3, 2004) - The North Park University (NPU) softball team has a distinct Covenant flavor as seven players on the team's roster of 15 have grown up in Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) congregations.

Catchers Ashley Berg and Bethany Isaacs, outfielders Pam Carlson and Carrie McKee and infielders Dayle Dillon, Kelly Nelson and Angie Willner are playing for head coach Dan Gooris this spring. The Vikings were 8-26-1 in 2003, but won 19 games in each of the two previous years behind two-time All-Conference pitcher Kim Walker.

Berg and Isaacs are both sophomores. Berg grew up at Urban Heights Evangelical Covenant Church in Urbandale, Iowa, a suburb of Des Moines. Isaacs is from Bethlehem Evangelical Covenant Church in Minneapolis. She attended Northwest Conference-sponsored Minnehaha Academy during high school.

Carlson, who is from the Evangelical Covenant Church in Moose Lake, Minnesota, was the team's starting first baseman last year and hit a homer in her first at-bat during the team's spring trip last March. A fifth generation Covenanter, she is also an honors student. McKee, a senior, and Dillon, a sophomore, will serve as backups while helping as designated hitters at times. McKee attended Covenant Community Church in Fairfield, Ohio, while Dillon (who also plays volleyball at NPU) grew up at the Evangelical Covenant Church of Paxton, Illinois.

Nelson, a sophomore third baseman, is from West Hills Covenant Church in Portland, Oregon. Willner, a senior shortstop, is from the Evangelical Covenant Church in Fairmont, Minnesota. The latter player had a knee injury that kept her from playing softball in 2003 and her presence gives the Vikings added versatility in the infield. North Park's infield depth and an improved outfield gives Gooris added support to help Walker, who has recorded 35 pitching victories in three years while breaking most or all softball pitching and hitting record at the school.

Other players on North Park's roster include returning starting infielders Stacy Salihovich and Katie Ritti, number two pitcher Lindsey Van Wyk, transfer Deb Rusthoven, two-sport athletes Kara Boonstra (volleyball) and Molly Mitchell (basketball) and senior outfielder Stephanie Thompson, who earned All Conference Academic honors last spring as an infielder at NPU.

The Vikings open their season in Ft. Meyers, Florida, with 10 games at the Gene Cusic Tournament. They open with Lakeland College of Wisconsin at 1 p.m. (EDT) on Sunday.

More about NPU's softball program and other athletic teams can be found on the school's web site at www.northpark.edu under the "Athletics" link.

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