Natalie Cook charges up a hill at the 2021 Eastbay Cross Country National Championships
Natalie Cook has won and achieved just about every award and accolade there is to achieve as a prep cross country athlete.
There is one remaining accolade that is yet to be announced, and that is the Gatorade National Player of the Year for the girl's cross country season.
Last week, Cook was announced as the girl's Texas Gatorade POY, which placed her in the running for the national award. This is her final high school competition, however, this is just one she neither has to toe a starting line nor cross a finish line first for. The competing is already done and now, her accomplishments just have to compare and outweigh those of the other 49 state winners.
Here is why I think it's a no-brainer that Natalie Cook should be the Gatorade National POY for the 2021 girl's cross country season. Vote for how you think the Gatorade National POY announcement will go. Feel free to leave comment on who you think might could win the award.
- Cook won every race in Texas; defeated every Texas runner
- Five sub 16:40 performance out of seven races this season
- Only lost one race this year - third place in her first meet at Woodbridge XC Classic in California
- Won UIL 6A state meet
- Won Eastbay South Regional
- Won Eastbay National Cross Country Championships
- Won RunningLane National Cross Country Championships
- Average place at national events this season - 1.4 (highest of any other national runner)
- Convincingly avenged Woodbridge loss to Dalia Frias and Samantha McDonnell at RunningLane
- Ran 16:03.93 at RunningLane for No. 2 All-Time at 5,000m
- Only girl to ever win two national championships in same season
- Ran four consecutive 5K races of 16:32.40, 16:38.05, 16:03.93, and 17:15 in little over a months time (* the final three races not on TX measured courses)
