Taylor named Gatorade Track & Field POY

CHICAGO — In its 40th year of honoring the nation’s most elite high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Derrick Taylor of South Point High School is the 2024-25 Gatorade Ohio Boys Track & Field Player of the Year.

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. The award distinguishes Taylor as Ohio's best high school track & field athlete, and he joins an impressive group of alumni that spans CEOs, coaches and star athletes such as Alan Webb (2000-01, South Lakes High School, Va.), Kerron Clement (2002-03, Laporte High School, Texas) and Christian Miller (2023-24, Creekside High School, Fl.).

The 6-foot-4, 275-pound senior throws specialist swept the shot put and discus throw at the Division 2 state meet this past season, leading the Pointers to seventh place as a team. Taylor’s first shot effort of the season was his best— a 67 foot, 6 inch throw at the Coal Grove Open, which ranked No. 8 nationally among boys prep competitors this spring.

South Point Pointers senior track standout Derrick Taylor was named Ohio’s Gatorade Player of the Year for track and field. Taylor won both the shot put and discus state titles this season. (Photo Submitted)

His personal-best discus effort of 191-2 at the Division 2 District Meigs High School meet ranked No. 52 nationally. Taylor has volunteered locally at the South Point High School Hall of Fame Dinner and as a youth track mentor and coach

“Finishing his senior campaign with a pristine ledger in both weight events, Derrick Taylor emerged as Ohio’s king of the rings, indeed,” said Rich Gonzalez, editor for PrepCalTrack.com.

Taylor has maintained a 3.92 GPA in the classroom. He has signed a written letter of athletic aid to compete at the University of Tennessee this fall.

The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and 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.

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.

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, the Gatorade Player of the Year program has provided more than $5.6 million in grants to winners across more than 2,000 organizations.

To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out past winners or to nominate studentathletes, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com or follow us on social media on Instagram at instagram.com/Gatorade, Facebook at facebook.com/GatoradePOY and X(Twitter) at x.com/Gatorade