Ally Beneke was honored last Friday during the basketball games between DeKalb and Warren County. The now 20-year-old was a member of the DeKalb/Warren County cooperative Track and Field program during her sophomore, junior, and senior years, and was a two-time state high school high jump champion.

During a presentation between the girls’ and boys’ games, Beneke was presented a plaque and a banner in her honor, which will be prominently displayed in the gym alongside other star athletes. During the ceremony, she was joined by her parents Jerry and Kim Beneke and her coaches, Jeremy Wilhelm and Kristen VanVranken.

Ally earned her first State Championship on May 26th, 2022 at the TSSAA-DI AAA track meet after jumping a height of 5 feet 6 inches to claim the title. She repeated as State Champion on May 25, 2023 when she cleared a new personal record, and school record, of 5 feet 8 inches on her final attempt jump at the TSSAA D1-AAA Track and Field State Meet held at the Dean A. Hayes Stadium at MTSU.

Ally is now a student at Tennessee Tech in Cookeville where she is studying exercise science to become a physical therapist.

“It was a pleasure to get to work with her,” Coach Wilhelm said. “She did a wonderful job. She got a school record with her jump of five foot seven inches, but at the state championship she broke her own record with the five foot eight inch jum