Alexis Thompson Kleinhans
Class of 1990
Alexis Thompson was for four years one of the most talented and versatile athletes in Green Wave history. Her speed, smarts and competitive drive made her a goal-scoring wunderkind on the soccer pitch and an exceptional hurdler and sprinter in track & field.
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Alexis quickly became the key player for Green Wave girls’ soccer, using ever-improving skills and natural ability to score 19 goals as a freshman. Thanks in large measure to her contributions, the NMHS girls qualified for the state tournament in their first season.
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Through four successful team campaigns, Alexis remarkably scored more than 100 goals. Among her performances was a five-goal explosion during a 6-1 win over neighboring Brookfield as a sophomore and seven goals in a two-game stretch as a junior.
After leading the Green Wave to the state tournament as a senior, Alexis scored a goal and assisted the other as NMHS outlasted East Hartford, 2-1, in the first round; she added two goals in the next round as the Green Wave bowed out to top-ranked Wilton, 6-3.
Alexis was recognized with all-Western Connecticut Conference honors each season. She also was selected all-state as a junior and senior amidst the burgeoning hotbed of girls' soccer that was southwestern Connecticut during those years.
She capped her NMHS soccer career as MVP of the state senior all-star match and recipient of the state soccer coaches’ female Scholar-Athlete Award.
As in soccer, Alexis immediately made waves as a freshman for the NMHS girls’ track & field team, earning silver medals in the 100- and 300-meter hurdles and fourth place in the 200 meters as the Green Wave claimed the WCC championship.
During the next three seasons, she swept WCC gold and established enduring school records at both hurdling distances and added second and third place finishes in the 200. She also contributed to the Green Wave's gold-medal performance in the 4 x 100 relay.
Alexis rose to the challenge of state competition with numerous high finishes, highlighted by a runnerup showing in her senior year in the 300-meter hurdles. A three-time team MVP, she nearly matched her soccer accolades by earning all-WCC track honors three seasons and twice gaining all-state laurels.
From Alexis’ freshman debut in the first year of the girls’ soccer program through her final state meet in track, she demonstrated superior ability, heart, leadership skills and smarts. Her lofty intelligence enabled her to become Class of 1990 salutatorian and a valuable member of the Team Waramaug academic team representing NMHS at state, regional and national competitions.
That combination of qualities then helped Alexis play four seasons of Division I women’s soccer for the nationally ranked University of California (Berkeley) side during an era of rising prominence for women's soccer in the United States.
Alexis' soccer dream was to play on the national team, something eight Golden Bear players achieved during her years at Berkeley, and possibly play in the Olympic Games for her country.
She climaxed her Cal (Berkeley) years by earning the school's student-athlete award.
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