Benton, Ky. – In its 37th year of honoring the nation’s most elite high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Cade Flatt of Marshall County High School in Benton, Ky. is the 2021-22 Gatorade National Boys Track and Field Player of the Year.
Cade Flatt wins Gatorade National award after dominating season
Flatt won the prestigious award for his accomplishments on and off the field, joining an impressive group of former Gatorade National Boys Track and Field Players of the Year who have combined for 19 gold medals and 14 National Championships.
Flatt was surprised with the trophy by his family, coaches and teammates at school. Read more also: Stanford Commit Juliette Whittaker wins Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Player of the Year Award
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 Flatt as the nation’s best high school boys track and field player.
The Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which leverages experts including coaches, scouts, media and others to evaluate candidates, selected Flatt from more than half a million other student-athletes who compete in boys track and field nationwide.
Competition for the national award was fierce. Flatt topped the list of state winners in boys track and field who collectively boast an incredible list of accomplishments, including 25 who have volunteered with 2+ organizations, 8 returning state Gatorade Players of the Year in either Boys Cross Country or Boys Track & Field and 29 with a GPA of 3.75 and above.
“Competing at the most demanding event in the sport, Cade Flatt embodied pure mastery at the 800-meter distance (in 2022),” said Rich Gonzalez of PrepCalTrack. “Unbeaten both indoors and outdoors against scholastic competition, he recorded the No. 3 time in prep history to win a title at New Balance Nationals Outdoor and solidified his unprecedented outdoor ledger.
“While chasing one of the oldest records in the books, amazingly, Cade notched the No. 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7 outdoor times in history to rule a single track prep event like no other high schooler in history—he was absolutely masterful.”
Flatt just missed breaking national high school 800m record
The 6-foot-1, 160-pound senior set a state record in winning the national championship in the 800-meter run at the New Balance Nationals Outdoor this past season. Flatt’s clocking of 1:46.48 was 0.03 seconds shy of the national high-school record that has stood since 1996.
Flatt produced five of this century’s top six 800 times this spring and ran a 1:46.53 in a qualifying round for the 800 at the elite, all-ages USATF Outdoor Championships, finishing ninth overall and missing the final by one slot. Flatt won the 400-meter dash and the 800 at the Class AAA state meet, leading the Marshals to a third-place finish as a team. His best 400 time of 46.89 seconds ranked No. 25 nationally among prep competitors in 2022 at the time of his selection.
A member of the Marshall County High Gifted and Talented program, Flatt has volunteered as part of multiple community service initiatives through his school’s Leadership Class, including elementary-school tutoring and literacy-outreach programs. He is also a four-year member of the Marshall County Pep Club.
Flatt has maintained a weighted 4.13 GPA in the classroom. He has signed a National Letter of Intent to compete on an athletic scholarship at the University of Mississippi this fall.
“Gatorade understands how sports translate into lifelong skills, which is why we continue to recognize and celebrate student-athletes who are incredible role models for future generations,” said Gatorade Chief Marketing Officer Kalen Thornton.
“Cade Flatt is an undisputed leader on the field of play and a role model in his community, which is why he earned the Gatorade National Boys Track and Field Player of the Year award.”
About the Gatorade National Track and Field Player of the Year Award
Each year, a selection committee evaluates the nation’s top talent to choose one state winner from each of the 50 states as well as Washington D.C., in 12 different sports: football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, baseball, softball, boys and girls soccer, and boys and girls track & field. In all, 608 athletes are honored each year. From the pool of state winners, one national winner is selected in each of the 12 sports.
Gatorade has a long-standing history of serving athlete communities and understands how sports instill valuable lifelong skills on and off the field. Since the program’s inception in 1985, Gatorade Player of the Year award recipients have won hundreds of professional and college championships, and many have also turned into pillars in their communities, becoming coaches, business owners and educators.
Previous winners include a distinguished list of athletes, such as Peyton Manning, Abby Wambach, Jayson Tatum, Elena Delle Donne and many other sports icons.
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.
| PREVIOUS GATORADE NATIONAL BOYS TRACK AND FIELD PLAYER OF THE YEAR WINNERS | |||
| YEAR | NAME | HOMETOWN | STATUS |
| 2020-21 | Hobbs Kessler | Ann Arbor, MI | Adidas |
| 2019-20 | Nico Young | Newbury Park, CA | Northern Arizona University |
| 2018-19 | Matthew Boling | Houston, TX | University of Georgia |
| 2017-18 | Anthony Schwartz | Plantation, FL | Cleveland Browns |
| 2016-17 | Armand Duplantis | Lafayette, LA | Sweden Men’s Track & Field Team |
| 2015-16 | Michael Norman | Murrieta, CA | US Men’s Track and Field Team |
| 2014-15 | Michael Norman | Murrieta, CA | US Men’s Track and Field Team |
| 2013-14 | Trentavis Friday | Cherryville, NC | Ran for Florida State University |
| 2012-13 | Trayvon Bromell | St. Petersburg, FL | US Men’s Track and Field Team |
| 2011-12 | Abraham Hall | Grand Prairie, TX | Ran for University of California, Los Angeles |
| 2010-11 | Gunnar Nixon | Edmond, OK | Decathlon Events for University of Arkansas |
| 2009-10 | Sam Crouser | Gresham, OR | Threw for University of Oregon |
| 2008-09 | Curtis Beach | Albuquerque, NM | Decathlon Events for Duke University |
| 2007-08 | German Fernandez | Riverbank, CA | Ran for Oklahoma State University |
| 2006-07 | Bryshon Nellum | Los Angeles, CA | Ran for University of Southern California |
| 2005-06 | David Klech | San Ramon, CA | Decathlon events for University of Oregon |
| 2004-05 | Ryan Whiting | Harrisburg, PA | Threw for Arizona State University |
| 2003-04 | Jason Richardson | Cedar Hill, TX | Ran for University of South Carolina |
| 2002-03 | Kerron Clement | LaPorte, TX | Ran for University of Florida |
| 2001-02 | Brendan Christian | Austin, TX | Retired Antigua and Barbuda Men’s Track & Field Team |
| 2000-01 | Alan Webb | Reston, VA | Ran for University of Michigan |
| 1999-00 | Donald Sage | Elmhurst, IL | Ran for Stanford University |
| 1998-99 | Jacob Freeman | Warwick, RI | Threw for the Manhattan Jaspers |
| 1997-98 | Jon Stevens | Fremont, CA | Ran for Stanford University |
| 1996-97 | Sharif Karie | Springfield, VA | Ran for University of Arkansas |
| 1995-96 | Michael Granville | Bell Gardens, CA | Ran for University of California, Los Angeles |
| 1994-95 | Michael Stember | Sacramento, CA | Ran for Stanford University |
| 1993-94 | Andre Scott | Sanford, FL | Jumped for Auburn University |
| 1992-93 | Charles Mitchell | Waco, TX | Ran for Auburn University |
| 1991-92 | Sheddric Fields | Dallas, TX | Ran for University of Houston |
| 1990-91 | Bryan Bronson | Jasper, TX | Retired US Men’s Track & Field Team |
| 1989-90 | Brent Noon | Fallbrook, CA | Retired US Men’s Track & Field Team |
| 1988-89 | Dion Bentley | Pittsburgh, PA | Jumped for University of Florida |
| 1987-88 | Art Skipper | Sandy, OR | Deceased |
| 1986-87 | Kamy Keshmiri | Reno, NV | Threw for University of Nevada at Reno |
| 1985-86 | Eric Mastalir | Carmichael, CA | Ran for Stanford University |
