CHICAGO (June 25, 2025) — In its 40th year of honoring the nation’s most elite High School athletes, Gatorade today announced Victor Olesen of St. Christopher's School is the 2024-25 Gatorade Virginia 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 Olesen as Virginia'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 state’s returning Gatorade Player of the Year, the 5-foot-10, 165-pound junior pole vaulter won the national title in the pole vault at the USATF Under-20 Championships for a second straight year, and his leap of 18 feet broke his own state record and ranked No. 1 nationally among prep boys competitors this spring.

Olesen is just the 14th prep vaulter in U.S. history to clear 18 feet. At the Virginia Independent School Athletic Association Division 1 state meet, he took first in the pole vault and third in the 110-meter high hurdles to lead the Saints to a second-place team finish.

Olesen has volunteered locally with Sportable, an adaptive sports club for individuals with physical disabilities, and on behalf of Feedmore, which prepares and distributes food to people in need in Central Virginia. He has also donated his time with the Miracle League.

“Victor is thoughtful and modest, but unafraid,” said Marshall Ware, Head Coach of St. Christopher’s School. “He relishes competition, but celebrates others’ achievements as well as his own.”

In the classroom, Olesen has maintained an A average He 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 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 student-athletes, 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. ***