A Fayetteville-Manlius senior has been named Gatorade New York Boys Cross Country Player of the Year, as Gatorade honors the nation’s most elite high school athletes for the 39th year. Nolan McGinn is the fourth student-athlete to be chosen from F-M High School.
The award is meant to celebrate students for their excellence on the field, in the classroom, and in the community. Being named Player of the Year means Gatorade taps McGinn as the best high school boys cross country player in all of New York State.
Among his accomplishments, McGinn won the Nike Cross New York Regional Championships this past season by a commanding 23 seconds, won the Class A state title by 8 seconds, and performed a personal-best run at the McQuaid Invitational, earning him another win. Inspiring the next generation of runners, McGinn volunteers with the Fast Bees, a youth running initiative at F-M. Along with his athletic achievements, McGinn has maintained an A average. He’s signed a National Letter of Intent to run on scholarship at the University of Pittsburgh this fall.
Each year, the Gatorade Player of the Year program recognizes one winner in each of the 50 states in each high school sport. The selection committee is made up of coaches, scouts, media personnel, and other sources.
Each Player of the Year receives a grant from Gatorade to donate to a social impact partner of the athlete’s choice. According to Gatorade, Player of the Year winners’ grants have totaled more than $4.9 million across more than 1,600 organizations.
Most recently, F-M graduate Peyton Geehrer was named Gatorade New York Boys Cross Country Player of the Year for the 2020-21 school year. You can find a list of other past winners on Gatorade’s Player of the Year website.