Jessica Tongue
By Pat O'Malley
Photos by Larry French & Katie Redmiles
Annapolis High School
Indoor & Outdoor Track
Switching from basketball to indoor track a year ago, Tongue has established herself as Anne Arundel County’s premier sprinter/hurdler. Tongue was named All-Metro in both indoors and outdoors last spring and has carried on in spectacular style this indoor season. “I knew track would help me for college, to get a scholarship,” said Tongue. “It’s something I've always wanted to do.” Tongue has drawn interest from several colleges and has visited some of them, such as, North Carolina A&T, Duke, Clemson, and South Carolina. The Panther senior broke two of her own meet records in winning three events at the Anne Arundel County Indoor Championships in February. Tongue ran the 55-meters in a county record 7.19 seconds and the long jump in 15’11” and also took the gold in the 300 meters in 40.23, second best time in county history. And she was runner-up in the 55-hurdles. Tongue, who says she doesn’t set goals, also won the 55 meters in the regional this year. In 2007 Tongue won the Class 3A/2A state title in the 55-dash with a time of 7.21 and followed it up in the spring by winning a State 3A title in the 100 meters with a time of 11.82 and took second in the 200 after winning both events in the county and regional meets. Tongue has a 3.0 grade-point-average, is ranked 128 in a senior class of 366 and is a student ambassador for ninth graders and plans to major in finance and business. She is the daughter of former standout Annapolis basketball player of Gino Tongue and April Abel Tongue.