Gatorade® National Boys Cross
Country Runner of the Year:
Lukas Verzbicas
First-Ever Gatorade National Player of the Year Jeff George
Surprises Standout with Elite Honor
CHICAGO (January 28, 2010) – In its
25th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The
Gatorade Company, in collaboration with ESPN
RISE, today announced Lukas Verzbicas of Carl Sandburg High School (Orland Park,
Ill.) as its 2009-10 Gatorade National Boys Cross Country Runner of the
Year. Verzbicas, who becomes just the
second high school sophomore (of 213 honorees) to win Gatorade National Player
of the Year honors in any sport, was surprised with the news during his fifth
period class at Carl Sandburg High School by the first-ever Gatorade National
Player of the Year and former NFL quarterback, Jeff George.
“Being named the first-ever
Gatorade National Player of the Year was a really significant moment for me, so
it felt great to surprise Lukas with the news and invite him into one of the
most prestigious legacy programs in high school sports,” said former NFL
quarterback Jeff George, a 14-year veteran of the league who threw for more than
27,000 yards during his career. “Gatorade
has been on the sidelines fueling athletic performance for years, so to be
recognized by a brand that understands the game and truly helps athletes
perform is a huge honor for these kids.”
The award, which recognizes not only
outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic
achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the racecourse, distinguishes Verzbicas as the nation’s best high school boys
cross country runner. A national
advisory panel comprised of sportswriters and sport-specific experts from
around the country helped select Verzbicas from more than 231,000 high school boys
cross country runners nationwide. Verzbicas is now a finalist for the
prestigious Gatorade Male High School Athlete of the Year award, to be presented
at a special afternoon ceremony prior to The ESPY Awards in July.
The 5-foot-11 sophomore raced to the national title at the Foot
Locker Cross Country Championships this past season with a time of 15:07.8,
breaking the tape 15 seconds ahead of the next-closest competitor to become the
youngest champion in the event’s 31-year history. The 2009 Junior Duathlon World Champion,
Verzbicas won the 2009 Class AAA state cross country championship in
14:07. The Eagles’ standout also took
first at the Foot Locker Midwest Regional championships with a time of
15:34. As a freshman, Verzbicas set a
national high school indoor record in the 5K with a time of 14:18.42 at the 2009
Nike Indoor Nationals. Verzbicas also
owns national freshman class indoor records in the mile (4:15.43) and 3,000
meters (8:29.15) as well as the freshman outdoor record in the two-mile run
(8:53.98).
A native of Lithuania who came to the United States at age nine,
Verzbicas has maintained a 3.32 GPA in the classroom. He is a devoted
parishioner of the Blessed Jurgis Matulaitis Lithuanian Catholic Mission community
and has volunteered locally mentoring youth triathletes and runners on behalf
of the Multisport Madness Triathlon Club.
“Entering the final two weeks of the 2009 cross country season,
Verzbicas was one of a small handful of great candidates that could have
finished as the season’s best,” said ESPN RISE/DyeStat Senior Editor Steve
Underwood. “In the end, he had the last word, becoming the first sophomore to
win the national Foot Locker Cross Country Championships—with a fast and
dominating performance in poor conditions—and completing an undefeated year.”
Verzbicas will begin his junior year of high school this fall.
“Without question, Lukas is deserving
of recognition as the nation’s best high school boys cross country runner based
on his statistics on the racecourse and the impact his accomplishments have had
on Carl Sandburg High School’s success,” said Gatorade Senior Vice President of
Sports Marketing Jennifer Storms.
“But he is also a shining example to peers and
aspiring young players of what a leader and a student-athlete should be. He represents everything we hope for in a
Gatorade Player of the Year recipient.”
More on Verzbicas from Gatorade
The Gatorade Player of the Year 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 one National Player of the
Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by ESPN RISE and the Gatorade high school sports
leadership team, which work with top sport-specific experts and a media
advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine
the state winners in each sport.
Former notable Gatorade National Players of the
Year include:
·
Reigning American record-holder in the mile Alan
Webb
·
WNBA all-time leading scorer and rebounder Lisa
Leslie
·
Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning
·
Volleyball gold medalist Kerri Walsh
·
American League MVP Joe Mauer
ALL-TIME GATORADE NATIONAL BOYS CROSS COUNTRY
RUNNERS OF THE YEAR
YEAR |
NAME |
HIGH SCHOOL |
STATUS |
2009-10 |
Lukas Verzbicas |
Carl Sandburg/Orland Park, IL |
High School Sophomore |
2008-09 2007-08 |
Reed Connor Chris Derrick |
The Woodlands/The Woodlands, TX Neuqua Valley/Naperville, IL |
University of Wisconsin Stanford University |
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