A trio of Naperville area athletes was recently inducted into the Illinois Sports Hall of Fame in Springfield. On July 25, 2010 Waubonsie Valley grad Vanessa DiBernardo, 2008 Naperville Central grad Casey Krueger (Short), and 2012 Metea Valley alum Zach Wood were named to the 2026 Hall of Fame Class.
A pair of soccer standouts
DiBernardo and Krueger are two of Naperville’s most decorated soccer players. Vanessa DiBernardo won three state championships (2007, 2008, 2010) as an All-State player at Waubonsie, before going on to play at the University of Illinois. She was selected by her hometown Chicago Red Stars with the fourth overall pick in the 2014 NWSL Draft. She played for the Stars through the 2022 season before signing with her current team, the Kansas City Current.
DiBernardo recently returned to the pitch for the Current from maternity leave following the birth of her daughter, Charlie.
Casey Krueger starred at Naperville Central as a state champion track star and an All-State soccer player for the Redhawks. After a standout career at Florida State, Krueger was fifth overall by the Boston Breakers in the 2013 NWSL Draft. Krueger then signed with her hometown Red Stars in 2016, where she was a teammate with DiBernardo through the 2022 season. In 2024, Krueger signed with her current team, the Washington Spirit.
Kruger is a two-time Olympian, winning gold with the U.S. Women’s National Team at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
A Mustang lacrosse legend
The lone lacrosse player elected in the 2026 Class is Metea Valley grad Zach Wood. A football player and a member of the Mustangs’ first graduating class, Wood dominated on the field for the Valley Co-Op lacrosse team. A two-time All-State team member, he ended his prep career as the all-time leading scorer for the state of Illinois with 316 goals, 144 assists, and 460 career points. Wood went on to play collegiately at the University of Virginia.
Olympic gold medal-winning volleyball player and former University of Illinois star Jordyn Poulter, who was born in Naperville before moving to Colorado, was also named to the Class of 2026.
About the Illinois Sports Hall of Fame
The Illinois Sports Hall of Fame inducted its inaugural class in 2024, honoring former high school, collegiate, and professional athletes, coaches, officials, and administrators with ties to the state of Illinois. The official Hall of Fame building will be completed in Springfield in the summer of 2028.
Former legendary North Central College cross country coach Al Carius and Naperville Central star basketball player Candace Parker were two of the dozens of inductees in the class of 2024.
Leave a Reply