Jenna Wrobel was a force to be reckoned with, both on and off the volleyball court. A fierce competitor driven by deep loyalty to team, family and friends, she made a definitive and lasting impression at Naperville Central.Wrobel credits her success and memories to the leadership and support of Coach John Garrison and her teammates Jen Dick, Lisa and Leslie Krause, Kara Bruzan and Jen Zagers. A four-year letter winner and two-year team captain, she broke the Illinois High School Association record, compiling 1,243 kills during her career, and was a two-time first-team All-State selection. In 1994, she was named to the Mizuno High School All-Star team and played in the All-America match in Los Angeles. While a Redhawk athlete, she earned many honors, including selection to the Chicago Sun Times, Daily Herald and Naperville Sun All-Area, All-State and All-Conference teams. She won the NYVA National Invitational Outstanding Spiker Award and had great success in the club arena, earning First-Team AAU honors in 1993 and 1994 while co-captaining the United States Junior National team. In 1995, Wrobel was named a First-Team USAV All-American. While time in the volleyball gym drove the heart of her high school experience, she was never one to categorize or be categorized. A multi-talented athlete, Wrobel was also a two-time letter winner in basketball and track, where she placed 6th in the 100m High Hurdles in the 1992 State Track Finals. Passionately committed to a broad high school experience, she enjoyed Friday night football games with friends and school dances in the gym. Wrobel is especially thankful for great teachers who supported her in and out of the classroom.After graduating from Naperville Central, Wrobel traded in her red and white for Spartan green, launching into an accomplished career at Michigan State University. She earned a starting spot immediately and led her 1995 team to a trip to the NCAA Final Four; she was named MSU’s first Freshman of the Year, earned honors as Big Ten Freshman of the Year, and was declared an ASICS/Volleyball Freshman All-American. During her tenure at Michigan State, Wrobel was a member of four NCAA tournament teams and two Big Ten championship squads, guiding MSU to the first & second Big Ten titles in program history. She was a seven-time Big Ten Player of the Week, two-time ASICS/Volleyball National Player of the Week, and the third player in conference history to be named All-Big Ten all four seasons. She was named to eight all-tournament teams, earning tournament MVP honors three times and, in 1998, led the nation in kills per game with a 5.94 average. Notably, she is the MSU Career Leader in kills (2,292), attempts (5,353) and 20-kill matches (54). Wrobel is one of six players with over 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs and only one of four players to have her number retired by her alma mater. A true team leader, she was team MVP in 1997 and 1998 and team captain in 1998. Michigan State honored her incredible career by inducting her into its Hall of Fame in 2013. Wrobel graduated with a degree in Communications and went on to play professionally for the US National team from 1999-2000. After retiring, she dove into the world of education, teaching 2nd, 3rd and 6th grade. She currently lives in California with her husband, Tim Grave, and daughter, Addison.Her advice to current Naperville Central students is reminiscent of the values she also held as a high school student-athlete: “Work hard, have fun and make every day count. I’m not telling you it’s going to be easy. I’m telling you it’s going to be worth it!” Wrobel’s legacy at Naperville Central is one of hard work, competitive fire and grace. Tellingly, though an expert in “kills,” she has shown all around her how to really live.