FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: John Manzo (312-729-3656)
STRAYHORN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT-ATHLETE NAMED
GATORADE MISSISSIPPI BOYS TRACK & FIELD PLAYER OF THE YEAR
CHICAGO (June 22, 2017) -
In its 32nd year of honoring the nation's best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company,
today announced Cameron Crump of Strayhorn High School as its 2016-17 Gatorade Mississippi Boys Track & Field
Athlete of the Year. Crump is the first Gatorade Mississippi Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year to be chosen from
Strayhorn High School.
The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement
and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the track, distinguishes Crump as Mississippi's best high school boys
track & field athlete. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year award to be
announced in June, Crump joins an elite alumni association of state track & field award-winners, including Lolo Jones
(1997-98, Roosevelt High School, Iowa), Allyson Felix (2002-03, Los Angeles Baptist High School, Calif.), Robert Griffin III
(2006-07, Copperas Cove High School, Texas), Grant Fisher (2013-14 & 2014-15, Grand Blanc High School, Mich.) and
Candace Hill (2014-15, Rockdale County High School, Ga.).
The 6-foot-2, 170-pound junior sprinter/jumper won four gold medals at the Class 2A state meet this past season, sweeping
the sprints and winning the long jump with a leap of 22 feet, 9 inches. Those 40 individual points by Crump helped the
Mustangs finish second as a team-without him, Strayhorn would have finished eighth. The teen broke the tape in the 100-
meter dash with a wind-aided time of 10.69 seconds and followed up with victories in the 200 dash (21.9) and the 400 with a
personal-best 50.03. His career-best clocking of 21.11 in the 200 ranked as the state's top time in the event this season and
the nation's No. 39 all-conditions clocking among prep competitors in 2017 at the time of his selection. Crump concludes
his prep track career as a three-time state champion in the long jump.
A member of his school's Rotary International Interact Club, Crump helps to coordinate and execute two service projects a
year, one that helps the school or community and another that promotes international understanding. "Cameron Crump
was a small-school kid who produced some big-time performances in Mississippi in 2017," said Dyestat.com Editor-in-Chief
Doug Binder. "His 21.11 clocking in the 200 was probably the top achievement in the state this year, and for a Class 2A
athlete (out of 6 classes), it was really exceptional."
Crump has maintained an 89.0 average in the classroom and will begin his senior year of high school this fall.
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 the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which work with top sportspecific
experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners
in each sport.
Crump joins recent Gatorade Mississippi Boys Track & Field Athletes of the Year DeMichael Harris (2015-16 & 2014-15, St.
Aloysius High School), Terrell Smith (2013-14, Vicksburg High School), Evan Osborne (2012-13, Pearl High School), Justin
Fondren (2011-12, Oxford High School), Sam Kendricks (2010-11, Oxford High School), Marcus Jackson (2009-10, J.Z.
George High School), Willie Calvin (2008-09, Greenville-Weston High School), Morris Kersh (2007-08, Pearl High School),
and Daniel Simpkins (2006-07, Madison Central High School) among the state's list of former award winners.
As a Gatorade Player of the Year, Cameron will be able to select a national or local youth sports organization to receive a
grant as part of the Gatorade Play It Forward program. Every Gatorade Player of the Year state winner receives a $1,000
grant to donate and will have the opportunity to enter for an additional $10,000 spotlight grant by writing a brief essay
explaining why their selected organization deserves additional support. 12 spotlight grants - one for each sport - will be
announced throughout the year.
To keep up to date on the latest happenings, become a fan of Gatorade Player of the Year on Facebook and follow us on
Twitter. For more on the Gatorade Player of the Year program, including nomination information, a complete list of past
winners and the announcement of the Gatorade National Player of the Year, visit www.gatorade.com/poy.