Gatorade
Nico Young of Newbury Park High School in Newbury Park, Calif., has been named the 2019-20 Gatorade National Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year.
Young set a U.S. high school record last fall at the Woodbridge Classic, finishing the race in a never-before-seen 13:39.7. He also won the national championship this past season, leading Newbury Park to the highest honor in prep school track. He ran a course-record time of 14:52.3 in that race.
The 5'11", 135-pound senior will matriculate to Northern Arizona University in the fall. He was heavily pursued by programs nationwide, including Stanford University, Georgetown University, University of Virginia and the University of North Carolina, but ultimately felt that NAU gave him the best opportunity to pursue his dream of running professionally—and to reach his utmost dream: The Olympics.