MATTANAWCOOK ACADEMY STUDENT-ATHLETE NAMED
GATORADE MAINE BOYS TRACK & FIELD PLAYER OF THE YEAR
CHICAGO (June 21, 2018) - In its 33rd year of honoring the nation's best high school athletes, The Gatorade
Company, today announced Cayden Spencer-Thompson of Mattanawcook Academy as its 2017-18 Gatorade Maine
Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year. Spencer-Thompson is the first Gatorade Maine Boys Track & Field Athlete of
the Year to be chosen from Mattanawcook Academy.
The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic
achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the track, distinguishes Spencer-Thompson as
Maine's best high school boys track & field athlete. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Boys Track &
Field Athlete of the Year award to be announced in June, Spencer-Thompson joins an elite alumni association of state
track & field award-winners, including Lolo Jones (1997-98, Roosevelt High School, Iowa), Allyson Felix (2002-03, Los
Angeles Baptist High School, Calif.), Robert Griffin III (2006-07, Copperas Cove High School, Texas), Grant Fisher
(2013-14 & 2014-15, Grand Blanc High School, Mich.) and Candace Hill (2014-15, Rockdale County High School,
Ga.).
The 6-foot-3, 160-pound junior set two state records at the New England Championships this past season, soaring 24
feet, 1.75 inches to win the long jump and launching himself 48-3.75 to capture the triple jump. Spencer-Thompson
also won the long jump at the Class C state meet with a meet-record 23-1.75 and captured the triple jump with a mark
of 46-5.
Spencer-Thompson has volunteered locally on behalf of youth sports programs. "It's rather special what Cayden has
accomplished," said Mattanawcook Academy coach Bernice Stockley. "We've got limited facilities for him-a makeshift
runway, a dirt track-but he's self-motivated and naturally gifted. He set big goals of breaking state records, winning
state championships and doing very well at the New England Championships and he accomplished all of them."
Spencer-Thompson has maintained a 3.30 GPA in the classroom. He will begin his senior year of high school 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 work with
top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine
the state winners in each sport.
Spencer-Thompson joins recent Gatorade Maine Boys Track & Field Athletes of the Year Jake Koffman (2016-17, Orono
High School), Sam Rusak (2015-16, Scarborough High School), Isaiah Harris (2014-15, Lewiston High School), Daniel Curts
(2013-14, Ellsworth High School), Jared Bell (2012-13, Deering High School), Matthew McClintock (2011-12, Madison
Area Memorial High School), Jack Terwilliger (2010-11, Cheverus High School), Will Geoghegan (2009-10, Brunswick),
Dan Smith (2008-09, Thornton Academy), David Slovenski (2007-08, Brunswick), and Miles Bartlett (2006-07, Lake
Region) among the state's list of former award winners.
As a Gatorade Player of the Year, Spencer-Thompson will be able to select a national or local youth sports organization
to receive a grant as part of the Gatorade Play It Forward program. Every Gatorade Player of the Year state winner
receives a $1,000 grant to donate and will have the opportunity to enter for an additional $10,000 spotlight grant by
writing a brief essay explaining why their selected organization deserves additional support. 12 spotlight grants - one
for each sport - will be announced throughout the year.
To keep up to date on the latest happenings, become a fan of Gatorade Player of the Year on Facebook and follow us
on Twitter. For more on the Gatorade Player of the Year program, including nomination information, a complete list of
past winners and the announcement of the Gatorade National Player of the Year, visit www.gatorade.com/poy.
