Camden Bentley
One last hurdle.
Setting the standards higher and higher each time she has competed in the hurdles, Camden Bentley rewrote the Ohio All-Times list this year by breaking her own records in the 60m Hurdles during the indoor season, and the 100m Hurdles this past outdoor season, with one of those being set during the preliminary rounds of the OHSAA Division 1 Outdoor State Championships. Additionally, her personal best in the 300m Hurdles is currently #6 on the Ohio All-Times list.
Fast-forward to New Balance Nationals, Bentley made quite the statement during the finals of the 100m Hurdles, winning it all after taking second during the preliminary heats. Adding on to her hurdle resume before she sets off for the NCAA, she also took seventh in the 400m Hurdles that same weekend.
This award caps off her historic season, having gone undefeated in the 100m Hurdles, and nearly undefeated in the 300m Hurdles.
See below for the full press release from Gatorade.
CHICAGO (June 28, 2023) - In its 38th year of honoring the nation's best high school athletes, Gatorade today
announced Camden Bentley of Lincoln High School is the 2022-23 Gatorade Ohio Girls Track & Field Player of
the Year. Bentley is the first Gatorade Ohio Girls Track & Field Player of the Year to be chosen from Lincoln 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 Bentley as Ohio's best
high school girls track & field athlete. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Girls Track & Field
Player of the Year award to be announced in July, Bentley joins an elite alumni association of state award-winners
in 12 sports, including Jasmine Moore (2018-19, Lake Ridge High School, Texas), Sydney McLaughlin (2016-17,
2015-16 & 2014-15, Union Catholic High School, N.J.), and Lolo Jones (1997-98, Roosevelt High School, Iowa).
The 5-foot-7 senior won the 100-meter hurdles title at New Balance Nationals in 13.41 seconds and took seventh in
the 400 hurdles this past season. Bentley captured Division 1 state titles in the 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles, leading
the Lions to the team title. She also ran a leg for the title-winning 4x400 relay quartet as well as with the 4x200 relay
foursome, which finished second. She set a state record by clocking a 13.27 in the 100 hurdles during the state
meet prelims, which ranked No. 5 nationally among girls high school competitors in 2023. She was ranked in the
top 35 in the country in three events this spring.
A former gymnast who also sings and dances for Gahanna's Show Choir, Bentley also speaks Chinese. She has
volunteered locally as a youth track mentor in addition to helping fundraising efforts for Lincoln athletics. "The
driving force behind Lincoln's run to back-to-back Division 1 state championships has been Camden Bentley, who
excelled again in the biggest moments, both individually and as part of relays," said Erik Boal, editor at
DyeStat.com. "Bentley is one of the elite all-around athletes in Ohio prep history and the most dynamic sprint
hurdler ever to compete in the state, capturing the 100 hurdles title at New Balance Nationals."
Bentley has maintained a 3.97 weighted GPA. She has signed a National Letter of Intent to compete on scholarship
at the University of Kentucky 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.
Bentley joins recent Gatorade Ohio Girls Track & Field Players of the Year Kenna Stimmel (2021-22, Margaretta
High School), Paige Floriea (2020-21, Mentor High School), Taylor Ewert (2019-20, Beavercreek High School), and
Olivia Howell (2018-19, Solon 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.
