Short ready for long stay in Chicago

Casey Short, a girls track and girls soccer athlete, recently was inducted into the Naperville Central Athletic Hall of Fame. Daily Herald File Photo, 2008

The Chicago Red Stars have happily caught themselves Short.

As Red Stars coach Rory Dames stated in a November release, he'd waited three years to get 2008 Naperville Central graduate Casey Short onto his National Women's Soccer League squad.

As an 18-year-old Short played for the St. Viator alumnus with the Eclipse soccer club. Short signed with the Red Stars on Nov. 24 after playing in 2015 for Avaldsnes in Norway's Toppserien league.

She sounded equally thrilled.

"It was a very difficult decision on whether to stay another year in Norway or to come back, but playing in front of family and friends is definitely a dream come true," she said. "And playing for Rory again, that's what drew me back."

Short recently was drawn back to Naperville Central on Jan. 22, for its fourth Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony. She joined Marty Bee, Kevin Bell, George Cyr, Elry Falkenstein, Carter Hill, Anne Mucci and Robert Rugg among a group whose impact ranged from the 1940s to the current decade.

While a Redhawk, the exceptionally friendly Short epitomized the term, student-athlete. An Illinois State Scholar and 2008 Parade All-American on the soccer field, she played on four straight U.S. national teams although until late, her prep spring sport was track and field.

Short created a hubbub when after winning the Class AA 800-meter run at the 2006 girls state track meet as a sophomore, then winning both the 400 and 800 in 2007 as a junior, she switched solely to soccer as a senior. Of course, she was great.

At Florida State she continued to earn accolades both on and off the soccer field, though in 2012 she required a redshirt senior year after suffering the first of two ACL injuries, one to each knee.

The second injury occurred in February 2013 while playing for the U.S. Under-23 National Team, after Short had already been drafted by the Boston Breakers with the fifth overall pick in the NWSL College Draft. The Red Stars traded for her rights, but due to the injuries she has yet to play in the NWSL with either Boston or Chicago.

"I'm very excited," she said. "It's definitely one of the best leagues in the world if not the best."

She also said physically -- "knock on wood" -- she's never felt better.

"We're making sure everything's nice and good," said Mike Niklos, head strength and performance coach at Acceleration Sports. He works five days a week with Short, who also has joined Neuqua Valley stars and current pros Patrick Doody, a Chicago Fire defender, and Bryan Ciesiulka for training at the Naperville facility.

"She's been working her tail off to make sure that, A, she's healthy, but B, she's able to compete at the highest level she can," Niklos said.

His emphasis is increasing Short's linear and lateral speed before adding foot skills before she reports to the Red Stars on March 11.

Short, who earned a bachelor's degree in criminology, a minor in sociology and a master's in sport management, all at Florida State, started out as a forward and midfielder. Due to need, she said, she moved to defense her senior year, and reprised that with Avaldsnes. She was named one of the Toppserien league's "Top 11" players.

"I've been an attacking player most of my career, so I like to try to bring those qualities in to my game," she said. "Taking players one on one but also going one versus one on the other side of the ball as well."

She lives with her mother, LeeShelle, in her childhood home in Naperville. She anticipates joining two former rivals on the Red Stars. In October the team claimed Neuqua Valley graduate Brittany Bock, who last played for the Houston Dash. Former Waubonsie Valley star Vanessa DiBernardo, who starred for Perth in the Australian W-League this off-season, was a Red Stars rookie in 2015.

"I've always had so much respect for both of them, and now I'm excited to be able to play with them," said Short, whose new team moves back to Toyota Park this season.

"I'll just be playing minutes from where I grew up," she said, "and to be able to have friends and family come to the games and play in front of them, it really means a lot to me."

Passing the baton

As indoor track begins in earnest, here's an update on changes within one of the state's top programs.

Since last season Brian Hesik resigned as coach of the Lake Park girls track team for personal reasons, athletic director Pete Schauer said, and has been replaced by boys horizontal jumps coach Tom Kaberna.

Kaberna, who helped Marcus Jegede, Shawn Koch and Zach Ziemek (by the way, the Wisconsin senior was named this week's Big Ten field athlete of the week) to state titles, is a 2013 Illinois Track and Cross Country Coaches Association Dave Pasquini Award winner as an assistant coach of the year.

Bob Nihells, an ITCCCA Hall of Fame inductee also in 2013, joins Kaberna on the girls side as he transitions from famed boys throws coach to girls sprints coach.

Nihells coached the sprints and was boys coach when the Anthony Moorman-led Lancers won the 1997 Class AA title. Later he coached some of the best throwers in Illinois prep history, headed by state record holders Dan Block and Jermaine Kline.

Nihells' successor in the boys spot, Jay Ivory, coached Lake Park to four straight Class 3A championships, 2010-13.

New Lake Park teacher Matt Sullivan, formerly of Lisle, moves from the girls to boys team to work with horizontal jumpers. Ben Bishop remains Lake Park's third-year girls throws coach; he initially came to Lake Park from Edwardsville, where he coached Emmonnie Henderson to seven state titles in discus and shot put.

To succeed Nihells as Ivory's throws coach, Lake Park hired retired University of Wisconsin and University of Minnesota throws coach Scott Bennett. A longtime compatriot of Nihells, Schauer said, Bennett has also worked with the DuPage Track Club, the summer training organization led by Kaberna.

Lots of movement. But as Schauer said, "everyone is on board and excited."

Diving in

In time for this weekend's boys conference swimming and diving meets, Evanston coach Kevin Auger distributed his boys prep top 20 rankings. They are viewable on the Wildkit Aquatics website, which also lists neat stuff for both boys and girls swimming, including the fastest times of this and other seasons.

Heading Auger's boys current ratings is Peoria Notre Dame, followed by Naperville Central and St. Charles North.

Other top 20 DuPage County teams include No. 7 Waubonsie Valley, No. 8 Hinsdale Central, No. 15 Neuqua Valley and No. 19 Metea Valley.

As far as those times go, Auger has Waubonsie's Michael Schwers second in the 100 fly at 50.69 seconds. Neuqua Valley's 200 freestyle relay is No. 2 at 1 minute, 26.82 seconds, and also second in the 400 freestyle relay, 3:12.54.

On a roll

Saturday is also the date of girls bowling regionals. The site, IllinoisBowling.net ranks Waubonsie Valley No. 3, behind defending state champion Lockport and Schaumburg. The Warriors compete at the Oswego East regional, where the field includes the fourth-ranked host as well as No. 7 West Aurora and No. 15 Oswego. Lake Park and Hinsdale South host regionals as well.

Coach Marty Miller's Waubonsie Valley Warriors won consecutive state titles in 2013-14. The program's hardware in school display cases is impressive.

doberhelman@dailyherald.com

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