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California's David Klech Named
2005-06 Gatorade
National Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year
CHICAGO, June 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Entering its third
decade of honoring the nation's best high school athletes, Gatorade®
Thirst Quencher, in partnership with Scholastic Coach & Athletic
Director Magazine, today announced David Klech of California High School
in San Ramon, Calif., as its 2005-06 Gatorade National Boys Track &
Field Athlete of the Year.
The award, which recognizes athletic
achievement as well as the academic performance and overall character
of its recipient, distinguishes Klech as the nation's best high school
track & field athlete. A national advisory board comprised of sportswriters
and sport-specific experts from around the country selected Klech from
the more than 518,000 male high school track & field athletes nationwide.
He is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade Male High School Athlete
of the Year Award to be presented at an awards ceremony July 12, prior
to The ESPY Awards.
Klech, a 6-foot-4-inch, 175-pound
senior, is the top-ranked high school pentathlete in the nation and
has been hailed as one of the most versatile young track & field
athletes in years. During the 2006 track season, Klech has been ranked
among the national leaders in seven events.
Klech holds this year's fastest
times in both the 300- (35.35 - No. 4 all-time) and 400-meter intermediate
hurdles (50.35 - No. 9 all-time), and turned in California's top time
in the 110-meter high hurdles (13.69). He ranked among the state's strongest
performers in the 400- (47.64) and 800-meters (1:53.1), as well as the
high jump (6 feet, 9 inches) and long jump (23 feet, 9 inches). In addition,
Klech won the pentathlon at the prestigious Nike Indoor Nationals in
March, scoring a meet record 3,980 points.
Despite suffering a hamstring injury
at the California Interscholastic Federation State Track & Field
Championships, Klech qualified for the finals in three events (100m
HH, 300m IH, LJ) and won the 300-meter intermediate hurdles with the
third fastest time in state meet history (35.87).
Klech's standard of excellence
extends to the classroom, where he has a 4.0 GPA and scored 1820 on
the SAT. He is active in student government, is a member of the Academic
Boosters and has participated in Unity Week and the Relay for Life.
Klech plans to attend UCLA in the fall.
"David is incredibly versatile,
but he's absolutely the best I've ever seen at the hurdles," says
California head coach Mark Karbo. "What's truly amazing is that
he's able to race as well as he does, and compete with such intensity
and drive, despite not facing anyone close to his talent."
"Without question, David is deserving
of recognition as the nation's best high school track & field athlete
based on his performance and the tremendous ability he's demonstrated,"
said Gatorade Senior Vice President of Sports Marketing Tom Fox. "But
he is also a shining example to peers and aspiring young players of
what a leader and a student-athlete should be. He represents everything
we hope for in a Gatorade Player of the Year recipient."
The Gatorade Player of the Year
program recognizes one winner in each of the 50 states and the District
of Columbia, and awards one National Player of the Year in five boys
sports (football, soccer, basketball, baseball, track & field) and
five girls sports (volleyball, soccer, basketball, softball, track &
field). In addition to athletic performance, award criteria include
the achievement in the classroom and overall character. Previous Gatorade
National Player of the Year award winners include:
-- Reigning American League Most Valuable Player Alex Rodriguez
-- NFL all-time leading rusher Emmitt Smith
-- Two-time NFL Most Valuable Player Peyton Manning
-- Captain of the U.S. men's national soccer team Claudio Reyna
-- WNBA all-time leading scorer and rebounder Lisa Leslie
-- Beach volleyball gold medalist Kerri Walsh
-- Reigning 200-meter world champion Allyson Felix
For more on the Gatorade Player of the Year program, including
nomination information and lists of past winners and future announcement
dates, visit http://www.gatorade.com/playeroftheyear .
ALL-TIME GATORADE NATIONAL BOYS TRACK & FIELD ATHLETES OF
THE YEAR
Year Name High School/Hometown Status
2005-06 David Klech California, High School Senior San Ramon, CA
2004-05 Ryan Whiting Central Dauphin, Arizona State Univ. Harrisburg,
PA
2003-04 Jason Richardson Cedar Hill, Univ. of South Carolina Cedar Hill,
TX
2002-03 Kerron Clement La Porte, USA Track & Field/Nike La Porte
TX
2001-02 Brendan Christian Reagan, Austin, TX Univ. of Houston
2000-01 Alan Webb South Lakes, USA Track & Field/Nike Reston, VA
1999-00 Donald Sage, Jr. York, Elmhurst, IL Stanford Univ. Grad.
1998-99 Jacob Freeman Bishop Hendricken, Manhattan College Grad. RI
1997-98 Jon Stevens Mission San Jose, Stanford Univ. Grad. Fremont,
CA
1996-97 Sharif Karie West Springfield, Univ. of Arkansas Grad. Springfield,
VA
1995-96 Michael Granville Bell Gardens, UCLA Grad. Bell Gardens, CA
1994-95 Michael Stember Jesuit, Carmichael, USA Track & Field/Nike
CA
1993-94 Andre Scott Seminole, Sanford, Auburn Univ. Grad. FL
1992-93 Charles Mitchell Waco High, Waco, TX Mississippi State Univ.
Grad.
1991-92 Sheddric Fields South Oak Cliff, Univ. of Houston Grad. Dallas,
TX
1990-91 Bryan Bronson Jasper, Jasper, TX Rice Univ. Grad.
1989-90 Brent Noon Fallbrook, Univ. of Georgia Grad. Fallbrook, CA
1988-89 Dion Bentley Penn Hills, Univ. of Florida Grad. Pittsburgh,
PA
1987-88 Art Skipper, Jr. Sandy, Sandy, OR Deceased
1986-87 Kamy Keshmiri Reno, Reno, NV Univ. of Nevada Grad.
1985-86 Eric Mastalir Jesuit, Carmichael, Stanford Univ. Grad. CA
Bianca Knight Named Gatorade
National
Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year
Junior sprinter is Mississippi's first-ever Gatorade national
award winner
CHICAGO, June 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Entering its third
decade of honoring the nation's best high school athletes, Gatorade®
Thirst Quencher today announced junior Bianca Knight of Ridgeland High
School in Ridgeland, Miss. as its 2005-06 Gatorade National Girls Track
& Field Athlete of the Year. Knight becomes the first-ever Gatorade
National Player of the Year in any sport from the state of Mississippi
and the first underclassman to win national honors in track & field
since Marion Jones (1990-91, 1991-92 & 1992-93).
The award, which recognizes
athletic achievement as well as the academic performance and character
of its recipient, distinguishes Knight as the nation's best high school
girls track & field athlete. A national advisory board comprised
of sportswriters and sport-specific experts from around the country
selected Knight from the more than 428,000 female track & field
athletes nationwide. She is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade
Female High School Athlete of the Year Award, to be presented at an
awards ceremony prior to The ESPY Awards in July.
Knight, a sprinter and relay
runner, is quickly becoming one of the top young sprinters in the United
States. She holds the nation's top high school times in the 100- (11.40)
and 200-meters (23.14) this year, and the 11.40 time she posted at this
year's Mississippi 4A state track meet broke the existing state record
(11.44) set in 2001 by two-time Stanford All-American Janice Davis (Natchez
High School/Natchez, Miss.). Last weekend, Knight won the 200-meters
(23.06) and took second in the 100-meters (11.63) at the Nike Outdoor
Nationals in Greensboro, N.C.
Knight is a five-time state
champion in the 100-meters, four-time state champion in the 200-meters,
and three-time state champion in the 400-meters. Last summer at the
IAAF Youth World Championships in Morocco, Knight won gold in the 100-meters
(11.38) and as a member of the United States' medley relay (2:03.93),
and captured silver in the 200-meters (23.33).
Knight's standard of excellence
also extends to the classroom, where she has a 3.1 GPA.
"Bianca is a one-of-a-kind
athlete," says Ridgeland head coach Calvin Bolton. "Her future
will be as an Olympian."
"Without question, Bianca
is deserving of recognition as the nation's best high school girls track
& field athlete based on her performance and the tremendous ability
she's demonstrated," said Gatorade Senior Vice President of Sports
Marketing Tom Fox. "But she is also a shining example to peers
and aspiring young players of what a leader and a student-athlete should
be. She represents everything we hope for in a Gatorade Player of the
Year recipient."
The Gatorade Player
of the Year program recognizes one winner in each of the 50 states and
the District of Columbia, and awards one National Player of the Year
in five boys sports (football, soccer, basketball, baseball, track &
field) and five girls sports (volleyball, soccer, basketball, softball,
track & field). In addition to athletic performance, award criteria
include the achievement in the classroom and overall character. Previous
Gatorade National Player of the Year award winners include:
-- Reigning 200-meter world champion Allyson Felix
-- Reigning 400-meter hurdle world indoor record holder Kerron Clement
-- WNBA all-time leading scorer and rebounder Lisa Leslie
-- Beach volleyball gold medalist Kerri Walsh
-- Reigning American League Most Valuable Player Alex Rodriguez
-- Two-time NFL Most Valuable Player Peyton Manning
-- U.S. men's national soccer team captain Claudio Reyna
For more on the Gatorade Player of the Year program, including
nomination information and lists of past winners and future announcement
dates, visit http://www.gatorade.com/playeroftheyear .
PAST GATORADE NATIONAL GIRLS TRACK & FIELD ATHLETES OF THE
YEAR
Year Name High School/Hometown Status
2005-06 Bianca Knight Ridgeland/ High School Junior Ridgeland, MS
2004-05 Brittany Daniels Merrill F. West/ USC Tracy, CA
2003-04 Shalonda Solomon Long Beach Poly/ Univ. of South Carolina Englewood,
CA
2002-03 Allyson Felix Los Angeles USA Track & Field/ Baptist/North
adidas Hills, CA
2001-02 Sanya Richards St. Thomas USA Track & Field/Nike Aquinas/
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
2000-01 Ychlindria Spears Luling/Luling, TX Univ. of Texas
1999-00 Monique Henderson Samuel FB Morse/ USA Track & Field/Reebok
San Diego, CA
1998-99 Stacy Martin Edgewood/ Auburn Grad. Ellettsville, IN
1997-98 Angela Williams Chino/Chino, CA USA Track & Field/Nike
1996-97 Kinshasa Davis Woodrow Wilson/ USC Grad. Long Beach, CA
1995-96 Kim Mortensen Thousand Oaks/ UCLA Grad. Thousand Oaks, CA
1994-95 Joanna Hayes J.W. North/ USA Track & Field/Nike Riverside,
CA
1993-94 Suzy Powell Thomas Downey/ USA Track & Field/Asics Modesto,
CA
1992-93 Marion Jones Thousand Oaks/ USA Track & Field/Nike Thousand
Oaks, CA
1991-92 Marion Jones Thousand Oaks/ Nike/U.S. National Team Thousand
Oaks, CA
1990-91 Marion Jones Rio Mesa/Oxnard, USA Track & Field/Nike CA
1989-90 Melisa Weis Bakersfield/ Cal State-Bakersfield Bakersfield,
CA Grad.
1988-89 Angela Burnham Rio Mesa/Oxnard, UCLA Grad. CA
1987-88 Chryste Gaines South Oak Cliff/ Stanford Grad. Dallas, TX
1986-87 Janeene Vickers Pomona/Pomona, CA UCLA Grad.
1985-86 Yolanda Johnson George Washington/ Univ. of Colorado Grad. Denver,
CO
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