In recent post-season awards, Junior Lindsay Crevoiserat of Glastonbury and Senior Chris FitzSimons of Hamden were awarded the 2010 Gatorade Player of the Year for Connecticut Outdoor Track and Field.
In 1985, The Gatorade Company established an award honoring America’s elite high school student-athletes. Now in its third decade, the Gatorade Player of the Year award has become one of the most prestigious accolades in high school sports. The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one award-winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school boys football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls soccer, boys and girls basketball, boys baseball, girls softball and boys and girls track & field. The selection process for Gatorade State and National Players of the Year is administered by ESPN RISE, the multimedia high school division of ESPN, in partnership with The Gatorade Company. All final selection decisions are the result of a collaborative effort between ESPN RISE and The Gatorade Company.
Lindsay Crevoiserat, in her first season of outdoor track and field, was a dominant force for Glastonbury Girls team as she was consistently first through the tape in a majority of her races. She started her season with a wins at the Irv Black Invite in the 1600m Run (5:03.15) and the 3200m Run (10:44.66). She then lowered the State Record in the 3200m Run twice, the first time at the CIAC State Open with a time of 10:37.83. Less than a week later at the New England Championship she finished second in 10:29.88. Crevoiserat also broke the CIAC Class LL Championship records in the 800m Run (2:14.88) and the 1600m (4:57.88). In addition to her CIAC State Open Meet 3200m record time, she also lowered the meet record in the 1600m to 4:50.00.
The 2010 outdoor season for Chris FitzSimons started on a sour note as he was only able to complete the first lap of the 1600m Run at the Irv Black Invite on April 17th where he then limped off the track in pain from a lower leg injury. Undaunted, FitzSimons made his way back to the top of racing for the Hamden Boys team as a member of their State record setting 4x800m and Distance Medley relay teams as well as the State Open Champion in the 800m Run. Over the course of his last week of competition this past season, FitzSimons blazed to a sub 1:49 split as the anchor leg of the 4x800m Relay team who were National champions as well as State Record owners with a 7:35.68. The next day, FitzSimons continued his streak with a 4:05 split in the 1600m anchor leg of the Distance Medley Relay championship team with another State record in 9:56.50. A few days later, FitzSimons saved the best for last at the USATF Junior Nationals where he lowered the 800m Run State Record twice, in the trials to 1:49.36 and then to 1:48.83 for a third place in the finals.
Chris FitzSimons - 2010 State Open 800m Champion
Previous Gatorade Players of the Year for Connecticut Outdoor Track and Field include:
Cas Loxsom 2008-09 Boys Track & Field MD Wilbur Cross HS New Haven CT
Donn Cabral 2007-08 Boys Track & Field Glastonbury HS Glastonbury CT
Terrell Wilks 2006-07 Boys Track & Field SPR Hillhouse High School New Haven CT
James Nixon 2005-06 Boys Track & Field Spr Hyde Leadership School Hamden CT
Myles Bradley 2004-05 Boys Track & Field LJ, TJ, Hurd Norwich Free Acad. Norwich CT
Gavin Coombs 2003-04 Boys Track & Field Dis Griswold High School Jewett City CT
Ahmed Haji 2002-03 Boys Track & Field DIS Conard HS West Hartford CT
Andre Laboy 2001-02 Boys Track & Field DIS Danbury HS Danbury CT
Glenn McFadden 2000-01 Boys Track & Field SPR, LJ James Hillhouse HS New Haven CT
Jermelle Lewis 1999-00 Boys Track & Field SPR, REL Bloomfield Bloomfield CT
Shelldon Simpson 1998-99 Boys Track & Field SPR East Hartford East Hartford CT
Hunter Spencer 1997-98 Boys Track & Field DIS E.O. Smith Storrs Mansfield CT
Dan Wilson 1996-97 Boys Track & Field DIS Nortre Dame West Haven CT
Steve Maheu 1995-96 Boys Track & Field DIS Xavier Middletown CT
Jerome Young 1994-95 Boys Track & Field SPR Prince Tech Hartford CT
Aaron Haynes 1993-94 Boys Track & Field HUR Wilbur Cross New Haven CT
Jerome Young 1992-93 Boys Track & Field SPR Prince Tech Hartford CT
Gardner Lewis 1991-92 Boys Track & Field WT, JUM Hamden Hamden CT
Trevis Brunson 1990-91 Boys Track & Field SPR Notre Dame West Haven CT
Harvey Kendall 1989-90 Boys Track & Field TJ Hartford Hartford CT
J.T. Burke 1988-89 Boys Track & Field DIS Xavier Middletown CT
Harvey Kendal 1987-88 Boys Track & Field TJ Hartford Public Hartford CT
Mike Remigino 1986-87 Boys Track & Field DIS Northwest Catholic West Hartford CT
Norman McHugh 1985-86 Boys Track & Field DIS Westhill Stamford CT
Meg Ryan 2008-09 Girls Track & Field DIS Fairfield Warde HS Fairfield CT
Anna Shields 2007-08 Girls Track & Field Lewis Mills HS Burlington CT
Shaniqua Burgess 2006-07 Girls Track & Field SPR Hillhouse High School New Haven CT
Tynisha McMillan 2005-06 Girls Track & Field Sp, Dt Stamford High School Stamford CT
Natasha Harvey 2004-05 Girls Track & Field Spr, Hrd, LJ Hill Regional Career High School New Haven CT
Shanea Calhoun 2003-04 Girls Track & Field Spr, Relay Wilbur Cross High School New Haven CT
Meghan Owen 2002-03 Girls Track & Field DIS Killingly H.S. Danielson CT
Meghan Owen 2001-02 Girls Track & Field DIS Killingly H.S. Danielson CT
Chelsea Lenge 2000-01 Girls Track & Field Conard HS W. Hartford CT
Nicole Toney 1999-00 Girls Track & Field SPR, HUR, LJ Conard West Hartford CT
Jessica Schenk 1998-99 Girls Track & Field MDIS Fitch Senior Groton CT
Rachel D'Amora 1997-98 Girls Track & Field SPR Wilbur Cross New Haven CT
Shayla Wallace 1996-97 Girls Track & Field SPR Northwest Catholic West Hartford CT
Shayla Wallace 1995-96 Girls Track & Field SPR Northwest Catholic West Hartford CT
Stephanie Littlejohn 1994-95 Girls Track & Field MDIS Bloomfield Bloomfield CT
Ann Crouse 1993-94 Girls Track & Field JT Stonington Pawcatuck CT
Liz Mueller 1992-93 Girls Track & Field MDIS Waterford Waterford CT
Liz Mueller 1991-92 Girls Track & Field MDIS Waterford Waterford CT
Cristal Nelson 1990-91 Girls Track & Field HUR, LJ Norwich Free Academy Norwich CT
LeAndrea Banks 1989-90 Girls Track & Field SPR Bloomfield Bloomfield CT
Cindy Davis 1988-89 Girls Track & Field DIS Darien Darien CT
Margaret Barbour 1987-88 Girls Track & Field DIS Cheshire Cheshire CT
Dorothy Raterman 1985-86 Girls Track & Field HUR Hall West Hartford CT
More information is available at The Gatorade Player of the Year website.