At the Aug. 12 village board meeting, Huntley High School sophomore Alexandria “Alex” Johnson was recognized for her state championship in the long jump at the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) track and field state meet held on June 12.
Alex was also recognized at the July 15 Huntley Community School District 158 (D158) Board of Education meeting, where Jennifer Garza, one of the track and field coaches, spoke of Alex’s accomplishments.
After becoming long jump state champ, HHS incoming junior Alexandria Johnson was recognized by both The Village of Huntley Board of Trustees and the D158 Board of Education. She took state with a 19-foot jump. (Photo provided)
“This year, Alex set the school record in the long jump early in the season and then proceeded to re-break it throughout the season, and again at the state meet. She also currently holds the second-best program times in the [100-meter dash] and the [200-meter dash]. She is the conference champion in three events this year: the long jump, the 100, and the four-by-one relay, and she was sectional champion in the 100 and the long jump,” Garza said.
Garza continued, “At the state meet, she jumped a personal best by .92 which means absolutely nothing except when I say 19 feet four inches on her second attempt out of four, and that really rattled her competition. No one came close. Her poise and confidence were both present and she clearly took a moment to soak it all in. Later in the meet, she won her heat in the 100 and finished sixth in the state, bringing home a second medal.”
Garza has worked with Alex since she was in eighth grade at Marlowe Middle School.
During the village board meeting, Dave Johnson, Huntley’s village manager, also spoke about his personal experience with Alex.
“I had the good fortune of one of my daughters playing basketball with Alex a couple of years ago and I will say the energy and the positiveness was shining every time she was on the court, and [I am] absolutely proud of your accomplishments and congratulations on behalf of the village,” Dave said.
Huntley Village President Tim Hoeft then proceeded to present Alex with a certificate and a medal on behalf of the Board of Trustees.
“The Village Board of Trustees congratulates and acknowledges Alexandria Johnson long jump state champion. The village board is pleased to recognize and congratulate Alexandria Johnson of the Huntley High School Girls Track Team for winning the IHSA State Championship for long jump,” Hoeft said, reading what was written on Alex’s certificate.
“Your hard work and perseverance are a testament to your dedication and desire to accomplish with speed. The village board congratulates you on being a state champion representing School District 158 in our great community for a job well done.”
Alex shared her gratitude with the village board, as she added that she hopes to continue to represent D158 for the next two years.
“I just want to say thank you guys for having me here today (Aug. 12). This means so much to me. I really hope to represent you guys again next year. I want to thank my coaches. Even the ones that couldn’t be here, because I could not be here without them. I want to thank my dad and my mom and my sister for being here with me too, because I could have not done it without them either,” Alex said.
Alex will be an incoming junior for the 2021-2022 school year where she is part of the varsity Girls Track and Field Team at Huntley High School. She will graduate in 2023.
“Alex is the kind of athlete that every coach loves to work with…She’s extremely talented. She’s also one of the hardest workers out there and she brings such a positive energy to our team. She’s also the ultimate teammate because you can always find her cheering on her fellow teammates and see her little mug in the back of pictures when they’re running…We are extremely proud of Alex and we look forward to working with her for the next two years,” Garza said.
