CHEVERUS HIGH SCHOOL STANDOUT NAMED GATORADE MAINE BOYS TRACK & FIELD ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
CHICAGO (June 23, 2011) — In its 26th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with ESPN RISE, today announced Jack Terwilliger of Cheverus High School as its 2010-11 Gatorade Maine Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year. Terwilliger is the second Gatorade Maine Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year to be chosen from Cheverus 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 track, distinguishes Terwilliger 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, Terwilliger joins an elite alumni association of state award-winners in 12 sports, including Ryan Hall (1999-01, Big Bear HS, Calif.), Meb Keflezighi (1993-94, San Diego HS, Calif.), Derek Jeter (1991-92, Kalamazoo HS, Mich.), Candace Parker (2001-02, Naperville Central HS, Ill.), Mark Sanchez (2004-05, Mission Viejo HS, Calif.) and Lolo Jones (1997-98, Roosevelt HS, Ia.).
The 5-foot-11 senior won three individual state championships at the Class A state meet this spring, leading the Stags to fourth place as a team. The Southern Maine Activities Association Boys Track Athlete of the Year, Terwilliger broke the tape in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:59.03, captured the 1600-meter run in 4:17.04 and placed first in the 3200-meter run in 9:39.06. Terwilliger finished eighth in the 1600 with a time of 4:19.18 at the New England Interscholastic Track & Field Outdoor Championship Meet. In addition to running a leg for the winning 4x800-meter relay quartet in each of his first three seasons at the Class A state meet, he also won the 3200 at the 2009 Class A state meet as a sophomore.
Also a cross country standout and an accomplished trombone player, Terwilliger has maintained a 3.87 GPA in the classroom. A member of the National Honor Society and a participant in the Blunt Youth Radio Project, he has also volunteered on behalf of Portland’s Mercy Hospital and the Easter Seals of Maine’s All Aboard! Preschool.
“Jack has distinguished himself as a big meet runner, always seeming to peak and perform under pressure at the largest meets beginning as a freshman,” said Cheverus High head coach Steve Virgilio. “He was undefeated in the 2011 indoor and outdoor track seasons. Jack has faced adversity throughout his career with several injuries and always maintained his composure and dedication to regain his fitness to compete when it mattered most. He is a selfless leader whose stoicism, courage and will to compete are an example to all.”
Terwilliger will attend Dartmouth College this fall, where he will continue his competitive running career.
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 ESPN RISE and the Gatorade high school sports leadership team, 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.
Terwilliger joins recent Gatorade Maine Boys Track & Field Athletes of the Year Will Geoghegan (2009-10, Brunswick), Dan Smith (2008-09, Thornton Academy), and David Slovenski (2007-08, Brunswick) among the state’s list of former award winners.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Ashley Ginascol (312-729-3622)
