CHICAGO (June 25, 2025) - In its 40th year of honoring the nation's most elite high school athletes, Gatorade
today announced Will Sheets of Covington Catholic High School is the 2024-25 Gatorade Kentucky Boys Track
& Field Player of the Year.
Gatorade Player of the Year is the top honor in high school sports, celebrating the nation's best high school
athletes for their success on the field, in the classroom and in the community. The award distinguishes Sheets as
Kentucky's best high school track & field athlete, and he joins an impressive group of alumni that spans CEOs,
coaches and star athletes such as Alan Webb (2000-01, South Lakes High School, Va.), Kerron Clement (2002-03,
Laporte High School, Texas) and Christian Miller (2023-24, Creekside High School, Fl.).
The 6-foot-3, 175-pound senior distance talent finished second in the 3000-meter run at the Penn Relays Carnival
this past season, setting a state record with his time of 8:11.60, which ranked No. 8 nationally among boys prep
competitors this spring. The 2024-25 Gatorade Kentucky Boys Cross Country Player of the Year, Sheets also set a
state record in the mile at the HOKA Festival of Miles, clocking a 4:03.35-No. 18 nationally in 2025. He won the
800-meter run and took second in the 1600 and 3200 events at the Class 2A state meet, leading the Colonels to the
state title. In the final home meet of his prep career, he won the 2-mile in 8:48.67, setting a third state record with a
time that ranked No. 2 nationally this spring.
The student body president at Covington Catholic, Sheets has volunteered locally with Family Promise of Northern
Kentucky and with the DCCH Center for Children and Families. He has also donated his time as part of youth toy
drives and on behalf of multiple community service initiatives through his church. "Will has had an amazing
season," said Bernie Dugan, head coach of Lexington Catholic High School. "He has a great racing IQ and executes
the fast races perfectly. He has great things to come."
Sheets has maintained a 4.65 weighted GPA in the classroom. He has signed a written letter of athletic aid to
compete at the University of Virginia this fall.
The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of
the 50 states across 12 different high school sports - 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.
As part of Gatorade's commitment to breaking down barriers in sport, every Player of the Year also receives a grant
to donate to a social impact partner. To date, the Gatorade Player of the Year program has provided more than $5.6
million in grants to winners across more than 2,000 organizations.
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 Instagram at instagram.com/Gatorade,
Facebook at facebook.com/GatoradePOY and X(Twitter) at x.com/Gatorade.