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CHICAGO (June 29, 2023) - In its 38th year of honoring the nation's best high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Sterling Scott of Starkville High School is the 2022-23 Gatorade Mississippi Boys Track & Field Player of the Year. Scott is the first Gatorade Mississippi Boys Track & Field Player of the Year to be chosen from Starkville 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 field, distinguishes Scott as Mississippi's best high school boys track & field athlete. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Boys Track & Field Player of the Year award to be announced in July, Scott joins an elite alumni association of state award-winners in 12 sports, including Nico Young (2019-20, Newbury Park High School, Calif.), Michael Norman (2015-16 & 2014-15, Vista Murrieta High School, Calif.), Grant Fisher (2014-15 & 2013-14, Grand Blanc High School, Mich.) and Robert Griffin III (2006-07, Copperas Cove High School, Texas).
The 5-foot-11, 151-pound senior won both a national and a state title in leading the Yellow Jackets to a tie for eighth place as a team at the 2023 MHSAA 6A Track and Field Championships. Scott won the triple jump at New Balance Nationals Outdoor with a leap of 50 feet even, which ranked No. 9 nationally among prep competitors in 2023. He recorded wind-aided career bests of 50-11 in the triple jump and 24-8 in the long jump at the 2023 MHSAA Region 1-6A Championships.
Scott has volunteered locally preparing Thanksgiving holiday gift bags for families in need, and he has donated his time to the U.S. Youth Soccer TOPSoccer program, serving young athletes with physical and intellectual challenges. "Despite being under 6 feet in height, Sterling Scott stood among the tallest on the national scene in the sand pits this spring," said Rich Gonzalez, editor of PrepCalTrack.com. "He recorded the No. 2 all-conditions triple jump mark in the country with a 50-foot-11 effort to kick off his postseason, where he also soared 24-8 in the long jump. He is the only athlete in America with all-conditions top five marks in both horizontal jumps this spring."
Scott has maintained a weighted 4.30 GPA in the classroom. He has signed a National Letter of Intent to compete on scholarship at the University of Missouri 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 leverages experts including coaches, scouts, media and others as sources to help evaluate and determine the state winners in each sport.
Scott joins recent Gatorade Mississippi Boys Track & Field Players of the Year Jordan Anthony (2021-22 & 2020-21, Tylertown High School) and Cameron O'Neal (2019-20 & 2018-19, Biloxi High School), among the state's list of former award winners.
Being a Gatorade Player of the Year means paying it forward for the next generation. Through Gatorade's Play it Forward initiative, every Player of the Year receives a grant to give to one of Gatorade's social impact partners, supporting Gatorade's ambition to fuel the future of sport. To date, Gatorade Player of the Year winners' grants have totaled more than $3.5 million across more than 1,300 organizations.
For nearly 40 years, Gatorade has honored high school athletes at the top of their game as teammates, supporting their communities and achieving academic success. From CEOs and coaches to star athletes and community leaders, Gatorade Player of the Year winners showcase the power of sport.