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CHICAGO (January 30, 2023) -- In its 38th year of honoring the nation's best high school athletes, Gatorade today
announced Collin Gilstrap of Monroe-Woodbury High School is the 2022-23 Gatorade New York Boys Cross
Country Player of the Year. Gilstrap is the first Gatorade New York Boys Cross Country Player of the Year to be
chosen from Monroe-Woodbury 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 Gilstrap as New York's
best high school boys cross country player. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Boys Cross
Country Player of the Year award to be announced in January, Gilstrap joins an elite alumni association of state
award-winners, including Parker Wolfe (2020-21, Cherry Creek High School, Greenwood Village, Colo.), Nico
Young (2019-20, Newbury Park High School, Newbury Park, Calif.), Megan Goethals (2009-10, Rochester High
School, Rochester Hills, Mich.) and Jordan Hasay (2008-09, Mission College Preparatory Catholic High School,
San Luis Obispo, Calif.).
The 6-foot, 130-pound senior raced to a 19th-place finish at Nike Cross Nationals in Portland in a time of 15:21 to
earn All-America status. Gilstrap, also the New York Federations meet champion, led the Crusaders to a second place team finish at the Class A state meet.
Gilstrap has volunteered his time as a guest reader at his local elementary school as well as serving as coach to the
YMCA chess club and local youth sports teams. Collin added numerous titles to his resume, including Manhattan Letter Winner, All-Time marks at Bear Mountain, and All-American Status at Team Cross Nationals in Oregon as New York's top finisher.
Gilstrap has maintained a weighted 3.78 GPA in the classroom. He has signed a National Letter of Intent to run on
scholarship at Stony Brook 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 & 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.
Gilstrap joins recent Gatorade New York Boys Cross Country Players of the Year Gitch Hayes (2021-22, La Salle
Institute), Peyton Geehrer (2020-21, Fayetteville-Manlius High School), Sam Lawler (2019-20, Mendon High
School), and Parker Stokes (2018-19, Maine-Endwell 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.
To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out past winners or to nominate student athletes, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com or follow us on social media on Facebook at
facebook.com/GatoradePOY, Instagram at instagram.com/Gatorade and Twitter at twitter.com/Gatorade.
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