FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Adam Woullard (312-729-3627)
ELLSWORTH HIGH SCHOOL STANDOUT NAMED GATORADE MAINE BOYS CROSS COUNTRY RUNNER OF THE YEAR
CHICAGO (January 17, 2013) — In its 28th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with USA TODAY High School Sports, today announced Daniel Curts of Ellsworth High School as its 2012-13 Gatorade Maine Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year. Curts is the first Gatorade Maine Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year to be chosen from Ellsworth 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 racecourse, distinguishes Curts as Maine’s best high school boys cross country runner. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year award to be announced in January, Curts joins an elite alumni association of past state award-winners in 12 sports, including Ryan Hall (1999-00, 2000-01, Big Bear HS, Calif.), Derek Jeter (1991-92, Kalamazoo HS, Mich.), Candace Parker (2001-02, Naperville Central HS, Ill.), Kevin Garnett (1992-93, Maudlin HS, S.C.), Abby Wambach (1997-98, Our Lady of Mercy, N.Y.) and Mark Sanchez (2004-05, Mission Viejo HS, Calif.).
The 5-foot-11 junior raced to the Class B individual state championship this past season with a time of 15:47.52, leading the Eagles to fourth place as a team. Also the Runner of the Year as named by the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram, Curts placed 17th at the New England Championships in 16:49.88 and finished 25th at the Foot Locker Northeast Regional championships in 16:20.8. He captured third place at the 2010 and 2011 Class B state meets in his freshman and sophomore seasons.
Also a track standout, Curts has maintained an A-minus average in the classroom. In addition to donating hundreds of hours as a summer camp counselor, he has volunteered at the annual Mount Desert Island Marathon and as part of Welcome to My Home, a homelessness outreach and advocacy initiative.
“With his enthusiasm and work ethic, people just follow him,” said Ellsworth athletic director Jay Brown. “He’s a leader on the team. Along with Dan being a great athlete, he’s a great representative of our school. He’s so appreciative of all his accolades and everything he’s achieved. By the same token, he’s an ambassador for our school. The things he’s done are great for us. He gives our school a great name. He doesn’t have a bad quality about him.”
Curts 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 high school sports leadership team in partnership with USA TODAY High School Sports, 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.
Curts joins Gatorade Maine Boys Cross Country Runners of the Year Matt McClintock (2011-12 & 2010-11, Madison Area Memorial High School), Will Geoghegan (2009-10 & 2008-09, Brunswick), and Nick Williams (2007-08, Poland Regional) as athletes who have won the cross country award since its inception in 2007.
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.
