Thank you to Karl Soderstrom for capturing these moments at the 2024 Hall of Fame ceremony

CHICAGO, Ill. -- On February 1, North Park University welcomed five new members into the Viking Hall of Fame. The newest class of 2024 includes Jodi Mullen Fondell (C '82), Elina Åberg (C '17), Luke Johnson (NPU Head Baseball Coach 2006-current), Rasmus Sardar-Elfgaard (C '17), and Carl Wistrom (C '77).

Mullen Fondell was a four-year starter in both women's volleyball and softball. She was a two-time MVP in Volleyball (1980, 1981) and was the team's captain in her junior and senior seasons. She was also a two-year captain for the Softball team. Mullen Fondell served as the NPU chaplain from 1993-98 and became an Ordained Covenant Pastor in 1995. She also worked as a pastor in the International Church in Europe from 1998-2022 in Stockholm, London, Paris, and Luxembourg.

Åberg is the most awarded Track & Field athlete in North Park history, qualifying for the NCAA National field six times in her career.  She finished as the eighth-best jumper in the 2017 NCAA Indoor Long Jump, becoming an All-American that season. Åberg was the 2017 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Indoor Track Athlete of the Year and a six-time CCIW champion in the 200m, 60m, and Long Jump. Six of the eight school records she set in her time at North Park still remain.

Johnson took over the Vikings Baseball program in 2006 and has led his teams to the CCIW Playoffs in 12 of his seasons at the helm, bringing three CCIW titles, including one this past season, back to the North Side. He is a four-time CCIW Coach of the Year (2006, 2011, 2012, 2024) and he's developed more than 50 players to All-CCIW status and five players to All-American recognition. His 372 wins at North Park make him the all-time wins leader and five of his players have earned a prestigious Rawlings National Gold Glove. Additionally, three of his players have been named CCIW "Player of the Year".

Sardar-Elfgaard, who will be properly honored alongside the Class of 2025, was a two-time All-American in Track & Field at North Park and secured a dozen All-CCIW accolades along the way as one of the top all-around track & field athletes in program history. He finished fourth in the Decathlon at the 2017 National Championships and sixth in the 2016 Indoor Decathlon to earn his All-American status. Sardar-Elfgaard became NPU's first individual conference title winner in twelve seasons and he set four school records in his time competing for the Vikings.

Wistrom quite literally helps improve the foundational structure for North Park University and NPU Athletics, following in his father's footsteps as the long-time Physical Plant Director. A member of the Vikings Baseball team from 1973-76, Wistrom works behind the scenes to support all things North Park as he and his staff keep the Athletics facilities and campus in working order. Wistrom's long hours and early mornings on campus have helped numerous national and championship-level events go off without a hitch and he's an integral and irreplaceable part of the NPU community.