May 29, 2026
The 2026 CIAO Soccer Hall of Fame induction ceremony took place at Berkshire Hills Country Club on Thursday, May 14. The players were introduced by committee chairmen Al Belanger and Patrick West.
The scholarship winners were introduced by Chris Dumas, a member of the CIAO Soccer Hall of Fame committee. The photographer for the evening was Ricco Fruscio. Over the past 21 years, the scholarships awarded to high school seniors in Berkshire County have topped $250,000.
The Hall of Fame's mission is to preserve the sport's history in Berkshire County, to honor excellence within the game and to make a connection between the generations that bring communities together.
The class of inductees included four county MVPs, 14 All-Berkshire selections, eight All-Western Mass. selections, nine captains, five 4-year varsity starters and one 5-year varsity starter.
The 2026 Inductees:
Katie Dumas Sturm (Wahconah 2015) was a hard-nosed, and relentless four-year starter for Wahconah. She was a two-year captain in the middle of the field, scoring and assisting on clutch goals in big games. She was rewarded with being named All-Berkshire, and All Western Mass. in her senior year. She is married to Brent Sturm (who is also being inducted into the Hall of Fame this year) and has a son Banks and a 7-week-old Everett Michael. She works at General Dynamics.
Brent Sturm (Wahconah 2009) was named to the All-Berkshire Team in both his junior and senior years and won a Western Mass championship during his time at Wahconah. He also went on to have a stellar career at Wentworth Institute. He and his wife, Katie, are the first husband and wife inductees into the CIAO Soccer Hall of Fame in the same year. After college, he helped coach the Wahconah soccer and basketball teams. He works at General Dynamics.
Nicole Gamberoni (Lenox 2019) was an impact player on her team for five years while at Lenox making All-Berkshire teams four times. She was captain twice, finished with 107 points, and was the league MVP two times. She also went on to play soccer at AIC. She is working at Lenox High School while she is getting her master’s degree.
Luke Peploski (Pittsfield High 2020) was a four-year starter at PHS and made All-Berkshire and All-Western Mass. teams from 2017-2020. He went on to play at Hamilton College and now holds the all-time assist record for the Continentals and led his team back to the D-III NCAA tournament for the first time in 17 years. He was named to the All-NESCAC team for three years. He was also an All-Region selectee during this time.
Cam Powell (Monument 2014) was a four-year starter at Monument Mountain, a senior captain and sportsmanship award winner, a two time All-Berkshire and two-time All-Southern Berkshire player. After high school Cam played soccer at Springfield College and earned multiple honors. He was named to the All-Conference team and was awarded the ECAC Player of the Year. He won the Coaches’ Award, The Defensive Player of the Year and the Rookie of the Year. He also earned the NSCAA Scholar Award. After college he played for two different Scandinavian football clubs.
Molly Masiero (Monument 2010) was a four-year varsity player, a captain and All-South/All-Berkshire First Team player four times. She led her team all four years in scoring. Her soccer life at Lasell was strong as well. She was the starting center-mid three years and as a captain, led her team to three GNAC championships during those years. Her teams also went to the NCAA tournament those years as well. After college she helped coach the Monument team for one year and has since moved to Breckenridge, Colo. where she is a licensed massage therapist.
Joe Larkin (Pittsfield 1978) was also named all-everything at Pittsfield High School. A two time All-Berkshire First Teamer, Berkshire Eagle All-League, and he was a Division I Western Mass. team player… a very rare event in the 1970s. He went on to UMass where he continued to be a standout in baseball as a three year varsity starter. He married Maggie Messina, from Pittsfield, has three children, lives in Newton and is a principal partner for Millennium Partners.
Sara Hamilton (Wahconah 2011) was a talented four-year varsity midfielder at Wahconah. Her teams won three Berkshire County championships, two Western Mass. championships and she led the team to two nail-biter state finals in 2008 and 2010. She was named to the All-Berkshire and All-Western Mass. teams twice. Her soccer teams in high school had a record of 57-8-4. In all the sports she played in high school she won eight county championships, seven Western Mass. championships, three Central/Mass. championships and one state final. She has also been inducted into three county halls of fame.
Andy Waluszko (Monument 1982) was a soccer coach in Berkshire County for over four decades starting at St. Joe in 1987 and ending at Pittsfield high in 2017 for a total of 41 years. He also coached the club team Soccer Domain Academy out of New Jersey for seven years. His record at PHS was 117 wins, 55 losses and 24 ties with 10 straight trips to the D-I Western Mass. Tournament. His teams had a 49-game win streak against county teams between 2011-2015. Andy now lives in Saratoga, New York and works for General Dynamics Mission Systems.