Tessa Jones of the Langley Wildthings was a scholarship recipient of the Northern Virginia Swimming League’s President’s Award for the 2024 summer season.
She received $1,500. The annual award has been given since 1994. Jones has been a member of the Wildthings since age 5, where she has been a winner of multiple races the last number of years. She holds various team records and has qualified for the season-ending NVSL individual all-star meet more than a handful of times.
This summer, Jones helped Langley tie with Crosspointe for the Division 2 championship. In addition to being a swimmer, she is a junior coach for the Wildthings. Individually, she placed third in the girls age 15-18 backstroke race at the league’s individual all-star race. Prior to that at the individual Division 2 divisional meet,
Jones finished second in the girls age 15-18 backstroke and fourth in the 15-18 individual medley.
During the winter, Jones was a captain and top swimmer on the Langley High School girls swimming and diving team. Academically, Jones was active in many activities, including being president of the Spanish Honor Society.
She received a gold medal on the National Spanish Exam all four years and medaled in multiple Russian Language Exams. Outside of school, she volunteered with Fairfax County Adapted Aquatics and the McLean Safe Community Coalition.
“There is nothing like the bond a summer team has. It is the perfect mix of competitiveness and pure fun,” Jones said about being a member of the Wildthings. “It is the place where I can see people I have not spoken to in almost a year, but feel as if no time has passed.” Jones will attend college at Yale University and major in global affairs.