CHICAGO, Ill. -- North Park Athletics celebrated another year at the End of the Year Awards Ceremony, honoring the top moments and student-athletes from this past season.
The first award handed out was "Inspirational Team of the Year". Nominees included Men's Basketball, Baseball, Women's Soccer, and Men's Soccer.
Women's Soccer secured the first award of the night after plenty of records in their awe-inspiring season. Coach Emma Woodley's Vikings set program bests with a second-place finish in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) race, finishing 9-7 overall and 6-2 in conference play.
Next was the "Big Win of the Year". Nominees included the Women's Tennis win over Illinois Wesleyan, Men's Basketball's CCIW Quarterfinals win over Wheaton, and Women's Flag Football grabbing the first win in program history.
Men's Basketball reeled in the honors, as the double-overtime winner reigned supreme. The fourth-seeded Vikings hosted the fifth-seeded Thunder and outlasted Wheaton at home thanks to a 23-point post-halftime performance by junior guard Mike Vuckovic.
Nominees for "Play of the Year" featured Alexandra Pugachova's regionally-ranked win, a triple-overtime buzzer beater by Marquis Vance, and Miabella Collazo's walkoff double.
Vance's big moment garnered the spotlight, as a shot released with 1.0 left on the clock in triple overtime secured a 115-114 win over nationally-ranked Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
"Moment of the Year" nominees included Carson Lewis to Micah Catron for NPU Football's game winning catch against Carthage, Women's Soccer's CCIW Semifinal win over Elmhurst, and Bastian Eikeland's free kick goal to upset Wheaton in the CCIW Semifinals.
Eikeland's late set shot prevailed, handing Wheaton its first loss to a CCIW opponent all season. In the 59th minute, Eikeland curled the 18-yard shot inside the right post for the deciding score, guiding the Vikings to the CCIW Championship match.
"Freshman of the Year" nominees followed, which included Jessica Dudas - Women's Tennis, Sofia Svensson - Women's Soccer, Abrianne Papas - Softball, Marquis Vance - Men's Basketball, Tessa Wabiszewski - Women's Volleyball, and Darrius Whiters - Football.
Svensson stood tall as the top-rated freshman. She was the league's Newcomer of the Year, a program first, and led the conference with 8 goals and 17 points. She is only the second player in program history to lead the CCIW in goals and points in a single season, joining Coach Emma Woodley who did so in 2014.
Faculty Members of the Year enjoyed a co-title, as Mark Gavoor and Al Kamienski's dedication to NPU Athletics and its student-athletes were voted by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) as the top supporters this past year.
Staff-voted Sportsperson and Athlete of the Year awards followed. Vice President Anthony Scola and President Mary Surridge divvied out the prestigious awards.
Female Sportsperson of the Year nominees included Maja Applequist - Women's Soccer, Shay Bowen - Women's Basketball, Julia Klein - Track & Field, Alexandra Pugachova - Women's Tennis, Kharlie Simeona-French - Women's Volleyball, and Delaney Vassar - Cheer and Flag Football.
Applequist rose to Female Sportsperson of the Year recognition, appearing in every minute of conference action to guide NPU to its historic season. She enjoyed second-team all-conference honors for her efforts on the field.
The Male Sportsperson of the Year nominees included Zach Hayden - Men's Volleyball, Wesley McCloud - Football and Track & Field, and Jackson Nuese - Baseball.
McCloud, who emceed the event alongside Julia Klein, was the recipient of the Male Sportsperson of the Year. McCloud was a top wide receiver in conference action for Coach Kyle Rooker and he enjoyed All-Region honors in the High Jump this past spring.
Female Athlete of the Year nominees were Carolina Aviles - Women's Volleyball, Riana Hayes - Track and Volleyball, Kathryn Keehn - Women's Basketball, and Kayla Lorenz - Softball.
Hayes was voted to Athlete of the Year standards, enjoying a strong season on the volleyball court while also earning All-Region recognition in the short sprints this past Indoor Track season.
The Male Athlete of the Year nominees included Ethan Condit - Baseball, Hugo Neborg - Men's Soccer, and Mike Vuckovic - Men's Basketball.
Vuckovic was voted as the Male Athlete of the Year. The junior guard worked his way from a limited minutes bench player in the 2024-25 season up to first-team All-CCIW and D3hoops.com All-Region standards this past year.
Kayla Lorenz was presented with the Ahnfeldt Medallion for her 4.0 grade-point average and excellence in the classroom. The award is given to the student with the highest grade-point average. It is named in honor of Alfred Nelson Ahnfeldt, who was in the first class of the Covenant's school started in 1891 in Minneapolis. The school later relocated to Chicago and became North Park. Ahnfeldt went on to become a professor of languages and homiletics.
Head Men's Basketball Coach Edwind McGhee named William Bates as the 2025-26 Reed Larson Team Spirit Award winner. Larson, a member of the North Park men's basketball team, was tragically killed in a car accident in 2001. In his memory, the Reed Larson Award was established. Each year, the award is presented to the student-athlete that best exemplifies the respect of the sport, outstanding practice and ethic, team spirit, mentoring of other players, love of North Park, and a never-let-up attitude.
"William Bates embodied what we want our program to represent," said McGhee. "His competitiveness set the tone every single day, and his leadership pushed our team to new heights this season. The Reed Larson Award reflects the impact he made — not just through his play, but through the toughness, accountability, and passion he brought to our program every day."
It was a record-setting year for North Park Athletics, showcasing three different teams - Baseball, Men's Soccer, and Women's Soccer - competing for conference tournament championships. The Vikings will enjoy the summer as campus will begin to get busy again in August of 2026.
