Press release
Nico Young Named 2019-20 Gatorade® National Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year
Gatorade Presents Winner with Honor in Front of Teammates, Coaches, Friends and Family NEWBURY PARK, Calif., Feb. 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In its 35th year of
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[{"type":"text","content":"Gatorade Presents Winner with Honor in Front of Teammates, Coaches, Friends and Family\n\n\nNEWBURY PARK, Calif., Feb. 20, 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 Cross Country Runner 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 Cross Country Runner of the Year winners who have combined for 18 National Championships.\nYoung was surprised with the award in front of teammates, coaches, friends and family at his school. Check out a video of the announcement here. \nThe 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 cross country runner. A national advisory panel comprised of sport-specific experts and sports journalists helped select Young from nearly 300,000 high school boys cross country runners nationwide. \nCompetition for the national award is fierce. Young topped the list of 51 state winners in boys cross country who have an incredible list of accomplishments including 15 All-Americans. Of this year's winners, 84% percent of the seniors will be on scholarship this fall, more than 20 with a GPA of 4.0 or higher and over 30 volunteering with at least two organizations. \nYoung 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 at a special ceremony prior to The ESPY Awards in July.\n\"Nico Young didn't shy away from setting lofty goals for both himself and his Newbury Park teammates this past season,\" said Erik Boal, editor for DyeStat.com. \"Those grand ambitions were not only met, but often exceeded during one of the most dominant seasons in high school cross country history. Although he raced fewer times than most of the country's top athletes last fall, he established a new meet or division standard in seven of eight outings, including the national 3-mile cross country record at the Woodbridge Classic, along with the best 5K performance in Nike Cross N...