NEWBURY PARK, Calif.,
July 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In its
35th year of honoring the nation's most elite high
school athletes, The Gatorade Company today announced Nico Young of Newbury
Park High School in Newbury Park,
Calif. is the 2019-20 Gatorade National Boys Track and Field
Athlete of the Year. Young won the prestigious award for his
accomplishments on and off the field, joining an impressive group
of former Gatorade National Boys Track and Field Athlete of the
Year winners who have combined for 22 gold medals and 12 National
Championships.
Young was also named the 2019-20 Gatorade National Boys Cross
Country Runner of the Year in February, which means he is making
history as the second student-athlete to ever win two Gatorade
National Player of the Year awards in the same year in the
program's 35-year history.
Young was surprised with the trophy by his family, coaches and
teammates after practice.
The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic
excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and
exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field,
distinguishes Young as the nation's best high school boys track and
field athlete. A national advisory panel comprised of
sport-specific experts and sports journalists helped select Young
from more than 600,000 other student-athletes who compete in boys
track and field nationwide.
Competition for the national award was fierce. Young topped the
list of 51 state winners in boys track and field who collectively
boast an incredible list of accomplishments, including eight with
All-American honors, 37 who volunteer at two or more organizations
and 18 with GPAs of 3.8 or higher.
Young is now a finalist for the most prestigious award in high
school sports, the Gatorade Male High School Athlete of the Year
award, which is announced in July.
"In a way, Nico Young is still
the best-kept secret in the nation as a runner," says Rich Gonzalez of PrepCalTrack. "That might sound
odd given that he's the reigning national cross country champion,
ranks No. 1 in prep history in the indoor 3000, No. 4 all-time in
the outdoor 5000 and No. 8 in the 3200, but there's some truth to
it. In cross country, against what was arguably the deepest prep
field ever assembled at nationals, he dropped the pack with ease
and won by 14 seconds. Indoors, he lopped three seconds off the
3000 standard set by former Gatorade national winner Drew
Hunter—names further down that list include a bevy prep distance
gods, including Gatorade national winner Alan Webb, who still owns the prep record in the
mile (3:53.43, 2001). Young's PR of 13:50.55 in the outdoor 5000
earlier this month confirms that although he was clearly the best
talent in the 2019 cross country season, his better sport is track
and field."
The 5-foot-11, 135-pound senior raced to a time of 13:50.55 in
the 5000-meter run this spring, which shattered the 34-year-old
state record by 11 seconds and ranked as the nation's No. 4
clocking in history among prep competitors. The 2019-20 Gatorade
National Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year, Young also set a
national record of 7:56.97 in the 3000 in his only race of the 2020
indoor track season. Winner of the Nike Cross Nationals Final in
December, he also won a 2019 outdoor track state championship in
the 3200.
Young has volunteered for the past three summers as part of the
Team Leadership program at Camp Many Mansions, a seven-week
residential enrichment opportunity for youth from under-resourced
communities. "Nico has proven to our team at Newbury Park that if you set your standards
high and work hard, anything is possible," said Newbury Park coach
Sean Brosnan. "He continued to train
hard after winning Nike Cross Nationals in order to go after the
High School 3000-meter indoor track record. Then he flew out to
New York and accomplished his
goal."
Young has maintained a weighted 4.68 GPA in the classroom. He
has signed a National Letter of Intent to run on scholarship at
Northern Arizona University.
"The coronavirus pandemic has put a halt to so many high school
events and seasons, but it will not keep us from recognizing and
celebrating the incredible achievements of student-athletes like
Nico Young," said Gatorade Senior
Vice President and General Manager Brett
O'Brien. "To win a Gatorade National Player of the Year
award twice in one year is truly a remarkable accomplishment, which
Nico has earned through his hard work on the track, in the
classroom and in his community."
Each year a selection committee evaluates the nation's top
talent in the District of Columbia
and all 50 states, choosing national winners in 12 different
sports: football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country,
boys and girls basketball, baseball, softball, boys and girls
soccer, and boys and girls track and field. From the 12 national
winners, one male and one female athlete are each named Gatorade
High School Athlete of the Year.
Since the program's inception in 1985, Gatorade Player of the
Year award recipients have won hundreds of professional and college
championships, and many have also turned into pillars in their
communities, becoming coaches, business owners and educators.
Previous winners include a distinguished list of athletes, such as
Peyton Manning, Abby Wambach, Karl-Anthony Towns, Derek Jeter and many other sports icons. To
learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out
past winners or to nominate student-athletes, visit
www.Gatorade.com/POY, on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/GatoradePOY or follow us on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/Gatorade.
About Gatorade
The Gatorade Company, a division of PepsiCo (NASDAQ: PEP), meets
the needs of consumers who participate in Sports and Fitness,
through brands that include Gatorade, Propel, Muscle Milk and
Bolt24. The solutions they provide are driven by a deep
understanding of the unique needs and occasions of different types
of sports and fitness. Gatorade, their marquee brand, is
underpinned by more than 50-year history of studying the best
athletes in the world and sports-nutrition research by the Gatorade
Sport Science Institute, allowing it to provide
scientifically-formulated products that meet athletes' needs both
on and off the field. For more information and a full list of
products, please visit www.gatorade.com.
About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion
times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the
world. PepsiCo generated more than $64
billion in net revenue in 2018, driven by a complementary
food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade,
Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio
includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including
22 brands that generate more than $1
billion each in estimated annual retail sales.
At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose – our
fundamental belief that the success of our company is inextricably
linked to the sustainability of the world around us. We believe
that continuously improving the products we sell, operating
responsibly to protect our planet and empowering people around the
world enable PepsiCo to run a successful global company that
creates long-term value for society and our shareholders. For more
information, visit www.pepsico.com.
PREVIOUS GATORADE
NATIONAL BOYS TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
WINNERS
|
YEAR
|
NAME
|
HOMETOWN
|
STATUS
|
2018-19
|
Matthew
Boling
|
Houston,
TX
|
University of
Georgia
|
2017-18
|
Anthony
Schwartz
|
Plantation,
FL
|
Auburn
University
|
2016-17
|
Armand
Duplantis
|
Lafayette,
LA
|
Sweden Men's Track
& Field Team
|
2015-16
|
Michael
Norman
|
Murrieta,
CA
|
Ran for University of
Southern California
|
2014-15
|
Michael
Norman
|
Murrieta,
CA
|
Ran for University of
Southern California
|
2013-14
|
Trentavis
Friday
|
Cherryville,
NC
|
Ran for Florida State
University
|
2012-13
|
Trayvon
Bromell
|
St. Petersburg,
FL
|
Ran for Baylor
University
|
2011-12
|
Abraham
Hall
|
Grand Prairie,
TX
|
Ran for University of
California, Los Angeles
|
2010-11
|
Gunnar
Nixon
|
Edmond, OK
|
Decathlon Events for
University of Arkansas
|
2009-10
|
Sam
Crouser
|
Gresham,
OR
|
Threw for University
of Oregon
|
2008-09
|
Curtis
Beach
|
Albuquerque,
NM
|
Decathlon Events for
Duke University
|
2007-08
|
German
Fernandez
|
Riverbank,
CA
|
Ran for Oklahoma
State University
|
2006-07
|
Bryshon
Nellum
|
Los Angeles,
CA
|
Ran for University of
Southern California
|
2005-06
|
David
Klech
|
San Ramon,
CA
|
Decathlon events for
University of California, Los Angeles
|
2004-05
|
Ryan
Whiting
|
Harrisburg,
PA
|
Threw for Arizona
State University
|
2003-04
|
Jason
Richardson
|
Cedar Hill,
TX
|
Ran for University of
South Carolina
|
2002-03
|
Kerron
Clement
|
LaPorte,
TX
|
Ran for University of
Florida
|
2001-02
|
Brendan
Christian
|
Austin, TX
|
Retired Antigua and
Barbuda Men's Track & Field Team
|
2000-01
|
Alan Webb
|
Reston, VA
|
Ran for University of
Michigan
|
1999-00
|
Donald
Sage
|
Elmhurst,
IL
|
Ran for Stanford
University
|
1998-99
|
Jacob
Freeman
|
Warwick,
RI
|
Threw for the
Manhattan Jaspers
|
1997-98
|
Jon
Stevens
|
Fremont,
CA
|
Ran for Stanford
University
|
1996-97
|
Sharif
Karie
|
Springfield,
VA
|
Ran for University of
Arkansas
|
1995-96
|
Michael
Granville
|
Bell Gardens,
CA
|
Ran for University of
California, Los Angeles
|
1994-95
|
Michael
Stember
|
Sacramento,
CA
|
Ran for Stanford
University
|
1993-94
|
Andre
Scott
|
Sanford,
FL
|
Jumped for Auburn
University
|
1992-93
|
Charles
Mitchell
|
Waco, TX
|
Ran for Auburn
University
|
1991-92
|
Sheddric
Fields
|
Dallas, TX
|
Ran for University of
Houston
|
1990-91
|
Bryan
Bronson
|
Jasper, TX
|
Retired US Men's
Track & Field Team
|
1989-90
|
Brent Noon
|
Fallbrook,
CA
|
Retired US
Men's Track & Field Team
|
1988-89
|
Dion
Bentley
|
Pittsburgh,
PA
|
Jumped for University
of Florida
|
1987-88
|
Art
Skipper
|
Sandy, OR
|
Deceased
|
1986-87
|
Kamy
Keshmiri
|
Reno, NV
|
Threw for University
of Nevada at Reno
|
1985-86
|
Eric
Mastalir
|
Carmichael,
CA
|
Ran for Stanford
University
|
View original
content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nico-young-named-2019-20-gatorade-national-boys-track-and-field-athlete-of-the-year-301087285.html
SOURCE The Gatorade Company