Golden legacy: West Chester Rustin’s Ava Alexander is 2023 Daily Local News Girls Track Athlete of the Year

West Chester Rustin senior Ava Alexander, the 2023 Daily Local News All-Area Girls Track Athlete of the Year, has wrapped up a truly legendary career.
Alexander won a total of seven state medals in the past three PIAA Track & Field Championships (including two gold medals in the triple jump) in a variety of events that included the 400-meter run, the 4×100 and 4×400 relays. She also captured eight indoor track state medals competing for Rustin.
“I think Ava is the best all-around track athlete in the state,” said Rustin girls coach Jim Collins. “She is fast and explosive and has really improved through her work ethic. I believe we would have been able to showcase (her versatility) even more if she did not have setbacks due to injuries, where we lost time to branch out – she could have been a great hurdler and high jumper as well.”
One of those injuries was a stress fracture in her back, suffered during her junior year. Because of that stress fracture, she couldn’t compete in the triple jump in the PIAA track postseason, but still opted to compete in the 400, and won a state medal in the 400 (as well as the 4×400 relay) at the 2022 PIAA Track & Field Championships.
“It was definitely really hard not being able to triple jump in my junior outdoor season, especially after winning nationals during indoor season,” said Alexander. “Deciding to run outdoors instead of completely shutting myself down was hard, because I knew it would slow down the process of my healing, but I wanted to do it for my team and myself.”
Alexander then took the summer off to heal and gradually got into shape during the fall and winter. Ava wasn’t 100 percent during the 2022-23 indoor track season, plus she missed six weeks with a sprained ankle, but nevertheless led the Golden Knights to their first-ever indoor state team title at the PTFCA Indoor Championship last February. She finished second in both the 400 meter run and the triple jump, which were spaced about five minutes apart.

How did Alexander find the resilience to bounce back from these injuries? Both Collins and Rustin sprint coach Rohan Grant use the same word to describe her competitive spirit – “relentless.”
Grant said, “Ava’s chief attribute as an athlete is that she’s relentless – she doesn’t allow mistakes to set her back. She knows how to continue move forward – and she’s one of the best examples for our team in how to bounce back from adversity and improve.”
Collins said, “The thing that really sets Ava apart is her relentless drive to get better. She hates to lose – in track, we often focus on the numbers, but Ava focuses on winning, then the numbers. Her energy and focus towards the craft are infectious.”
Alexander comes from a family who has displayed a wide range of athletic talents. Her paternal grandfather, Harry Alexander, was a starting defensive tackle on the national champion 1966 Notre Dame University football squad, her maternal grandfather, Tom Clifford, competed in track (shot put) and football (linebacker) at Wichita State, her father Hank was an All-American swimmer for Drexel University from 1991-1994, her mother Lisa was a multi-sport athlete who played lacrosse at Kutztown University, and her brother Tommy was a catcher for the Franklin & Marshall baseball team the past few years.
“Coming from an athletic family helps a lot,” said Alexander. “When I was about 8 years old, my grandfather (Tom Clifford) would take me and my brother to the track a few times a week and made it fun to run on the track and jump in the sand pit. He would tell me, ‘You stick with this and you don’t need to pay for college.’ I stuck with it just like he told me to (laughs).”
Alexander did not try jumping until the summer of 2020, when she found herself with additional time on her hands due to the COVID pandemic.
“I started off as just a long jumper and my jumps coach, Barry Swanson, recommended trying to triple jump because he noticed I was really good at bounding,” said Alexander. “It took a while for me to learn the technical side of it since it’s a very complex event but with a lot of practice and training, I started to get the hang of it. Barry is a huge key to my success as he taught me triple jump from the beginning and still trains me today to help me jump to my full potential.”
While Alexander is best known for her triple jumps, she is also proud of her performances in the 400 meter run. The past two years at districts, she anchored the Golden Knights’ victorious 4×400 relay team, and that victory allowed the team to win back-to-back district team titles. Then, at states, she finished second in the 400 with a personal record time of 54.88.
“As much as I am proud of myself for winning triple jump at States, I am more proud of myself for the place and time I got in the open 400,” said Alexander. “I expected the triple jump win, but the 400 was a little less expected, which makes it more memorable to me. I’ve always been known as a jumper, so to see my 400 time get lower and lower throughout the season and finally hit a big PR at States was definitely my highlight.”
This fall, Alexander will attend the University of Kentucky and will display her track talents for the Wildcats. While she has not yet declared a major, she has an interest in sports medicine.
“The University of Kentucky was the only (college) that I visited that really felt like a family,” said Alexander. “I’ve never met another coaching staff at the college level that really felt like they were there for my best interest, truly cared about me as a person, wanted to see me succeed, and would make sure they would do everything to help me succeed. They have some of the best coaches in the country that I know can help me become the athlete I thrive to be and their facilities are top notch. I knew it was the right place for me, and I am unbelievably excited for my next four years.”
Alexander plans to compete at the USATF U-20 Championships in Eugene, Oregon July 6-9.