The two-time Indiana state champ in the pole vault, Cody Johnston from Hobart has been named the 2022-2023 IN Boys Gatorade T&F Athlete of the Year. The senior has not lost a competition all year, and capped it off with the New Balance Nationals Outdoor title just under 2 weeks ago. The last time Johnston placed lower than 1st in an instate competition was the 2021 state meet where he took 3rd, where his older brother Riley Johnston took 1st. Johnston will go on to compete for the University of Illinois next fall with his brother as well.
Read the full press release from Gatorade below.
CHICAGO (June 29, 2023) -- In its 38th year of honoring the nation's best high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Cody Johnston of Hobart High School is the 2022-23 Gatorade Indiana Boys Track & Field Player of the Year. Johnston is the first Gatorade Indiana Boys Track & Field Player of the Year to be chosen from Hobart 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 Johnston as Indiana's best high school boys track & field athlete. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Boys Track & Field Player of the Year award to be announced in July, Johnston joins an elite alumni association of state awardwinners in 12 sports, including Nico Young (2019-20, Newbury Park High School, Calif.), Michael Norman (2015-16 & 2014-15, Vista Murrieta High School, Calif.), Grant Fisher (2014-15 & 2013-14, Grand Blanc High School, Mich.) and Robert Griffin III (2006-07, Copperas Cove High School, Texas).
The 6-foot, 150-pound senior won the pole vault at the state meet with clearances of 17 feet even, one of six times he surpassed the 17-foot threshold this past season. Johnston also won his first national championship by vaulting 16 feet, 8.75 inches at Nike Outdoor Nationals in winning his first outdoor title. His personal-best clearance of 17-6 at the state regional meet was the nation's No. 3 height for a boys prep competitor in 2023 and ranked among the top 35 in U.S. prep history. He also won a pair of indoor national championships in 2023, capturing the title at Nike Indoor Nationals and Adidas Track Nationals.
Johnston has volunteered locally by serving food to the elderly at a community center. "Cody Johnston convincingly emerged as the nation's premier boys prep vaulter this spring, in winning the New Balance Nationals meet, he defeated the country's top-ranked pole vaulter at the time, head-to-head. Johnston cleared 17 feet or higher a remarkable six times this season--twice as many as the nation's second most consistent competitor."
Johnston has maintained a weighted 4.06 GPA in the classroom. He has signed a National Letter of Intent to compete on an athletic scholarship at the University of Illinois 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.
Johnston joins recent Gatorade Indiana Boys Track & Field Players of the Year Tucker Smith (2021-22 & 2020-21, Columbus North High School), Jason Swarens (2019-20, South Vigo 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 student athletes, 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.
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