The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with USA Today High School Sports, named Grant Fisher of Grand Blanc High School (Grand Blanc, Mich.) as its 2014-15 Gatorade National Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year. Fisher was surprised with the news by three-time USA 12K Cross Country champion Dathan Ritzenhein, who earned Gatorade Michigan Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year honors in 1999-00 and 2000-01.
“Grant really deserves to be this year's Gatorade National Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year because he embodies everything the award stands for,” said Ritzenhein. “Not only has Grant excelled on the course, but he's also a stellar student and is a positive influence in the community. I'm excited to follow his career and watch all the things he will accomplish in the future.”
The 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 Fisher 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 Fisher from nearly 250,000 high school football players nationwide. Fisher 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-10, 135-pound senior raced to the national title this past season with a time of 15:00 at the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships. Fisher won the Division 1 state title in 14:52.5 and captured the Foot Locker Midwest Regional championship in 15:00. He was also first at the Portage Invitational, the Jackson Invitational, the KLAA Lakes Conference Championships and the Region 2 Championships.
Fisher has maintained a 4.11 GPA in the classroom. A peer tutor in his school, he has volunteered locally on behalf of a winter coat drive and youth sports programs.
“Grant Fisher not only became a two-time champion at Foot Locker in December, he dominated the race,” said Doug Binder, DyeStat.com's Editor-in-Chief. “The day before, he picked the spot where he intended to pull away from his challengers and sprint to the finish. He executed this plan with precision, and when he accelerated with that lethal kick of his, it left no doubt.”
Fisher has signed a National Letter of Intent to run on an athletic scholarship at Stanford University beginning this fall.
“Grant embodies everything we look for in a Gatorade Player of the Year recipient,” said Gatorade Vice President, Brand Marketing Morgan Flatley. “In addition to being one of the best high school cross country runners in the country, Grant has excelled in the classroom and been a positive influence in his community. He is a role model for younger student-athletes to look up to and we are excited to see all the things he will accomplish in the future.”
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 USA TODAY High School Sports 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:
- Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Peyton Manning
- WNBA all-time leading scorer and rebounder Lisa Leslie
- NFL all-time leading rusher Emmitt Smith
- Kansas City Royals Cy Young award-winner Zach Grienke
For more information on the Gatorade Player of the Year program, including nomination information, a complete list of former winners, and future announcement dates, visit the Gatorade Player of the Year Web site at http://playeroftheyear.gatorade.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GatoradePO.
