Carmel's Kole Mathison has been named the Indiana Gatorade Player of the Year for Cross Country. Mathison earned some very prestigious honors this past season with his All-State performance and his All-American runs at both the RunningLane National Championships and the Eastbay National Championship this fall.
According to Gatorade's press release, "the award, recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field".
Mathison was fifth at the IHSAA State Finals this fall after taking a fall during the race. He regained his form to run 14:23 at the ultra fast RunningLane meet in Huntsville, Alabama. That performance, matched up some of the very best individuals in the country, earned him a ninth-place finish and his first All-American honor.
A week later, after qualifying in the Midwest Regional, Mathison ran an outstanding race at the Eastbay National Championships in San Diego. Mathison ran almost the entire race with or at the front of the lead pack. He sped home in 15:22 on the challenging and historic Balboa Park course.
Mathison also carries a 4.04 GPA and is a member of his church's youth group. According to the press release, Mathison also volunteers at elementary schools as a mentor, has raised money for pediatric cancer research, and has volunteered in Cuba on a mission trip to help bring clean water filters to people in need.
Mathison will be one the top track distance runners in the state this spring and will be looking to have the same national impact by the end of the season. He is also one of the top returning cross country runners in the nation for the 2022-23 season.
Congratulations to Kole Mathison and his Carmel coaching staff and teammates for an outstanding season.
