Story links
-
Gatorade Colorado Players of the Year
- Gatorade Player of the Year Website
CHICAGO (June 27, 2024) — In its 39th year of honoring the nation’s most elite high school athletes, Gatorade today announced that De Beque High School’s Scottie Vines is the 2023 Gatorade Colorado Boys Track and Field Player of the Year. 24. Vines is the first Gatorade Colorado Boys Track & Field Player of the Year chosen from De Beque High School.
The award, which celebrates the nation’s top high school athletes for their excellence on the field, in the classroom and in the community, distinguishes Vines as Colorado’s top high school boys’ track and field player. From CEOs and coaches to star athletes, Gatorade Player of the Year winners showcase the power of sports, touting a stellar group of alumni that includes Alan Webb (2000-01, South Lakes High School, Va.), Kerron Clement ( 2002-03, Laporte High School, Texas) and Grant Fisher (2014-15 and 2013-14, Grand Blanc High School, Michigan).
The 6-foot-5, 165-pound senior jumper won a pair of national titles in the high jump: one at the USATF U20 Championships and a second at Nike Outdoor Nationals last season, earning All-American status. Vines’ punt of seven feet, four and a quarter inches at the Texas Relays set a state record and ranked No. 1 nationally among prep competitors and tied for 14th in U.S. prep history. USA also won the event at the Class 1A state meet and placed third in the 100-meter dash, posting a personal best time of 11.39 seconds.
A member of De Beque’s student government for four years, he has mentored elementary students on campus. He has also donated his time as a classroom assistant and reading to younger students. “No event suffered more during the pandemic than the technique-driven high jump, and it has taken several years for performance levels to normalize,” said Rich Gonzalez, editor of PrepCalTrack. “Scottie Vines is a clear sign that things are changing, not only rising to one of the best marks in high school history, but also offering unmatched consistency by jumping seven feet nine times.”
Vines has maintained a B average in the classroom. She has signed a National Letter of Intent to compete for a scholarship at the University of Colorado this fall.
He Gatorade Player of the Year The program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls’ volleyball, boys’ and girls’ cross country, boys’ and girls’ basketball, boys’ and girls’ soccer, baseball, softball, and boys’ and girls’ track & field, and awards a National Player of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which leverages experts, including coaches, scouts, media and others as sources to help evaluate and determine state winners in each sport.
Vines joins recent Gatorade Colorado Boys Track & Field Players of the Year Tavon Underwood (2022-23, Mead High School), Connor McCormick (2021-22, Longmont High School), Harrison Witt (2020-21, Mountain Vista High School) and Cole Sprout (2019-20, Valor Christian High School), among the state’s list of former award winners.
As part of Gatorade’s commitment to breaking down barriers in sports, each Player of the Year also receives a grant to donate to a social impact partner. To date, the Gatorade Player of the Year program has provided more than $4.9 million in grants to winners at more than 1,900 organizations.
For more information about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, to see past winners, or to nominate student-athletes, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com or follow us on social media on Facebook at facebook.com/GatoradePOYInstagram on instagram.com/Gatorade and X(Twitter) in x.com/Gatorade.
Keynote USA
For the Latest Local News, Follow Keynote USA Local on Twitter.