After setting a new record at the 2026 Class A state track and field meet and a new composite record (all classes) in the triple jump earlier in the year, Ciara Gray of Jonesboro-Hodge High School (JHHS) has been named the Outstanding Female Athlete of the Year by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association (LSWA).

The LSWA track award garnered by the LSU signee is a first for any JHHS athlete and comes on the heels of Gray being named the Class A Outstanding Female Performer for the second year in a row at the LHSAA state track meet held at Bernie Moore Track Complex on the campus of LSU in Baton Rouge.

Gray scored 38 individual points by winning gold medals in the triple jump, long jump, and 300-meter hurdles, where she set a new composite (all classes) state record in the triple jump of 41’3″ and a new Class A state record of 44.28 seconds in the 300-meter hurdles. Gray now also owns the all-time best mark in LHSAA history in the girls triple jump with her leap of 41’9.5″ acheived at the Mangham Invitational earlier in the year.

The generational talent concluded her high school career with 9 individual state championships, 3 state runner-up finishes, and 1 third-place finish, culminating in an unfathomable 120 career points across four state meets, averaging 30 points per meet. She also led JHHS to its first-ever state title in female athletics (2025 Class A state track and field)