Texas Gatorade Track & Field Athletes of The Year

CHICAGO (June 22, 2017) - In its 32nd year of honoring the nation's best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, today announced Sam Worley of Canyon High School as its 2016-17 Gatorade Texas Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year. Worley is the first Gatorade Texas Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year to be chosen from Canyon 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 track, distinguishes Worley as Texas' 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, Worley joins an elite alumni association of state track & field award-winners, including Lolo Jones (1997-98, Roosevelt High School, Iowa), Allyson Felix (2002-03, Los Angeles Baptist High School, Calif.), Robert Griffin III (2006-07, Copperas Cove High School, Texas), Grant Fisher (2013-14 & 2014-15, Grand Blanc High School, Mich.) and Candace Hill (2014-15, Rockdale County High School, Ga.).

The 6-foot-1, 145-pound senior broke the tape in the 1600-meter run with a meet-record time of 4:02.3 and the 800 in 1:48.25 at the Class 6A state meet this past season. Worley's winning time in the 800 ranked as the nation's No. 1 performance among prep competitors in 2017 at the time of his selection. He was undefeated at all distances this spring and won the mile at both the Texas Relays and this month's Brooks PR Invitational.

A member of the Key Club and the National Honor Society, Worley has served as a tutor in his school and has volunteered locally on behalf of a food bank and the Adopt-a-Highway program. "Sam is a once-in-a-lifetime athlete who I have had the privilege to be around and coach," said Canyon coach Glenn Gamez. "He strives to be the best, both on and off the track. He's an exceptional athlete, but his personality and attitude are what stand out the most."

Worley has maintained a 4.0 GPA in the classroom. He has signed a National Letter of Intent to compete on an athletic scholarship at the University of Texas 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 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.

Worley joins recent Gatorade Texas Boys Track & Field Athletes of the Year Adrian Piperi (2015-16, The Woodlands High School), Norman Grimes (2014-15, Canyon High School), Kendall Sheffield (2013-14, Thurgood Marshall High School), Tony Brown (2012-13, Ozen High School), Abraham Hall (2011-12, South Grand Prairie High School), Devin Field (2010-11, Lancaster High School), Sheroid Evans (2009-10, Dulles High School), Marquise Goodwin (2008-09 & 2007-08, Rowlett High School), and LeGerald Betters (2006-07, Waco High School) among the state's list of former award winners.

As a Gatorade Player of the Year, Sam will be able to select a national or local youth sports organization to receive a grant as part of the Gatorade Play It Forward program. Every Gatorade Player of the Year state winner receives a $1,000 grant to donate and will have the opportunity to enter for an additional $10,000 spotlight grant by writing a brief essay explaining why their selected organization deserves additional support. 12 spotlight grants - one for each sport - will be announced throughout the year.

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 www.gatorade.com/poy.