AMERICAN FORK, Utah, Feb. 3, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Daniel Simmons keeps on winning cross country races and collecting awards.
Simmons, an American Fork High School senior and future BYU runner, was honored this week as Gatorade National Boys Cross Country Player of the Year for the second consecutive year.
Simmons was surprised by Olympic distance runner and two-time Gatorade award-winner Grant Fisher, who showed up at school Monday morning to present him with the trophy.
Simmons then got a taste of the pro athlete experience, with a styling session, photoshoot and media interviews.
Simmons set six course records and turned in five sub-14:40 performances during his senior season, according to PrepCal Track.
Simmons was selected for the award from a national field of more than 300,000 student-athletes who compete in cross country. He’s only the third two-time winner in the award’s history.
“The Gatorade Player of the Year Program celebrates the nation’s top high school athletes for the impact they make on the field of play, as well as in the classroom and within their communities,” said Michael Del Pozzo, Gatorade president and general manager Michael Del Pozzo. “Daniel has demonstrated that he has what it takes to serve as a role model for future generations in sport and beyond.”
Simmons has volunteered at his local library, reading to children during their weekly story hour, and he remains involved in the community service initiatives hosted by a youth group with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
He has maintained a 3.93 GPA at American Fork and signed a National Letter of Intent to compete on scholarship at BYU this fall.
As part of Gatorade’s commitment to breaking down barriers in sport, every Player of the Year receives a grant to donate to a social impact partner. To date, the Gatorade Player of the Year program has provided more than $4.9 million in grants to winners across more than 1,900 organizations.
