CHICAGO (June 27, 2024) — In its 39th year of honoring the nation’s most elite High School athletes, Gatorade today announced Victor Olesen of St. Christopher's School is the 2023-24 Gatorade Virginia Boys Track & Field Player of the Year. Olesen is the first Gatorade Virginia Boys Track & Field Player of the Year to be chosen from St. Christopher's School.

The award, which celebrates the nation’s top High School athletes for excellence on the field, in the classroom and in the community, distinguishes Olesen as Virginia’s best high school boys track & field player.

From CEO's and coaches to star athletes, Gatorade Player of the Year winners showcase the power of sport, touting an all-star group of alumni that includes Alan Webb (2000-01, South Lakes High School, Va.), Kerron Clement (2002-03, Laporte High School, Texas) and Grant Fisher (2014-15 & 2013-14, Grand Blanc High School, Mich.).

The 5-foot-10, 165-pound sophomore vaulter won a national title in the pole vault this past season at the Nike Outdoor Nationals, earning All-American honors in the process. Olesen also took first in the event at the USATF Under-20 National Championships with a clearance of 17 feet, 8.5 inches, which qualified him for the World Athletic U20 Championship in Peru later this summer. Olesen’s top career-best height of 17 feet, 9.5 inches at the Xtreme Heights Pole Club Summer Series meet set a state record and ranked No. 1 nationally among prep competitors in 2024 at the time of his selection.

Olesen has volunteered locally with Sportable, an adaptive sports club for individuals with physical disabilities and visual impairment and he has donated his time with the Miracle League and the Richmond Tool Bank, which provides tools and equipment to people in need.

“Olesen won a pair of national titles and a State Championship this spring," said Rich Gonzalez, editor of PrepCalTrack.com. "One usually doesn't ask 'what else?' after a statement like that. Already an All-American as a sophomore, his state-record clearance of 17-9.5 in May ranked as the nation's No. 1 clearance by a prep competitor this High School season.”

In the classroom, Olesen has maintained an A average. He will begin his junior 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 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.

Olesen joins recent Gatorade Virginia Boys Track & Field Players of the Year Rodney Lora (2022-23, Woodberry Forest School), Deondre Hardy (2021-22, Nansemond River High School), Michael Bourne (2020-21, Cosby High School) and Javonte' Harding (2019-20, Prince George High School), among the state’s list of former award winners.

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 $4.9 million in grants to winners across more than 1,900 organizations.

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