Collin Leibold - DC Gatorade Boys T&F Athlete of the Year

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

   Contact:  Ashley Ginascol (312-729-3622)  

 

Gonzaga College High School STANDOUT NAMED
GATORADE District of Columbia BOYS TRACK & FIELD ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

 

CHICAGO (June 23, 2011) — In its 26th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with ESPN RISE, today announced Collin Leibold of Gonzaga College High School as its 2010-11 Gatorade District of Columbia Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year.  Leibold is the third Gatorade District of Columbia Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year to be chosen from Gonzaga College 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 Leibold as District of Columbia’s 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, Leibold joins an elite alumni association of state award-winners in 12 sports, including Ryan Hall (1999-01, Big Bear HS, Calif.), Meb Keflezighi (1993-94, San Diego HS, Calif.), Derek Jeter (1991-92, Kalamazoo HS, Mich.), Candace Parker (2001-02, Naperville Central HS, Ill.), Mark Sanchez (2004-05, Mission Viejo HS, Calif.) and Lolo Jones (1997-98, Roosevelt HS, Ia.).

 

The 5-foot-10 senior distance runner won the 1600-meter run with a time of 4:19.44 and the 3200-meter run in 9:31.24 at the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference Track and Field Championships this spring, leading the Eagles to a second-place finish as a team. A 2011 Washington Post First Team All-Met selection, Leibold was the fastest District of Columbia competitor in the two-mile run at the Southern Track Classic in late April, earning second place in 9:12.38, which ranked as the nation’s the No. 7 time by a prep competitor in 2011 at the time of his selection.

 

Leibold has maintained a 4.34 GPA in the classroom. A devoted parishioner of his church community and a member of the National Honor Society, he has volunteered locally as a student ambassador at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and as a research assistant with George Washington University’s STOP Obesity Alliance.

 

“Collin Leibold is a kid who works extremely hard and he really stood out among all the D.C. kids this year,” said Buddy Crutchfield, head coach of rival Our Lady of Good Counsel High. “He won two titles at the WCAC championships and was very impressive all season long.”

 

Leibold has signed a National Letter of Intent to compete on a track and field scholarship at Georgetown University 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.

 

Leiboldjoins recent Gatorade District of Columbia Boys Track & Field Athletes of the Year Imani Kelly (2009-10, Theodore Roosevelt), Seck Barry (2008-09, St. Albans School), and Seck Barry (2007-08, St. Albans School) among the state’s list of former award winners.

 

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 playeroftheyear.gatorade.com.

 

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