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Volleyball, Cross Country Programs Gearing Up
CHICAGO, IL (August 30, 2004) - The North Park University (NPU) cross country
and volleyball programs have been working overtime to get ready for the
start of their
seasons this weekend as the top performers in both sports return.
Cross country head coach Emma Sandberg is encouraged by a team that is
miles ahead of a year ago, at least if off-season workout logs are an
indicator. Most of her returnees ran extensively during the summer,
giving the Vikings a good start toward improving on
past performances in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin
(CCIW).
"It excites me most that the team took the initiative to put in miles
(training) that they hadn't run in the past," said Sandberg. "They were
all aware of what each runner was doing and it brings a lot of
enthusiasm to the group because they've all put the (preseason) work in."
The women's team has one standout, senior Grace Conrad of Sagamihara,
Japan. Conrad was third in the College Conference of Illinois and
Wisconsin (CCIW) women's cross country finals last November and 15th in
regionals, making her a candidate to win top honors at this year's
conference meet October 30.
Juniors Kari Thompson, Allison Weller, Becky Gritter and Rebecca Dawson
are four other runners Sandberg believes will be key point-getters
during the season. Thompson was 31st in last year's CCIW cross country
meet and made All-Conference in the 3,000 meter steeplechase last spring
during track season, placing seventh.
Weller was 45th in the CCIW meet last fall and Gritter finished 50th.
Dawson, a teammate of Gritter's in high school, previously competed at
Olivet College in
Michigan. Another junior, Elizabeth Podczaski, hasn't specialized in
long distance running during college but is one of the conference's top
long jumpers.
Sophomores Ashley Edwards and Ellen Bator, junior Elizabeth Podczaski
and senior Karen Hernandez and sophomore Ellen Bator are others who
could make the top seven runners in the fall. Newcomers include junior
Amy Peters and freshman Erica Schwan.
For the men, captain Erik Shearer, a senior, is the top returning runner
for the Vikings. Junior Luke Johnson returns after a quality track and
field season. Freshman Marcus Simmons of Longview, Texas, is a runner to
watch, said Sandberg.
Among the other newcomers, Junior Gabriel Akoon of Chicago had run in
Kenya as a youngster after moving to a refugee camp from Sudan.
Sophomores Tony King (who attended Covenant Bible College last year) and
Matthew Cappetta (a thrower on the track team), along with freshmen
Weston Gleffe and Joel Ylagan, are also competing.
North Park runs at a meet hosted by North Central College on Friday,
September 3 to start the season. The meet is held at DuPage River Park
in the western suburbs of Chicago.
In volleyball, eighth-year head coach Susan Zimmer returns two seniors,
defensive standout Amanda Klufetos and setter Jennifer Williams, along
with five others who played regularly during the 2003 season.
Klufetos has earned two-time All-CCIW mention as a libero, an all-around
defensive specialist. She averaged 6.24 digs per game and was Player of
the Week in the conference after her team defeated Augustana College.
Williams was converted exclusively to setter last year and her solid
play was a positive for Zimmer's young lineup. She also can serve well,
tallying 35 aces.
"That's our biggest thing this year is having experienced upper
classmen," said Zimmer, now in her eighth year as the coach of the
Vikings. "Both Amanda and Jenny have been like four-year starters and
they are tri-captains with Shannon Zoll. Amanda's the heart
and soul of this team. She drives them and pushes them. Williams
definitely taken on more leadership responsibility in her role and in
the spring she worked really hard with hitters on timing and
communication. And Zoll is also a very vocal player."
Zoll and fellow junior Lindsay Reh are projected to be the starting
outside hitters, although classmate Amanda Phoenix will play
extensively. Reh had 254 kills in 2003, third on the team. Zoll was
among the team leaders in kills during an injury-plagued season.
Amanda Mazur, a sophomore from Wheaton, is the Vikings' top middle
hitter. She was second in kills with 265 kills and was involved in 86
blocks, which led all players. Freshman Julie Musselman of the
Evangelical Covenant Church of Princeton, Illinois,
will probably start as the other middle hitter after earning All-Area
and All-Conference honors at Princeton High School. Another Covenanter,
Greta Carlson of Hudson, Ohio, is a setter on the team.
Experience is not the only weapon in the North Park arsenal - the
Vikings are pretty intelligent, too. The team had a combined grade-point
average of 3.17 on a 4.0 scale.
North Park opens at the Benedictine Invitational on Friday, September 3,
and hosts its first match against Moody Bible Institute on September 14.
The team's first CCIW match is September 18 at Illinois Wesleyan.
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