“It’s so exciting to be back. I haven’t been back here since I graduated, so being able to see the school and then see everyone that was so instrumental in my high school career is so exciting. It’s really an honor,” said Naperville North High School cross country star Judy Pendergast.
“This place means so much to me, my family, friends, so many people. And, you know, to kind of reflect on all the people who had a share in helping me achieve the things that I did. It really means a lot,” said Nick Solak.
A new era for the Naperville North Athletic Hall of Fame
For the first time since 2020, Naperville North inducted a new class of athletes into the school’s athletic department Hall of Fame. Athletic Director Jon Pereiro made the return of the Hall of Fame one of his early priorities when he first came aboard in 2024. This story is sponsored by Fair Oaks Ford and Fair Oaks Lincoln.
“After going through my first year and hearing that we hadn’t done a Hall of Fame induction, we knew we wanted to do it right. And so we did bring back the Hall of Fame board. We brought them back, and we really made sure we went through and had a strategy behind bringing back the Hall of Fame, making sure we were taking a look at historical individuals, from pre 2000’s, and then also individuals that are more current and ready to be able to get into the Hall of Fame by our criteria. And so we’re just so excited to be able to bring this back,” said Naperville North AD Jon Pereiro.
A big class filled with big names
With over a half-decade wait between ceremonies, there were 10 athletes, one coach, and one contributor who returned to Naperville to be inducted in the class of 2026, with graduates spanning from 1987 to as recent as 2016…