Katelyn Tuohy Named Gatorade New York XC Runner Of The Year


CHICAGO (January 27, 2020) -- In its 35th year of honoring the nation's best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company today announced Katelyn Tuohy of North Rockland High School as its 2019-20 Gatorade New York Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year. Tuohy is the first Gatorade New York Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year to be chosen from North Rockland 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 Tuohy as New York's best high school girls cross country runner. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year award to be announced in February, Tuohy joins an elite alumni association of past state award-winners in 12 sports, including Lukas Verzbicas (2010-11, 2009-10 Carl Sandburg High School, Orland Park, Ill.), Megan Goethals (2009-10, Rochester High School, Rochester Hills, Mich.), Jordan Hasay (2008-09, Mission College Preparatory Catholic High School, San Luis Obispo, Calif.) and Chris Derrick (2007-08, Neuqua Valley High School, Naperville, Ill.).

The 5-foot-4 senior raced to her third consecutive Nike Cross Nationals championship this past season, breaking the tape with a time of 17:18.4. The 2018 and 2019 Gatorade National Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year, Tuohy also won the Class A individual state championship in 15:36.5 and finished first at the NXR New York Regional championships in 17:06.6. Unbeaten against high school competition at 5K for the third straight season, she also earned victories at the Section 1 championships, the Great American Cross Country Festival, the Manhattan Invitational and the New York Federation championships.

Tuohy has volunteered locally on behalf of youth soccer and running programs, in addition to donating her time to the Rose Memorial Library. This past summer, Katelyn was a daily participant--and a huge draw-- at the Rockland County Track & Field Clinic for ages 4-13. She was present every day of the clinic and would run with kids, encourage them in all their events, and take pictures/sign autographs. "Katelyn has impressed me so much with the maturity she has shown," said North Rockland coach Brian Diglio. "It's very easy for an elite athlete to focus mostly on her own performance, but for Katelyn, priority number one has been helping her teammates race to the best of their ability."

Tuohy has maintained an A average in the classroom. She has signed a National Letter of Intent to compete in cross country and track and field on scholarship at North Carolina State University 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 and field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. From the 12 national winners, one male and one female athlete are each named Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year. In all, 607 athletes are honored each year.

Three-time winner Tuohy joins Gatorade New York Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year Kelsey Chmiel (2016-17, Saratoga Springs High School), Jessica Lawson (2015-16, Corning-Painted Post High School) and Bella Burda (2014-15, Arlington High School), among the state's list of former award winners.

As a part of Gatorade's cause marketing platform "Play it Forward," Tuohy has the opportunity to award a $1,000 grant to a local or national youth sports organization of her choosing. She is also eligible to submit an essay to win one of twelve $10,000 spotlight grants for the organization of choice, which will be announced throughout the year.

Since the program's inception in 1985, Gatorade Player of the Year award recipients have won hundreds of professional and college championships, and many have also turned into pillars in their communities, becoming coaches, business owners and educators. To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out past winners or to nominate student-athletes, visit www.Gatorade.com/POY, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GatoradePOY or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Gatorade. ###