Carmel senior, Kole Mathison has been named the 2022-2023 Gatorade Indiana Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year. This is the 2nd time Mathison has earned this honor. His senior season has been one for the record books. He went undefeated during the IHSAA season and then went on to win the Champs National XC Championships in San Diego, setting the 3rd best time by an Indiana athlete ever in 14:56.60. Just over a week ago, Mathison earned a spot to represent Team USA at the World U20 Cross Country Championships by taking 7th at the USATF National XC Champs in his first 8000 meter race with a time of 24:12.00.
The University of Colorado signee has one more IHSAA season left, where he will look to defend likely both his 1600 and 3200 state titles from 2022.
Read the full release from Gatorade below.
PRESS RELEASE
CHICAGO (January 30, 2023) - In its 38th year of honoring the nation's best high school athletes, Gatorade today
announced Kole Mathison of Carmel High School is the 2022-23 Gatorade Indiana Boys Cross Country Player of
the Year. Mathison is the second Gatorade Indiana Boys Cross Country Player of the Year to be chosen from
Carmel 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 field, distinguishes Mathison as Indiana's
best high school boys cross country player. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Boys Cross
Country Player of the Year award to be announced in February, Mathison joins an elite alumni association of state
award-winners, including Parker Wolfe (2020-21, Cherry Creek High School, Greenwood Village, Colo.), Nico
Young (2019-20, Newbury Park High School, Newbury Park, Calif.), Megan Goethals (2009-10, Rochester High
School, Rochester Hills, Mich.) and Jordan Hasay (2008-09, Mission College Preparatory Catholic High School,
San Luis Obispo, Calif.).
The 6-foot-4, 155-pound senior raced to victory by a commanding 11 seconds at the Champs Sports National
Championships with a time of 14:56.60 this past season. Mathison also took fourth at the Nike Cross Nationals to
earn All-America honors at both meets. He broke the tape at the IHSAA state championships in 15:02.80, pacing the
Greyhounds to the team title. The state's returning Gatorade Player of the Year, he concluded his prep cross
country career as a four-time All-American.
Mathison has volunteered locally for Champions Together, which promotes servant leadership and social inclusion
through Unified sports pairing special needs children with non-disabled student-athletes. He has also donated his
time by fundraising for Runway For Riley supporting the Riley Children's Hospital and Mt. Carmel, a talent show
that supports the Special Olympics.
Mathison has maintained a weighted 4.13 GPA in the classroom. He has signed a National Letter of Intent to run on
scholarship at the University of Colorado at Boulder 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 the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection
Committee, which leverages experts including coaches, scouts, media and others as sources to help evaluate and
determine the state winners in each sport.
Two-time winner Mathison joins recent Gatorade Indiana Boys Cross Country Players of the Year Izaiah Steury
(2020-21, Angola High School), Gabriel Sanchez (2019-20, Lowell High School), and Cole Hocker (2018-19,
Cathedral High School), among the state's list of former award winners.
Being a Gatorade Player of the Year means paying it forward for the next generation. Through Gatorade's Play it
Forward initiative, every Player of the Year receives a grant to give to one of Gatorade's social impact partners,
supporting Gatorade's ambition to fuel the future of sport. To date, Gatorade Player of the Year winners' grants have
totaled more than $3.5 million across more than 1,300 organizations.
For nearly 40 years, Gatorade has honored high school athletes at the top of their game as teammates, supporting
their communities and achieving academic success. From CEOs and coaches to star athletes and community
leaders, Gatorade Player of the Year winners showcase the power of sport.
To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out past winners or to nominate studentathletes, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com or follow us on social media on Facebook at
facebook.com/GatoradePOY, Instagram at instagram.com/Gatorade and Twitter at twitter.com/Gatorade.
