CHICAGO (January 30, 2023) — In its 38th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Tommy Latham of Marist School is the 2022-23 Gatorade Georgia Boys Cross Country Player of the Year. Latham is the second Gatorade Georgia Boys Cross Country Player of the Year to be chosen from Marist 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 field, distinguishes Latham as Georgia’s best high school boys cross country player. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Boys Cross Country Player of the Year award to be announced in February, Latham joins an elite alumni association of state award-winners, including Parker Wolfe (2020-21, Cherry Creek High School, Greenwood Village, Colo.), Nico Young (2019-20, Newbury Park High School, Newbury Park, Calif.), Megan Goethals (2009-10, Rochester High School, Rochester Hills, Mich.) and Jordan Hasay (2008-09, Mission College Preparatory Catholic High School, San Luis Obispo, Calif.).
The 5-foot-7, 125-pound sophomore raced to the Class 6A state title in the fastest, all-class time of 15:58.2, which set a sophomore class course record. Latham also won the Class 6A regional meet. With his win at states, he led the War Eagles to a fourth-place finish as a team.
Latham has volunteered locally serving at-risk communities through such projects as Meals By Grace, Heads Up For Harry and the Mustard Seed Communities. “A clear rising star on the national scene, Tommy Latham turned heads in winning the Class 6A state meet by a whopping 24 seconds in the fastest all-class performance of the day,” said Rich Gonzalez of PrepCalTrack. “He cracked 16 minutes on the challenging Carrollton Course layout to shatter the sophomore class course record. A two-time All-State selection, he also broke the 15-minute barrier at the Coach Wood Invitational and time-trialed a 4:13.71 on the track at 1600 meters.”
Latham has maintained a 3.81 GPA in the classroom. He will begin his junior 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 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.
Latham joins recent Gatorade Georgia Boys Cross Country Players of the Year Ethan Ashley (2021-22, Denmark High School), Kamari Miller (2020-21, Marietta High School), Graham Blanks (2019-20, Athens Academy), and Kyle Harkabus (2018-19, East Coweta High School), among the state’s list of former award winners.
Being a Gatorade Player of the Year means paying it forward for the next generation. Through Gatorade’s Play it Forward initiative, every Player of the Year receives a grant to give to one of Gatorade’s social impact partners, supporting Gatorade’s ambition to fuel the future of sport. To date, Gatorade Player of the Year winners’ grants have totaled more than $3.5 million across more than 1,300 organizations.
For nearly 40 years, Gatorade has honored high school athletes at the top of their game as teammates, supporting their communities and achieving academic success. From CEOs and coaches to star athletes and community leaders, Gatorade Player of the Year winners showcase the power of sport.
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 Facebook at facebook.com/GatoradePOY, Instagram at instagram.com/Gatorade and Twitter at twitter.com/Gatorade.
