After completing one of the most historic seasons in North Park softball history, the Vikings are receiving the credit and recognition they deserve.

A total of five players from a Vikings team that finished as the top-ranked defensive squad in all of NCAA Division I, II or III and recorded a school-record 24 victories were honored as All-College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin selections for the 2013 campaign. What's more, is the NPU coaching staff was recognized as the CCIW Coaching Staff of the Year as well.  

Freshman Nicole Kruckman earned All-CCIW First Team honors, while seniors Casey Latal and Sonya Le, along with sophomores Lindsay Synek and Paige Massa earned Second Team All-Conference honors.

“This is without a doubt one of the most successful seasons we've had here at North Park,” Vikings head coach Dan Gooris said. “Our ladies worked hard to receive this recognition and they continue to set the standard for North Park softball. The bar has been raised for future players in our program.”

Along with its 24 victories, the Vikings also finished with a 6-8 mark in the conference, just a hair under .500 and only one game back of qualifying for their first-ever CCIW conference tournament appearance.

“That is one of the many accomplishments this team attained this season,” Gooris said. “We set a lot of records and exceeded all of our expectations in one of the best, if not the best season ever.”

Gooris felt this year's team had a chance to do something special once it returned from its Spring Break trip in Ft. Myers, Florida with an 8-2 record. North Park continued its dominance by putting together a 10-game winning streak until the Vikings lost their first conference game on April 3. Still, Gooris was confident that the squad would still do something special and be competitive in CCIW when it defeated then No. 25-ranked Augustana 7-3 on April 13 in the second game of a doubleheader.

"We hit really well down in Florida, but that's something we always do," Gooris said. "What I was more impressed with was how solid our defense was and the fact that we put together a 70-inning errorless streak. I never seen something like that in all my years coaching."

Kruckman, a graduate of Libertyville High School, finished her first season as the team's second-best hitter with a .418 batting average. Named the “CCIW Hitter of the Week” in the final week of the regular season, Kruckman had a team second-best on-base percentage (.495), slugging percentage (.544) and ranked in the top-five in hits and home runs.

“The sky's the limit for Krucky as she's only going to get better,” Gooris said. “She played sensational at first base this season and was a key element in all our success.”

A native of Palatine, Illinois, Latal led the Vikings as the pitching staff ace. In 21 appearances, she made 15 starts and turned in an unprecedented 13 complete-games, which tied for the team lead. Her 2.12 earned run average led the team and in 119 innings pitched, she struck out a season-high 68 batters. To top it off, Latal also threw the first complete-game, seven-inning no-hitter in NPU history, a performance that was one hit batsmen away from a perfect game, in a 3-0 win over the University of Chicago Friday, April 26.

“Casey is as humble as they come and she'd be the first one to tell you that it wasn't about the stats, but rather helping the team win,” Gooris said. “She brought that attitude to every pitch in every inning in her three-year career as a Viking.”

Le, a graduate of Champaign Centennial High School, earned her third All-CCIW selection this season. As the Vikings' No. 2 hitter, she carried a team fifth-best .330 batting average with seven doubles and 11 RBI. She was also one of the leaders in the infield as she finished the season with a .972 fielding percentage with 75 putouts.

“Sonya will be missed, but she'll be regarded as one of best second basemen ever to come through the program,” Gooris said. “She was a big reason as to why our defense was the best in all of the NCAA.”

Synek, a transfer shortstop from Oakton Community College, made an immediate impact before sustaining a season-ending injury against the University of Chicago April 26. As NPU's top hitter with a .424 batting average, Synek led the team in home runs, slugging percentage (.620), triples and stolen bases.

“Lindsay's the real deal at shortstop,” Gooris said. “She's going to a force in our lineup and in this conference for the next few years. She's only scratching the surface at what she can do right now. It's going to be exciting to see how well she develops in the coming years.”

A native of Phoenix, Arizona, Massa was the team's third-best hitter with a .374 batting average. Starting all 35 games she played in, Massa was the Vikings' leadoff hitter and led the team with 46 hits, including four doubles and 15 RBI. Her 1.000 fielding percentage was highlighted when she made a diving catch in the outfield to thwart a North Central College bases-loaded rally in the first game of a doubleheader Monday, April 29 where the Vikings swept a twinbill from the Cardinals for the first time in program history.

“Paige gets it done,” Gooris said. “She's one of our defensive specialists, not to mention one of our best hitters as well.”

North Park's coaching staff, which earned its first-ever CCIW Coaching Staff of the Year recognition, consisted of two former NPU players Katie Anderson and Courtney Lucht under Gooris, who as a member of the North Park University Hall of Fame, has given the Vikings' softball program a complete turnaround.

"We couldn't have done this without our sensational assistant coaches," Gooris said. "Katie and Courtney, and Jessica (Gourdier) as well have proven to be excellent coaches after their playing careers. They really set the standard and take pride in coaching, which only helped our ladies continue to improve each day."

Gooris felt that the biggest advantage he had with his assistant coaches was the fact that they were not "part-time" coaches as was the case in the past. All three assistants were able to work and condition closely with the players.

"That was probably the key element," Gooris said. "It's something that definitely helped us get to this point. Now there's no telling how far we can go in the future."