Gatorade® National Boys Track & Field Athlete Of The Year: Anthony Schwartz

PLANTATION, Fla., June 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- In its 33^rd year of honoring the nation's best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company today announced Anthony Schwartz of American Heritage School (Plantation, FL) as its 2017-18 Gatorade National Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year. Schwartz was surprised with the news by Miami Dolphins 2018 First-Round Draft Pick Minkah Fitzpatrick.

Check out the surprise video here.

"One of the most gifted high school sprinters in history, Anthony repeatedly rose to the occasion against elite competition," said Erik Boal, an editor for Dyestat.com. "His showcase in the 100, 200 and 4x100 relay at the Florida 2A state final cemented his legacy alongside [former national Gatorade winner] Trayvon Bromell, [former Gatorade state winner] Jeff Demps and [five-time state champion] Marvin Bracy as the most talented all-time Florida prep sprinters. Schwartz also gave us a preview of what the future holds by winning the USATF Juniors title in the 100 against several impressive collegiate freshmen."

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 Schwartz as the nation's best male high school track & field athlete. A national advisory panel comprised of sport-specific experts and sports journalists helped select Schwartz from nearly 375,000 high school track & field athletes nationwide. Schwartz is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade Male High School Athlete of the Year award, to be presented at a special ceremony prior to The ESPY Awards in July.

The world Youth record-holder in the 100- and 200-meter dash, the 6-foot, 180-pound senior authored two individual Florida sprint records at the Class 2A state meet this spring, in addition to sharing in a state 4x100-meter relay record to help the Patriots finish second as a team.  Schwartz clocked the nation's fastest wind-legal high school 100 in 2018—10.09 seconds—with his win at June's Great Southwest Classic. The time ranks No. 4 in U.S. prep history. He also broke the tape in the 200 at the Sam Burley Hall of Fame Invitational in 20.47, which ranked as the nation's No. 2 time among prep competitors in 2018, and No. 18 all-time. Running the anchor leg of the 4x100 at the state meet, he led American Heritage to the No. 15 time in U.S. prep history as the quartet ran a 40.14. Schwartz capped his prep career by beating a 100-meter field that included collegiate runners to capture a national title at June's USATF Junior Outdoor Championships with a time of 10.23. He now owns the No. 4, No. 6, No. 8 (10.16), No. 9 (10.17) and No. 13 (10.21) 100-meter times in the history of American high school track.       

Schwartz has maintained a 3.92 weighted GPA in the classroom and has signed a national letter of intent to compete on an athletic scholarship in both football and track at Auburn University, beginning this fall.

"Without question, Anthony is deserving of recognition as the nation's best high school baseball player based on his statistics on the field and the impact his accomplishments have had on American Heritage's success," said Gatorade Senior Vice President and General Manager Brett O'Brien. "But he is also a shining example to peers and aspiring young athletes of what a leader and a student-athlete should be. He represents everything we hope for in a Gatorade Player of the Year recipient."

As a part of Gatorade's cause marketing platform "Play it Forward," Schwartz also has the opportunity to award a $1,000 grant to a local or national youth sports organization of his choosing. He is also eligible to win one of twelve $10,000 spotlight grants for his organization of choice, which will be announced throughout the year. 

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, Soccer, 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 high school sports leadership team in partnership with 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.

Former notable Gatorade National Players of the Year include:

• Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Peyton Manning
• 2015 NBA first overall pick Karl-Anthony Towns
• Three-time WNBA champion Maya Moore
• Seven-time track & field gold medalist Allyson Felix
• Three-time beach volleyball gold medalist Kerri Walsh
• Three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw

For more information on the Gatorade Player of the Year program, including nomination information, a complete list of former winners, and future announcement dates, visit the Gatorade Player of the Year Web site at http://www.gatorade.com/poy, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GatoradePOY or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Gatorade.

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SOURCE Gatorade