Boerne Champion’s Elizabeth Leachman was named the 202425 Gatorade Texas Girls Cross Country Player of the Year for the second year in a row.
Gatorade Player of the Year is the top honor in high school sports, celebrating the nation’s best high school athletes for their success on the field, in the classroom and in the community, according to a press release from Gatorade.
The award distinguishes Leachman as Texas’ best high school girls cross country athlete. The 5-foot-4 junior won the Foot Locker National Cross Country Championships title this past season, clocking a time of 17:31.1 to become just the fifth girls competitor to earn the title in consecutive years. Leachman also broke the tape at the UIL Class 5A state meet with a time of 17:14.8, leading the Chargers to a seventh-place finish.
The state’s returning Gatorade Player of the Year, she took third at the Nike Cross Nationals Final in 17:13.7, making her one of only two individuals to earn double First Team All-America accolades last fall.
Leachman is a devoted member of her church community, on behalf of which she has participated in multiple community service endeavors.
“For the second consecutive year, Elizabeth Leachman overcame late-season health issues and summoned the resilience to emerge as a national champion,” said Rich Gonzalez of PrepCal-Track. “As physically gifted as she’s proven to be over the years, it’s her extreme mental fortitude and excellent support structure that has twice helped her overcome injury and earn her biggest victories.”
Leachman has maintained an A average in the classroom. She will begin her senior year of high school this fall.
The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in each of the 50 states across 12 different high school sports – 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.
Every Player of the Year also receives a grant to donate to a social impact partner. To date, the Gatorade Player of the Year program has provided more than $5.6 million in grants to winners across more than 2,000 organizations.
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