FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ashley Ginascol (312-729-3622)
BEREA HIGH SCHOOL STANDOUT NAMED GATORADE OHIO BOYS TRACK & FIELD ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
CHICAGO (June 23, 2011) — In its 26th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with ESPN RISE, today announced Donovan Robertson of Berea High School as its 201011 Gatorade Ohio Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year. Robertson is the first Gatorade Ohio Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year to be chosen from Berea 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 Robertson as Ohio’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, Robertson joins an elite alumni association of state award-winners in 12 sports, including Ryan Hall (1999-01, Big Bear HS, Calif.), Meb Keflezighi (1993-94, San Diego HS, Calif.), Derek Jeter (1991-92, Kalamazoo HS, Mich.), Candace Parker (2001-02, Naperville Central HS, Ill.), Mark Sanchez (2004-05, Mission Viejo HS, Calif.) and Lolo Jones (1997-98, Roosevelt HS, Ia.).
The 6-foot-1 junior won the 110-meter high hurdles with a time of 13.70 seconds and the 300-meter intermediate hurdles in 36.90 at the Division I state championship meet, leading the Braves to a third-place finish as a team. Robertson also finished second in the 200-meter run, and his winning hurdle times both ranked among the nation’s top ten performances by prep competitors in 2011 at the time of his selection.
Robertson has maintained a 3.59 GPA in the classroom. Also a talented musician, he has volunteered locally on behalf of a youth soccer program, and has assisted sports medicine patients at an area hospital.
“Donovan has incredible acceleration and a tremendous stride that makes him hard to beat,” said Berea High head coach Ryan Nigro. “He’s the fastest and most versatile athlete that I have coached in 18 years. He’s also a student of track and field who is always analyzing his races and his technique. He’s a coach’s dream when it comes to work ethic and dependability.”
Robertson 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 ESPN RISE and the Gatorade high school sports leadership team, which
work with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.
Robertson joins recent Gatorade Ohio Boys Track & Field Athletes of the Year Justin Welch (2009-10, Eastwood), Danny Neff (2008-09, Butler), and Cory Leslie (2007-08, Perkins) among the state’s list of former award winners.
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 playeroftheyear.gatorade.com.
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