The 5-foot-4 senior distance runner became the first female athlete in the state to capture individual state titles in the 400-, 800-, 1500-, and 3000-meter events in a single season, leading the Knights to an unprecedented fifth consecutive Class 3A state championship as a team this spring. Riplinger won the 400 with a time of 56.29 seconds, the 800 in 2:09.39, the 1500 in 4:39 and broke the tape in the 3000 in 9:55.37. She also won individual titles in the 800 and the 1500 at the Drake Relays, giving her seven career victories at the meet. Her time of 4:31.91 in the 1500 at Drake ranked as the nation's No. 17 performance by a prep competitor in 2017 at the time of her selection. She concluded her prep career with 16 individual state titles.
Ripslinger has maintained a 3.81 GPA in the classroom. She has signed a National Letter of Intent to compete on an athletic scholarship at the University of Arkansas this fall.
A member of the National Honor Society and the vice president of her school's student council, Ripslinger has volunteered locally on behalf of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the Key Club and the River Bend Foodbank. "I have been coaching for 37 years and I have never seen a girl with the depth of ability that Joy Ripslinger has," said Marty Thomae, head coach at Benton High. "She is the first athlete ever to win the 400, 800, 1500, and the 3000 at the same state meet. We may never have an individual in the state of Iowa who can do that again."
