CHICAGO (June 21, 2018) - In its 33rd year of honoring the nation's best high school athletes, The Gatorade
Company, today announced Bryan Hudson of Scott County High School as its 2017-18 Gatorade Kentucky Boys
Track & Field Athlete of the Year. Hudson is the first Gatorade Kentucky Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year to be
chosen from Scott County 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 Hudson as Kentucky'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, Hudson joins an elite alumni association of state track & field awardwinners,
including Lolo Jones (1997-98, Roosevelt High School, Iowa), Allyson Felix (2002-03, Los Angeles Baptist
High School, Calif.), Robert Griffin III (2006-07, Copperas Cove High School, Texas), Grant Fisher (2013-14 & 2014-
15, Grand Blanc High School, Mich.) and Candace Hill (2014-15, Rockdale County High School, Ga.).
The 6-foot-5, 292-pound junior took second in the discus throw at June's New Balance Nationals Outdoor. Hudson's
mark of 198 feet, 1 inch set a state record and ranked No. 4 in the nation among prep competitors in 2018 at the time of
his selection. The record throw was nearly eight feet better than Hudson's previous best and shattered a 15-year-old
state standard by more than three feet. He also placed fifth in the shot put at NBNO with a throw of 65-6.25, which
ranked No. 10 in the nation. He won both the discus and shot at the Class AAA state meet this spring, leading the
Cardinals to a sixth-place finish as a team.
A motivational speaker at local elementary schools, Hudson has volunteered in the area as a youth track and football
coach. "Bryan is an exceptional thrower and seems to be very humble," said Crystal Washington, head coach of
Frederick Douglass High. "He threw very well this season."
Hudson has maintained a weighted 3.83 GPA in the classroom. He has made a verbal commitment to compete in track
and play football on scholarship at Virginia Tech beginning in the fall of 2019.
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 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.
Hudson joins recent Gatorade Kentucky Boys Track & Field Athletes of the Year Isaiah McCall (2016-17, Bryan Station
High School), William Allen (2015-16, Paul Dunbar High School), Jaron Brooks (2014-15, Henry Clay High School),
Landon Young (2013-14, Lafayette High School), Jacob Thomson (2012-13, Holy Cross High School), Ronnie Baker
(2011-12 & 2010-11, Ballard High School), Brandon Bagley (2009-10, John Hardin), Cameron Frazier (2008-09, Daviess County), Justin Green (2007-08, Louisville Male), and Michael Eaton (2006-07, Greenwood) among the state's list of
former award winners.
As a Gatorade Player of the Year, Hudson will be able to select a national or local youth sports organization to receive a
grant as part of the Gatorade Play It Forward program. Every Gatorade Player of the Year state winner receives a $1,000
grant to donate and will have the opportunity to enter for an additional $10,000 spotlight grant by writing a brief essay
explaining why their selected organization deserves additional support. 12 spotlight grants - one for each sport - will
be announced throughout the year.
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 www.gatorade.com/poy.
