What happened to the Gatorade Boys Track and Field athletes of the year?
If you have ever won a state championship meet at the high school level, you’ve probably dreamed about becoming an Olympian. Because the moment you first get a taste of winning, you get hooked on it. But the only thing sweeter than winning a state championship is proving yourself to be the best in the entire nation. Which means winning a lot and winning big while you’re at it. Gatorade names the greatest high school boys track athlete in the entire nation, every single year. But what really happens to those boys after they get their diplomas?
To make this list as one of the greatest high school boys track athletes of this generation, the criteria is simple. You have to be named the Gatorade national track athlete of the year at least once in your career. So here is a breakdown of what happened to the best high school boy on the track, every single year, for the past 10 years. Some names that you might recognize, and some others you likely have forgotten. Because it doesn’t really matter how fast you start, as much as it does how well you finish.
Issam Asinga – 2023
Issam Asinga was the greatest track athlete of his class, and it was not close. He ran high school national records in the 100 meter dash, and 200 meter dashes. That includes breaking Noah Lyles’s national record. Later that season he beat Noah Lyles, the eventual world champion in a sprint race. He is committed to Texas A&M to run in college, and was also slated to run for Suriname in the World Championships. However he apparently went under review for use of banned substances. That said he is still expected to compete for the Aggies and dominate the SEC going forward.
Cade Flatt -2022
Cade Flatt dominated the nation as its top 800 meter runner. In fact he just barely missed out on the HS national record by 3 hundredths of a second. Cade competed out of Kentucky and chose Ole Miss to continue his college career. But in his 1 year in the SEC so far, he has struggled to run at the level he did in high school. He has not run close to his high school PR yet, has not won any individual medals in the SEC conference, and has yet to run individually at the NCAA championships. But that could all change in 2024 because his talent is undeniable.
Hobbs Kessler - 2021
2021 belongs to Hobbs Kessler who broke the national high school record in the mile, out of Michigan, but later broke the NCAA record while he was still in high school! He chose to go pro signing with Adidas, backing out of his commitment to Northern Arizona University. Since that time he has already broken the 1 mile road running record. But so far his best finish at the USA championships came in 2023 finishing 6th. With all of his talent, only time will tell how good he can become.
Nico Young - 2020
2020 was a shortened track season for everybody, but that didn’t stop Nico Young from proving himself as the nation’s best. He broke cross country and indoor track national records, and continued his career at Northern Arizona University. Nico is still dominating at the college level. He has made the top 8 at the NCAA championships every single season he has competed, from cross country, to indoor and outdoor. The only thing he hasn’t done is win the whole thing outright, with his highest finish being second. But that could all change very soon.
Matthew Boling - 2019
In 2019 a track and field sensation swept the nation. Matthew Boling not only ran the fastest 100 and 200 in the nation but broke the national high school record under all conditions in the 100. He actually might have completed the perfect senior year track season out of Texas, before becoming a star for the Georgia Bulldogs. He has won 2 NCAA indoor titles in the 200 meter dash, but never won a championship in the 100 or 200 meter dash outdoors at the NCAAs. In 2023 coming off an indoor title, he failed to make the NCAA outdoor final, but he is now a World Champion competing in the Mixed 4x4 relay. He turned pro in 2023 shortly thereafter and appears to be shifting his focus to the 400 meter dash.
Anthony Schwartz - 2018
In 2018 Anthony Schwartz was the nation’s top track athlete, which is ironic because he was also a football player. He was actually the fastest man on the track in the 100 meter dash for both 2017 and 2018. He ran 10.15 wind legal as a junior and improved on that to run 10.09 as a senior. He was the under 20 world leader in the 60 meter dash and 100 meter dash graduating high school at American Heritage School in Florida. But Anthony focused on football and took his talents to Auburn. There he sprinted sparingly for the Auburn track team in the 100 meter and 60 meter dashes for only one season. But he ran 10.21 in the 100 meter in college, and 6.59 in the 60. Which would have given him a shot to run at the NCAA indoor championships, had he showed up to compete. Since that time, football has worked out for him and he has become an NFL player for the Cleveland Browns, drafted in the 3rd round in 2021. Anthony is a truly special talent, who probably could have become one of the best sprinters of his generation had he continued on in the sport.
Armand “Mondo” Duplantis - 2017
In 2017 it was Armand “Mondo” Duplantis who was the nation’s best track athlete. It is a big deal because he is actually a pole vaulter! He was a junior in high school at the time in Louisiana, but he competes for Switzerland. So immediately after his senior year he went on to win the European championship in the vault. He competed at LSU after that for one season, winning an NCAA indoor championship and setting the collegiate record. Yet since that time Mondo Duplantis has become the GOAT of the men’s pole vault. From 2021 until now he’s gone undefeated in the Olympics, World Championships, and Diamond League championships. He has actually broken his own world record a bunch of times. Which proves that he is the real deal.
Michael Norman – 2015/2016
In 2015 and 2016 Michael Norman became the only repeat winner on this list. He is also the only high school boy to ever be the nation’s best high school track athlete, twice. Michael Norman dominated the state of California in the 200 and the 400 so severely that he finished his high school career at the Olympic Trials, finishing 5th in the 200 meter dash final! But since that time we know how good he really is. He became an NCAA champion at USC and the collegiate record holder in the 400, and is one of only 3 men to break 10 seconds in the 100, 20 seconds in the 200, and 44 seconds in the 400. But he’s also a World Champion in the 400 meter dash, with a legitimate shot at taking down the world record.
Trentavis Friday - 2014
In 2014 it was Trentavis Friday who dominated the short sprints to become America’s best track athlete. He ran a wind legal 10.00 at the USA junior championships as a senior in high school before winning the world junior championship in the 200 meter dash. He then attended Florida State but only for 1 year where he struggled with injuries and did not win any ACC championships or make an NCAA final. He chose to turn pro after that with a Chinese company called Xtep. But unfortunately his world junior performances are still his PRs to this point. And after 2016 he has really struggled to perform close to the talent he showcased out of high school. He hasn’t recorded any official times since 2020, so it seems we may have seen the last of Trentavis Friday on the track.
Trayvon Bromell - 2013
In 2013 it was another familiar face, Trayvon Bromell who proved to be the nation’s best on the track. After dominating the state of Florida he went on to run at Baylor where he would win the NCAA championship as a freshman in the 100 meter dash. Since that time he has run professionally proving to be one of the top 10 fastest men to ever run the 100. And although his career has been derailed due to injuries he has finished the season more than once as the world leader in the 100 meter dash, and has a world championship bronze medal to his name. He may not have the accolades that someone so talented should, but he has proven he is always a threat in the 100 meter dash when healthy.
Abraham Hall - 2012
The final name on this list is Abraham Hall who was the nation’s top track athlete in 2012. He was a 100 meter and 200 meter sprinter out of the state of Texas who committed to run for Army in the Patriot League conference. The only reason I know so much about him, is because that’s the same conference that I ran for at the same time in college. But he never competed for Army and there was a lot of speculation about why. He ended up doing a year competing at Army Prep, but barely ran when he was there. And then signed with UCLA in the Pac 12 instead. Believe it or not he only sprinted one season for the Bruins running the 100 meter dash twice, running significantly slower than he did in high school. That was the last time we ever saw him on the track, which is a shame, because his talent was undeniable.
The Bottom Line
Becoming the Gatorade National Track athlete of the year is a great accomplishment, but all it really means is that you have great talent and great potential. Which does not mean a whole lot if that potential is never realized. The names you forgot about who made this list are proof that high school success, is not the end of your career but rather the beginning of it. But one thing is for certain that in the United States of America, there is no shortage of talent on the track at the high school level.
LOOK GOOD, FEEL GOOD, RUN GOOD.
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