Fort Collins cross-country champion named Gatorade Colorado boys Runner of the Year
He already proved it at the state championships in October, but this was just further validation.
Fort Collins High School boys cross-country standout Christian Groendyk was named Gatorade's Colorado boys cross-country Runner of the Year on Monday.
It was a well-earned honor for the Lambkins senior.
Groendyk posted an unbeaten cross-country season last fall, including wins at the Liberty Bell (in a school-record 14 minutes, 48 seconds), the prestigious Desert Twilight Festival in Arizona and the Colorado Class 5A state championship.
"When all was said and done, Christian Groendyk’s legs authored one of the greatest seasons in Colorado history,” PrepCalTrack editor Rich Gonzalez said in a news release.
That followed a summer where he also won the local FireKracker 5K race in Fort Collins.
The yearly award sponsored by Gatorade recognizes the best athletes by sport in every state. It honors not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field or track.
Groendyk has a weighted GPA of 4.10, volunteered locally with the Food Bank for Larimer County plus Fort Collins Recreation and will attend Princeton next fall to extend his cross-country and track career.
He is now a finalist for the Gatorade National boys Cross Country Runner of the Year, which will be announced in February.
Groendyk is the first runner from Fort Collins to win the award and the second athlete in two seasons from the area to earn a Gatorade honor.
Fossil Ridge's Nikki McGaffin was the 2021-22 Gatorade Colorado girls softball Player of the Year.
Miss the best of 2022?The stars, sports and stories that mattered around Fort Collins this year
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Fort Collins' Groendyk named Gatorade Colorado Runner of the Year
