Five Viking Student-Athletes Earn CCIW All-Conference Honors
CHICAGO (November 23, 2015) — Five North Park University student-athletes were named to the 2015–2016 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) All-Conference team this fall, across three different sports. The honors cap off a strong season for Viking athletics.
‘The most prolific goal-scorer in North Park history'
As the Vikings’ strongest midfielder in 2015, junior Pedram Tahmi-Masoleh of Stockholm, Sweden, not only led the men’s soccer team in every offensive category, but also broke the team record for goals scored in a season.
“Pedram has proven to be the most prolific goal-scorer in North Park history,” said Head Coach John Born. “He was continually targeted by the opposing defense, yet still managed to find the back of the net. His stellar play this season certainly deserves to be honored and celebrated.”
Tahmi-Masoleh was a unanimous All-CCIW First Team honoree, his second straight selection. He finished 2015 ranked in the top 10 nationally in four categories, including goals per game (1.8, second), shots per game (5.29, fourth), goals scored (20, fifth), and points per game (2.47, ninth) in all of NCAA Division III.
“I love to score goals, and I think when you have that mindset that you want to score and you know you can, the goals come,” Tahmi-Masoleh said. “I just tried to be a good teammate to everyone else because they set me up.”
One season, nine shutouts
Tahmi-Masoleh’s teammates Ricky Pimentel and Diego Lashlee also received recognition for their work on the field. Pimentel, of Franklin Park, Ill., became the first Viking freshman to earn All-CCIW First Team honors since 2011, while senior Lashlee, of Denver, earned Second Team honors in his third consecutive selection.
As one of the Vikings’ premier defenders this year, Pimentel was a key player in the team’s nine recorded shutouts. On October 6, he was named CCIW Defensive Player of the Week after helping lead the Vikings to a 1-0 win over nationally ranked University of Wisconsin–Whitewater and a 2-0 triumph over Millikin University in the conference season opener. Pimentel put away his first collegiate goal in a 6-2 victory over Illinois Wesleyan University October 14.
Despite an injury that sidelined him for six matches, Lashlee recorded eight shots, one goal, and an assist in the last five games of the campaign. He assisted on the second goal in the Vikings’ 3-0 Homecoming win over the University of California, Santa Cruz, on October 16, then earned his first goal of the season against Carthage College five days later. Lashlee finished 2015 with seven shots on goal and three points.
The team ended the year with an overall record of 12-4-2 and 3-2-2 within the CCIW.
A premier hitter
Although only in her freshman year, Lauren Wiltsie has become one of the premier women’s volleyball hitters in the CCIW. Wiltsie was named an All-CCIW Third Team selection after helping lead the Vikings to one of their most successful seasons in recent memory.
As the team’s top outside hitter, Wiltsie led the team with 363 kills, averaging just under four per set at 3.36. She finished the season with a team-best 26 serving aces and was second on the team in digs with 376, averaging 3.48 per set. She also totaled a team-best 16 double-doubles in kills and digs. Wiltsie, of Elgin, Ill., ranked among the conference elite, ranking in the top three for total kills and kills per set, and in the top 10 for total digs and digs per set.
The team ended with a 13-17 record, its best overall since 2011. The Vikings earned their best CCIW finish in the last nine years under first-year Head Coach Natalie Dietz.
Momentum continues
Sophomore Lisa Daniels earned CCIW All-Conference Second Team honors for the women’s tennis team, her second straight All-CCIW honor after being recognized as the CCIW Newcomer of the Year last season. Daniels, of Cape Town, South Africa, finished the year with a 5-4 overall record at No. 1 singles.
“We are very proud of Lisa’s inclusion in the all-conference team,” said Head Coach Karl Clifton-Soderstrom. “From her start here last year, she has had an impressive career as our number one singles player. It’s a tough position to be in, because in every match, you are playing one-on-one against the best singles player at each school. This year, the CCIW was much tougher at their top positions. Lisa had a solid year against the new level of competition, and will only become a better player because of it.”
As part of the No. 1 doubles duo with Juviel Vinluan, Daniels earned three victories, including two straight wins over Olivet Nazarene University and conference foe Illinois Wesleyan. “The team momentum continues, and we look for more great things to come from Lisa and her teammates,” said Clifton-Soderstrom.
The team finished with a 5-5 overall record, a three-match improvement from its inaugural season last year. They earned a fifth-place finish in the CCIW postseason tournament, which the team entered with a number six seed.
Use @npunews to follow North Park University News on Twitter. Learn more about North Park University.