FACILITIES / DIRECTIONS

Helwig Rec Center

Completed in 2006, the Helwig Recreation Center boasts some of the most dynamic practice, strength and conditioning, athletic training and rehabilitation, and recreation spaces in the nation. Helwig is truly a dozen state-of-the-art facilities in one.

Facilities

The McCarrell-Djurickovic Courts are two collegiate-sized basketball courts with 12 adjustable goals support the men’s and women’s basketball program. The area can also provide enough space for three volleyball courts for women’s volleyball practice.

The Nelson Indoor FieldTurf Area provides 35 yards of artificial turf for indoor baseball, football, men's and women's golf, men's and women's soccer, and softball practice. The FieldTurf here is identical to the surface on our outdoor athletic complexes, making North Park the only College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) school to be able to practice on our actual game surface during the winter.

The Alford Indoor Track is a two-lane, 200-meter track with a state of the art Mondo surface providing indoor practice space for the men's and women's track and field teams.

The Schwan Weight Room contains 5,000 square feet filled with industry-leading Hammer Strength equipment, both plate-loaded and free-weight machines. Twelve fully equipped power-lifting stations with wooden platforms accommodate 24 athletes simultaneously.

The Blair Fitness Center provides 35 pieces of cardio equipment including elliptical trainers, treadmills, upright and recumbent bikes, rowing ergometers, and stair climbers along with 18 pieces of Selectorized equipment for circuit training.

The Holmgren Athletic Training Room is a multiple-table evaluation and rehabilitation space for athletic care and prevention. This space also includes a hydrotherapy room and private evaluation area for team physician analysis.

Ninety feet of dividable indoor cage space supports the baseball and softball teams. A fine-gauge net makes it suitable for indoor golf practice as well.

The track and field indoor throwing space with cage and throwing curtain is designed for indoor throwing practice in field events, while the jump pit supports high jump, long jump, and pole vault.

The Brorson Climbing Wall is our state-of-the-art indoor climbing and traverse wall, which adds an athletic and adventurous component to each user’s workout. The 26-foot-high and 12-foot-wide climbing wall is equipped with three routes and has 75 holds that can be changed to vary routes and offer a challenge to all climbing levels.

The Holmgren Mezzanine is a multi-use area designed for group fitness classes and University gatherings. It provides access to the McCormick Tribune Foundation – Youngman Classrooms, four wireless-equipped classrooms with built-in media systems that support classes for academic programs throughout the University as well as superior meeting and video-analysis space for Viking athletic teams. Adjoining the mezzanine is Fellowes Lounge, a gathering space for recruiting, athletic staff meetings, and SAAC meetings. This area showcases all North Park sports, particularly highlighting our five national-championship trophies for men’s basketball.

The Helwig Recreation Center is secured for the exclusive use of North Park University students, faculty, and staff through the Bickner Family Foundation Foyer. Patrons must present a current NPU ID to gain admittance.

Holmgren Athletic Complex

Completed in 2004, the Holmgren Complex is one of the most versatile, well-engineered, all-weather outdoor complexes in the Midwest. Holmgren is named after Super Bowl champion head coach Mike Holmgren and his family, who have been great North Park University supporters. The complex is one tangible element of their family legacy here.

An industry-leading synthetic surface, FieldTurf, provides the highest-quality (and injury-reducing) game and practice opportunities in virtually all weather conditions. FieldTurf is the industry name in injury-reducing synthetic athletic surfaces. Viking baseball and softball benefit directly from the FieldTurf, among only a handful of teams nationally that play and practice on artificial turf. The surface at the Holmgren Complex allows athletes to take the field in weather that is impossible with a natural grass surface.

With nearly an acre of playing surface, Holmgren offers the Viking football team ample space for position breakdown and instruction. The complex allows Viking teams to play for a large and passionate fan base, with seating for 3,000 right up close to the action on the field.

In the summer of 2018, the playing surface was completely redone with state-of-the-art FieldTurf, replacing all areas that originally had dirt (both softball and baseball pitching areas, bullpens, and home plate areas for both baseball and softball).