CHICAGO (January 21, 2010) — In its 25th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with ESPN RISE, today announced Brad Miles of North Penn High School as its 2009-10 Gatorade Pennsylvania Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year. Miles is the first Gatorade Pennsylvania Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year to be chosen from North Penn High 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 racecourse, distinguishes Miles as Pennsylvania’s best high school boys cross country runner. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year award to be announced in January, Miles joins an elite alumni association of past state award winners in 12 sports, including Ryan Hall (1999-00 & 2000-01, Big Bear HS, Calif.), Derek Jeter (1991-92, Kalamazoo HS, Mich.), Candace Parker (2001-02, Naperville Central HS, Ill.), Kevin Garnett (1992-93, Maudlin HS, S.C.), Abby Wambach (1997-98, Our Lady of Mercy, N.Y.) and Mark Sanchez (2004-05, Mission Viejo HS, Calif.).
The 5-foot-8 senior raced to the Class AAA state title this past season with a time of 15:47. Miles also broke the tape at the Foot Locker Northeast Regional championships in 15:52.8 and finished 21st at the national Foot Locker Cross Country Championships. He won the Carlisle and Central Bucks East invitational meets in 2009 and took second in the Eastern States race at the Manhattan College Invitational.
Miles has maintained an A average in the classroom. President of his local chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, he has volunteered locally on behalf of the Special Olympics and collecting donations for a local food pantry to benefit the needy.
“Brad is an exceptional leader and has put together a high school running resume that is second to none,” said North Penn Head Coach Mike Werner. “But his character and his work ethic even exceed his talent.”
Miles has verbally committed to an athletic scholarship at Baylor University beginning 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 ESPN RISE and the Gatorade high school sports leadership team, 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.
Miles joins Gatorade Pennsylvania Boys Cross Country Runners of the Year Ben Furcht (2008-09, Lower Merion) and Mark Dennin (2007-08, Boyertown Area Senior) as athletes who have won the cross country award since its inception in 2007.
To keep up to date on the latest happenings, become a fan of Gatorade Player of the Year on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. For more on the Gatorade Player of the Year program, including nomination information, a complete list of past winners, and the announcement of the Gatorade National Player of the Year, visit http://playeroftheyear.gatorade.com.
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