A Jamestown High senior has been named the female track athlete of the year by the United States Paralympic Team.
Alexa Halko, a silver medalist in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympics, was named the female track athlete of the year for Team USA on Oct. 16, according to a Team USA news release.
Seventy-one high school athletes were named 2017 U.S. Paralympics Track and Field All Americans by U.S. Paralympics, a part of the U.S. Olympic Committee, according to the release.
“This 2017 class has already excelled at the elite level and we are extremely excited to see the impact they’ll have in the years to come,” Cathy Sellers, high-performance director of U.S. Paralympics Track & Field, said in the release.
Halko was one of six All-Americans who competed at the Paralympic Games Rio 2016. She had been nominated for the award twice before, the release said.
Alexa Halko has previously won the female track athlete of the year award in 2015, according to her father Pete Halko.
The Jamestown High School senior competed in the London world championships for track, where she won two silver medals and a bronze medal, the release said.
Alexa Halko holds the U.S. record for the 200, 400, 800, and 1500 meter track events, according to the release.
“It’s crazy,” Pete Halko said. “Last year at the world championships in London, she lowered her time and lowered the American record in the 400 and the 800.”
Alexa Halko is on the verge of committing to the University of Illinois, her father said.
“It’s for track, but they’ve also got a ladies wheelchair basketball program,” Pete Halko said. “She’s going to attempt to be a two-sport athlete.”
Congratulations to Alexa Halko, Female Track Athlete of the Year in the US Paralympics! Congrats Alexa! https://t.co/a4CGo6lae4
— Jamestown High (@JamestownHigh) October 17, 2017
Williamsburg-James City County School Division spokeswoman Betsy Overkamp-Smith said Halko will be recognized by her school at the school’s fall sports event. Overkamp-Smith said the division intended to invite Halko to a school board meeting for recognition.
