CHICAGO (January 26, 2024) - In its 39th year of honoring the nation's most elite high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Maddox Jordan of Noble High School is the 2023-24 Gatorade Maine Boys Cross Country Player of the Year. Jordan is the first Gatorade Maine Boys Cross Country Player of the Year to be chosen from Noble High School.
The award, which celebrates the nation's top high school athletes for excellence on the field, in the classroom and in the community, distinguishes Jordan as Maine's best high school boys cross country player. From CEOs and coaches to star athletes, Gatorade Player of the Year winners showcase the power of sport, touting an all-star group of alumni that includes Lukas Verzbicas (2010-11 & 2009-10, Carl Sandburg High School, Ill.) and Edward Cheserek (2012-13, St. Benedict's Preparatory School, N.J.).
The 5-foot-10, 130-pound senior won the Class A state meet this past season with a time of 15:42.61, breaking the tape 8.98 seconds ahead of his next-closest competitor. Jordan was the top Maine finisher at both the New England Cross Country Championships, finishing sixth, and at the Maine Cross Country Festival of Champions where he was the runner-up. He was named Runner of the Year by both the Southern Maine Athletic Association and Portland Press Herald.
A certified lifeguard, Jordan has volunteered locally on behalf of the Special Olympics and in support of multiple local road races. "As an opposing coach over the last four years, I have really been impressed with Maddox, not only as a runner but as a person," said Ryan Dyer, head coach of Bonny Eagle High School. "He is an extremely humble athlete who really puts his nose to the grindstone, works hard and does things the right way."
Jordan has maintained a weighted 3.03 GPA in the classroom. He has signed a National Letter of Intent to run on scholarship at the University of Rhode Island 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.
Jordan joins recent Gatorade Maine Boys Cross Country Players of the Year Charlie Collins (2022-23, Hampden Academy), Abbott Valentine (2021-22, Hampden Academy), Ben Greene (2020-21, Falmouth High School) and Lisandro Berry-Gaviria (2019-20, Mount Ararat High School), among the state's list of former award winners.
As part of Gatorade's commitment to breaking down barriers in sport, every Player of the Year also receives a grant to donate to a social impact partner. To date, Gatorade Player of the Year winners' grants have totaled more than $4.9 million across more than 1,600 organizations.
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.
