North Park women's soccer players Kristin Gibbs and Sarah Wilson were named the recipients of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Merle Chapman Award for 2011-12 school year.

The award, which began during the 2002-03 academic year, is named after the longtime football coach/athletics director at Millikin University and the second commissioner of the CCIW. Chapman served in that capacity from 1997-2002. The award identifies the student-athletes from the eight member institutions that best exemplify the traits that Chapman displayed and encouraged during his three-plus decades of service as teacher, coach and mentor to the athletes, coaches and administrators of the CCIW. Those traits are loyalty, enthusiasm, and commitment to academic, athletic and personal excellence, leadership and sportsmanship.

Both Gibbs and Wilson were named to the CCIW Academic All-Conference team for carrying a grade point average of 3.30 or above as well. Gibbs finished the season starting all 15 games she played in. She had two shots (both on goal) and was a solid defender for the team. Wilson scored a goal and had three assists as she started in all 17 games. She also had 11 shots on goal and her lone tally was a game-winning goal against Wisconsin Lutheran October 6.

North Park finished the 2011 season with an even 8-8-1 record and a fifth place finish in the CCIW.