CHICAGO (June 20, 2013) — In its 28th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with USA TODAY High School Sports, today announced Henry Dwyer of Athens Academy as its 2012-13 Gatorade Georgia Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year. Dwyer is the first Gatorade Georgia Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year to be chosen from Athens Academy.
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 Dwyer as Georgia’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, Dwyer 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 senior won the 800-meter run with a time of 1:55.74 and the 1600 in a class-record time of 4:10.84 this spring at the Class A private school state championships. Dwyer also finished second in the mile at the Golden South Classic with a time of 4:10.46, which ranked as the No. 22 performance among prep competitors in 2013 at the time of his selection.
Dwyer has maintained a 3.71 GPA in the classroom. He has volunteered locally on behalf of youth sports programs and participated in a mission trip to rebuild a day-care center in an underprivileged community.
“Henry has faced adversity and battled through it, and his work ethic has been incredible through it all,” said Athens Academy coach Tom Pee. “I’m so happy that things came together for him this year and his efforts paid such dividends.”
Dwyer has signed a National Letter of Intent compete in track and field on an athletic scholarship at the University of Georgia 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 high school sports leadership team in partnership with USA TODAY High School Sports, 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.
Dwyer joins recent Gatorade Georgia Boys Track & Field Athletes of the Year Jonathan Jones (2011-12, Carrollton High School), O'Neal Wanliss (2010–11, Holy Innocents Episcopal School), David Smith (2009-10, Lovejoy), Ken Gilstrap (2008–09, Miller Grove), Christian Taylor (2007-08, Sandy Creek), and Ben Hubers (2006-2007, McEachern) among the state’s list of former award winners.
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