Ripken Wallace is a dual sport athlete at Jones High School. He has invested a lot of work and time in order to get to where he is today. Throughout his life, he has had a number of people that have had an influence on him, but he says that there are a few that have had a bigger impact.

“The biggest influences on my life include my parents, grandma, and coach,” Ripken said. “My mom has shown me that if I’m not happy with my situation I should take initiative and make it better. My dad taught me the ability to work alongside someone I may not be too fond of, while my grandma shows me that I can live my life while still tending to my responsibilities. Finally my coach has shown such a strong commitment to our team and has practically brought our cross country program back from the dead all on his own.”

Wallace is a junior at Jones, where he runs cross country and track for the Longhorns.

Being able to represent his school is something that Ripken is proud to be able to do and he says that there is one moment of his career that is important to him.

“I would say the highlight moment of my career was running alongside my teammates at the 2021 cross country state championship,” he recalled. “We were the first Jones boys cross country team to run at state since 2012.”

Becoming the athlete that he is today has been something that has required a lot of time and effort from Ripken, but he knows that is what it takes to be the best.

“It takes a lot of hard work and commitment,” he stated. “I’ve had to forfeit many hours of my weekends and most of the summer to prepare for my sports alongside putting up with many grueling workouts to get to where I am today. If I had a choice to change any of it, I wouldn’t.”

Away from sports, Ripken is involved in a number of groups around campus. He is a member of the Key Club, the National Honor Society, and Mu Alpha Theta, which is the math honor society.