Warren Hills’ Westley is an all-time legend, and that goes beyond her times, medals – lehighvalleylive.com

When people talk about the all-time distance runners in New Jersey and the lehighvalleylive region, they will talk about Lexi Westley.

A lot.

The Warren Hills senior cemented her place in track and field history when she won her third consecutive Meet of Champions 3,200-meter title in a dazzling time of 10 minutes, 15.81 seconds. That’s the top time in regional history, No. 2 at the M of C and No. 6 all-time in the state.

But anybody with the slightest familiarity with Westley will talk about more than numbers and medals and times.

Because she’s something special beyond what she does on the track. Westley is a beloved figure at Warren Hills: a passionate, dedicated and caring individual who will leave the school as a certified legend.

Warren Hills loves its athletes and their successes. The school doesn’t have the reputation for fanatic fandom that, say, Phillipsburg does. But the Washington area is still an old-fashioned community that cares deeply for sports. Blue Streaks boosters bring enormous passion and unusual dedication when they support their athletes, and that was evident Saturday at Northern Burlington.

Westley usually has a small army supporting her. It was an even bigger crowd this year for her finale. And she never fails to mention and thank her fans when she’s interviewed.

“My support is even bigger than last year,” she said. “All my family, my brother, some graduates came back, my teammates, my principal, my athletic director – I have the best support. I am truly so lucky and blessed to have them.”

One Westley fan in particular enjoyed the day more than usual.

“My grandmother is 90 years old and she just had cataract surgery, so she finally could see it was me,” said Westley with an intense thrill for her grandma.

What her grandmother, and everybody else at Northern Burlington, saw Saturday was simply one of the all-time best performances in NJSIAA history.

Westley won by 16 seconds, a huge margin in such a race. Had she been pressed at all, she might well have broken the meet record (10:15.02), but Westley turned the race into a one-girl show over the final 400 meters.

And remember, the competition Westley dusted off, West Morris Central junior Julia Trethaway, had beaten Westley in both of the previous weeks at sectionals at groups.

But on the biggest stage, the race that really matters, the competition that history will remember, Westley delivered like the classic champion she truly is.

“To hear (veteran reporters) tell me ‘You’re one of the best runners in state history,’ oh my God,” Westley said. “I never thought I’d be here. When I started I never, ever thought it would happen. Now four seasons later, I have worked so hard, put in so much time and dedication and it really paid off. I always had people that believed in me and supported me.”

There’s that acknowledgment of her people that Westley is never far away from when she speaks. Her coaches, head coach Ken Kurpat and his assistant, longtime Hunterdon/Warren distance guru Bob Carroll, knew how to prepare Westley for the main event.

“I want to thank all my teammates who stayed with me and trained with me this week,” Westley said. “I had some wicked workouts. One of my teammates, (junior) Will Salmon, worked with me in miles; he’d stay with me for two laps at a crazy pace, take the third lap off and join me on the fourth lap. I remember finishing like I’d never done before, and the coaches said, ‘We’re ready,’ Friday was National Donut Day, so I bought Will some donuts to thank him.”

That gesture – fun and appreciative – is pure Westley. Unlike many elite athletes these days, she didn’t give up her second sport (basketball) because she loved playing. It was fun. And she made track fun – just look at the photos of her finishing the race Saturday with her huge, radiant smile.

Having fun is almost as great a legacy to leave as all Westley’s success and honors are. Not only does her career show what hard work and dedication can do, it shows it all can be done with a smile and a laugh. After all, aren’t sports supposed to be fun?

It sure is fun to watch Westley and it will be fun to watch her run at Wisconsin, one of the NCAA’s all-time great distance programs.

Which is appropriate given Westley’s status as a Warren Hills, regional, and state all-timer, one she is proud, if still somewhat amazed, to embrace.

“I never thought I’d be at this level, representing Warren Hills around the state, the country, having a Blue Streak be an All-American,” Westley said. “My school community, my friends, have all made it possible. It just shows you can do anything you want, even winning the Meet of Champions. I love being a role model for kids, going to the middle school and having kids say, ‘We want to be just like you.’ It’s the cutest thing and it makes you feel really good.”

It all makes for an almost unmatchable legacy to leave behind at Warren Hills. Just as all-time greats such Easton alum Chanelle Price, Voorhees grad Lanie Thompson and North Hunterdon alum Jodie Bilotta still inspire athletes at their schools decades later, so will Lexi Westley at Warren Hills.

Because it’s what all-time legends do – and Westley is now one of them in track and field.

Brad Wilson may be reached at bwilson@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @bradwsports. Find Lehigh Valley high school sports on Facebook.