Press release
DANIEL SIMMONS NAMED 2022-23 GATORADE NATIONAL BOYS CROSS COUNTRY PLAYER OF THE YEAR
AMERICAN FORK, Utah, Feb. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In its 38th year of honoring the nation's most elite high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Daniel
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[{"type":"text","content":"AMERICAN FORK, Utah, Feb. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In its 38th year of honoring the nation's most elite high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Daniel Simmons of American Fork High School in American Fork, Utah is the 2022-23 Gatorade National Boys Cross Country Player of the Year. Simmons won the prestigious award for his accomplishments on and off the field, joining an impressive group of former Gatorade National Boys Cross Country Players of the Year who have combined for more than 19 National Championships.\nSimmons was surprised with the award by his family, coaches and teammates at practice, and former Gatorade National Boys Cross Country Player of the Year Casey Clinger presented Simmons with the trophy. Check out a video of the announcement here.\nThe Gatorade Player of the Year award recognizes athletes not just for their excellence on the playing surface, but for their commitment in the classroom and impact in their community. Simmons beat out nearly 300,000 other student-athletes who compete in boys cross country nationwide, topping the list of state winners in boys cross country who collectively boast an incredible list of accomplishments, including 28 with signed National Letters of Intent to run cross country at Division I colleges/universities and 28 with a GPA of 4.0 and above. \n\"At just 5-foot-8, Daniel Simmons doesn't carry the physical stature we see in most elite distance talents, but despite his shorter stride length, Simmons' physiological gifts and fluidly relaxed gait delivered a season for the ages,\" said Rich Gonzalez, PrepCalTrack editor. \"The American Fork junior broke course records in his final six races last fall, vanquishing an unprecedented slate of elite challengers made up of national record-holders and multiple sub-4 milers to take silver at Nike Cross Nationals. That capped a 2022 campaign during which he slugged it out in the nation's most competitive state and prep cross country's toughest region. This fall, he'll aim to become the first prep boy to repeat as Gatorade National Player of the Year since Michigan's Grant Fisher from 2013-15.\"\nThe 5-foot-8, 125-pound junior raced to All-America honors by placing second at Nike Cross Nationals in a time of 14:51.7 this past season, anchoring the Cavemen to a fifth-place finish as a team. Simmons also broke the tape at the Nike Cross ...