CHICAGO, Ill. -- North Park women's basketball is less than two weeks away from their season opener, and second-year Head Coach Annie Radenkovich is encouraged by her group of returners as well as a crop of newcomers expected to make an immediate splash.

The 2022-23 edition of the Vikings finished seventh in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) race, missing out on the CCIW Tournament due to a tiebreaker with Carthage. North Park was 9-16 and 5-11 in league action, but several returners with quality minutes are back on the floor this season.

After making a splash in the CCIW last season, the league's 2023 Newcomer of the Year and first-team all-conference selection Victoria Perry is no longer a secret.

Perry, who hails from Waynesville, Missouri, transferred to North Park from Aurora last season, made an immediate impact with Coach Annie Radenkovich's squad. In addition to 15.4 PPG against CCIW opponents, Perry shot 71% from the free-throw line (4th in the CCIW) 36.6% from the field (8th in CCIW), made 28 threes (9th in CCIW), forced 19 turnovers, and pulled down 62 rebounds in league action. She averaged 15.0 ppg, had 38 steals, and 102 rebounds across her 25 games played last season.

"Victoria carried a large load for us last year, especially scoring, and I expect her to find the same success this year," said Coach Radenkovich. "Victoria is one of the hardest working players in everything that we do, and her leadership sets the tone for our program. She worked hard this summer on the court and in the weight room and I have no doubt that her hard work will pay off for us."

Coach Radenkovich welcome back five other Vikings that appeared in 20+ games last season: Elisha Dunlap (Sr. / Guard), Felicia Sunden (So. / Guard), Aaliyah Parker-Fox (Jr. / Guard), Kathryn Keehn (So. / Guard), and Lauren McKnight (Jr. / Guard).

Dunlap and Sunden are two of the top leading scorers returning for their second season with the Vikings. Dunlap averaged 5.4 ppg and 135 total points on 33.8% shooting (54-of-160) while nearly two-thirds of Sunden's points came from the three ball; she totaled 110 points and made 22 threes last season.

Parker-Fox averaged 4.6 ppg last season, shooting 35.9% from the field (42-for-117) and assisting on 29 scores. Keehn had 20 steals in her freshman campaign last year while piling up 35 assists and an 81.9 free-throw percentage (26-for-32). McKnight sets much of the action up, totaling 57 assists during the 2021-22 season and 90 in her career. 

Additionally, sophomore guard Ava Foote saw batches of minutes in her freshman 2022-23 season, especially when the Vikings looked for points from deep. In only 43 minutes of court time, she made six threes and tallied four steals.

Riana Hayes (So. / Guard) and Olivia Reed (Jr. / F) also look to compete for time in 2022-23. Hayes appeared in four games last season and is credited with an assist and Reed has pulled down 40 rebounds (19 OFF) while forcing 10 turnovers in two seasons.

"We return a solid core of players that had a lot of minutes, which is very exciting," said Coach Radenkovich. "The returners all worked super hard this summer and improved on every facet of their game. We introduced a new offense that I think fits our team identity better and plays to our strengths to find better scoring options.  Someone to keep your eyes on this season is senior Hailey Lyczak, she sat out last season to injury and has been an absolutely workhorse in the gym to get back to being healthy. She has expanded her game and we are counting on her to be an impact player in her senior season."

Lyczak made six threes during her 2021-22 sophomore season, adding a blocked shot and six steals. She also pulled down 24 rebounds.

The newcomers will almost certainly see significant time on the court this season, as six new Vikings will be in the mix.

"I am excited about our newcomers," continued Coach Radenkovich. "Jocelyn Chammas (Fr. / Guard), Teresa Morrissey (Fr. / Guard) and Bella Cabrales (Fr. / Guard) are all local Chicago kids that are looking forward to playing close to home. Aliyah Hershberger (Fr. / Guard) from Elkhart, Indiana is a great addition at the shooting guard position, and I have very high expectations for her this season. She set her high school's single game three-point record with 10 made threes, which led to the single-game scoring record of 42 points. Lastly, Caroline Long (Fr. / Forward) and Brooke Panush (Fr. / Center) round out the freshmen and you can expect to see them make an immediate impact as they bring height [both listed at 5'10"], which we severely lacked last season!"

Sticking to the plan on offense while continuing to follow defensive principles will tell the story for this coming season, and Coach Radenkovich is encouraged by how practices have been going: "Practice has been off to a great start! Every drill we do is highly competitive. We have really been working hard on our defensive principles, implementing our new offense, and coming together as a team. It has been great to see our chemistry grow both on and off the court. It is a special group that has become family."

2023-24 CCIW Preseason Women's Basketball Coaches' Poll:

Start Dates and Home Opener:

North Park opens its season with four games on the road before a home opener against Beloit on Tuesday, November 21. The Vikings open their season in Appleton, Wisconsin on Wednesday, November 8 at Lawrence University. North Park's season begins at 5:30 PM inside Alexander Gymnasium.