SPEEDWAY HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETICS

Today we celebrate Alex DeLisle, a senior student-athlete at Speedway. Later this week, Alex will help lead Speedway’s varsity volleyball team in their efforts to defend and repeat their sectional championship from last year. According to volleyball coach Sadie Pflum, DeLisle’s leadership skills are a result of a lot of planning and effort. “I heard from some other players and staff members that Alex started a list, maybe as a sophomore, of what to do or not do as a senior leader when her time came,” noted Pflum. “I think that it is really cool and astute that she took her experiences and adopted them or improved upon them.” “She has been very positive and supportive of her teammates and the program,” said Pflum. “In her senior season, she has become a very well-rounded player and a reliable member of our offense.” The volleyball Sparkplugs enter IHSAA tournament play at 19-8 and finished their ICC play with a 4-3 record in a very tough conference for volleyball. The team’s overall record isn’t a surprise to Pflum and DeLisle’s been a key component. “She has been very positive and supportive of her teammates and the program,” noted Pflum. When the Sparkplugs conclude their fall sports season, DeLisle will be eager to join a girls basketball program that is determined to earn an elusive sectional championship. “Alex has been a staple in the girls basketball program in Speedway since elementary school,” said varsity girls basketball coach Joe Smith. “I have witnessed her grow into not only a good person but one of our leaders both on the court and in our school community.” DeLisle has earned all-ICC honors each of the last two years while earning the team’s Mental Attitude Award as a sophomore. Last season, DeLisle was a co-MVP in basketball and she was named an Academic All-Conference performer in both volleyball and basketball. “Her leadership and strong play will be vital to our quest to not only a winning season but a sectional championship,” noted Smith. And while “... Alex’s kind nature makes it difficult for anyone to not enjoy being around here, don’t let that kind nature fool you. Once she steps on the basketball court … she is a fierce competitor (she) absolutely hates to lose.” DeLisle played tennis her freshman year and then switched to track her sophomore year before returning to the courts last spring. “She was a positive force for our team,” noted tennis coach Whitney Baker. “She improved her game so much to earn the Most Improved Award in 2023.” Last spring, the girls tennis team finished runner-up in ICC play and lost an agonizingly close 2-3 sectional title match to arch-rival Covenant Christian. DeLisle consistently earned the team points at the #2 singles position. “She works hard every day in practice and is genuinely interested in improving her game,” said Baker. “She is very moldable in the sense that she is always open for feedback and ways she can improve her skills.” This three-sport athlete has been heavily influenced by her mother, Amy DeLisle, herself a multi-sport athlete at Speedway. “My mom always supports me and is there for me when I need someone to talk to,” said DeLisle. “She’s taught me many valuable life lessons… My mother is the strongest woman I know and the woman I look up to the most.” The daughter of Amy and Jason DeLisle, Alex’s younger sister Macy is a tenth grader at Speedway and her brother Tommy is an eighth grader. Alex hopes to study nursing next year at either Purdue or the University of Tennessee.