By Rich Acritelli
“The goal is always to work the hardest.” Track and field standout – Jasmine Moore
Rocky Point resident Alexandra “Alex” Kelly, a gifted, 20-year-old athlete, had the opportunity to compete in the 2024 Olympic Trials June 21. There, she was placed 21st in the Women’s Long Jump Qualification – Group 1. She has gained valuable knowledge watching the preparation of other top athletes on the national stage.
Reuben Jones, assistant women’s track and field coach at Princeton University, said, “Alex is one of the all-time most physically-gifted athletes I have ever coached in my 14 years in the Ivy League and the last eight with Princeton. Alex can raise her game to meet the level of any competition. Before she graduates, she can surpass the 22-foot mark in the long jump and the 45-foot mark for the triple jump.”
In 2022, Kelly graduated from Rocky Point High School as an honor student, with a 101 GPA, who enjoyed singing in the chorus and working as lifeguard at her local beach.
As an eighth grader, she was still somewhat new to athletics but still broke the long and triple jump records at the high school.
During COVID-19, every athlete was stopped in their tracks. But, being the positive individual she is, Kelly took this period in stride, and realized that it could be an opportunity for growth. She prioritized her leg health, and never stopped training.
For a time, Kelly ran the 4×100 meter relay, and while she liked this event with her teammates, she stopped running this discipline to devote more time to jumping. To stay in shape, she ran sprints and had a strenuous lifting regimen. All of this training paid dividends as Kelly kept establishing new jumping records, and finished first in New York State championships in the triple jump during the 2021-22 winter and spring track seasons.
Right before high school graduation, Kelly was New Balance Nationals champion in the triple jump, held at the University of Pennsylvania.
As this remarkable athlete successfully competed at the highest levels of track and field in high school, Kelly was aggressively recruited by Columbia, Dartmouth, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton, Stanford and both the Air Force and Naval academies.
For Kelly, Princeton University was the perfect distance away from home. She is majoring in ecology and evolutionary biology, and minoring in the history of science technology and medicine. Kelly is equally as dedicated to her academics.
During her freshman season, Kelly quickly cemented her presence on the Princeton team, as she helped the school earn three Ivy League titles.
This special athlete has some current time to see her family and friends, but she looks forward to her junior season when she will return to Princeton as a captain.
A goal-oriented student-athlete who has her eyes set on attaining her education and the pursuit of athletics brilliance, she will keep being a role model to other younger women and will surely continue to make the North Shore proud of her accomplishments.
