December 9, 2023
By: Dwayne Page
Honoring a two-time state high school high jump champion!
Ally Beneke has become one of the greatest athletes of all time at DCHS.
The 2023 graduate was honored between the DCHS-Warren County basketball games Friday night in Smithville for having captured back-to-back women’s high jump state titles in 2022 and 2023.
During the presentation, Beneke was presented a plaque for her feat and a banner in her honor was unveiled which will be prominently displayed in the gym alongside those for other star athletes.
Beneke was a member of the DeKalb and Warren County cooperative Track and Field program during her sophomore, junior, and senior years.
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 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.
Beneke is the 20-year-old daughter of Jerry and Kim Beneke and they joined her for the brief recognition ceremony Friday night along with her grandmother and coaches, Jeremy Wilhelm and Kristen VanVranken
Ally is now a student at Tennessee Tech in Cookeville where she is furthering her athletic and academic career on a Track and Field scholarship.
Beneke and her family moved to DeKalb County almost three years ago from Michigan when she was a sophomore.