Of all the honors earned at Naperville Central High School, varsity tennis coach Judy Shull holds the most distinctive: first team state championship in NCHS history. In 1993, Shull and her players brought a state title home for the first time in 130 years, forever cementing their place in Naperville Central athletic history.Shull’s journey to the record books began in Anniston, Alabama, where her parents and two older brothers taught her to play tennis and instilled in her a deep love of sports. After graduating from Auburn University in 1968, she taught physical education for three years before moving to Naperville in 1971. Shull remembers her early days on staff at Naperville Central, sharing, “Getting a teaching position at Naperville Central was one of the greatest days of my life! They welcomed me in, Southern accent and all. It was a wonderful place to be a teacher and coach – I was so lucky!”Shull dove into her roles as teacher and coach with enthusiasm, starting the girls’ track program in 1972 during her first year of teaching, after being approached by a group of eager young athletes. Inspired by the support of colleagues Bud Berger and Ira Scott, Shull dug out old boys’ warm-ups to outfit her runners, recruited volunteers to run the meets and shepherded her team to the cinder tracks of Naperville Central and Washington Junior High. These humble beginnings led to 9 years of high achieving teams, including 3 Up-State Eight Conference titles and many state qualifiers. Under Shull’s watchful, encouraging eye, a running tradition was born.That tradition of athletic excellence continued in 1974, when Shull was hired as the girls tennis coach. In 1980, assistant coach Terry Kistler was hired and the years of the dynamic Shull/Kistler duo began. Shull remembers her time with Kistler fondly, smiling, “We had so much fun coaching together and the girls teased us about our life lessons […] We all worked very hard but we could always find funny things to laugh about and stories to tell.” That hard work and genuine collaboration led to 26 years of tennis achievements, including 12 DuPage Valley Conference Championships, 6 IHSA Sectional Championships, 6 Top 10 finishes in State, and the 1993 State Championship. Shull remembers, “Every coach’s dream is to win a State Championship […] It was a team trophy – every match and every ½ point mattered! To win a championship you must have the talent, motivation and a little luck for things to go your way. [That year] it all worked out!”While 1993’s state trophy was a definitive highlight of both Redhawk tennis and NCHS athletic history, the preeminence of Shull’s program only grew in the years that followed. From 2000-2003, Shull coached Elizabeth Lumpkin, the first-ever 4-time singles champion in Illinois history. Shull noted, “She was one of the hardest workers I’ve ever seen and just seemed to love the game of tennis. She played with a quiet, determined, calm demeanor on the court and just took one match at a time…all the way to a 122-5 high school record.” Lumpkin’s poise, humility and quiet determination, though uniquely hers, was strengthened by Shull’s strong example. As a young freshman Lumpkin told Chicago Tribune reporter Pat Rooney after her first state title, "My coach [Judy Shull] always says that it's not about winning or losing, it's about being prepared to win." That constant preparation to win – both in life and in competition – led to her induction into the Illinois High School Tennis Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2003.Shull’s dominance of the courts was not limited to the tennis arena; when colleague and friend Benny Kenyon approached her about coaching JV badminton, Shull jumped at the opportunity to continue working with young athletes. Shull explains, “That was the beginning of a wonderful experience – teaching fundamentals of the game while developing competitors with mental toughness and confidence. The bonus was in the friendships and lifetime memories I received with this group of hard working girls.” Under Shull’s positive leadership, her teams earned 4 JV DVC championships and 2 Freshman DVC championships.Shull retired in 2002, proud to have called NCHS home. She reflects, “Coaching at Naperville Central was one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. I have made so many wonderful friends and developed relationships that I will always remember. Not every team won conference titles or qualified for State, but hopefully every team had fun and left with lots of positive memories. Goal setting, skill development and competition are part of the fun of coaching but are only tools that enable us to develop these lifetime memories.”