In its 39th year of honoring the nation's most elite high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Brady Mullen of Jesuit High School is the 2023-24 Gatorade Louisiana Boys Cross Country Player of the Year.
Mullen is the second Gatorade Louisiana Boys Cross Country Player of the Year to be chosen from Jesuit High School.
"Winning the award again means a lot for me and my confidence," Mullen said. "It also shows how consistent Coach Cullen's training is. I couldn't have done it without him and my teammates supporting me. This was a team award."
The award, which celebrates the nation's top high school athletes for excellence on the field, in the classroom and in the community, distinguishes Mullen as Louisiana's best high school boys cross country player. From CEOs 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 Lukas Verzbicas (2010-11 & 2009-10, Carl Sandburg High School, Ill.) and Edward Cheserek (2012-13, St. Benedict's Preparatory School, N.J.).
The 5-foot-10, 140-pound junior broke the tape at the LHSAA Division I State Championship this past season, clocking the meet's fastest all-class time in 14:50.60. Mullen followed that up with a Second Team All-Region performance at the Nike Cross Nationals South Regional Championship, finishing ninth overall.
The state's returning Gatorade Player of the Year, he was unbeaten by an in-state runner in 2023 and won the Nike XC Town Twilight Invitational Race of Champions with a personal-best time of 14:59.80 for 5K. A practiced guitar player and singer, Mullen has volunteered locally on behalf of annual holiday initiatives serving those in need.
A member of the Mu Alpha Theta mathematics honor society, he has also donated his time to the Big Brother program at his school.
"It's a much deserved honor for a very hard working student-athlete," Jesuit head coach Cullen Doody said. "He had results in all three national-level races in which he competed as well as going undefeated in state competition. He's a great example to the younger runners on our team, including guys like Brady Monohan, who probably would have won the award if Brady Mullen wasn't around."
Mullen has maintained a 4.64 weighted GPA in the classroom. 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 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.
Two-time winner Mullen joins recent Gatorade Louisiana Boys Cross Country Players of the Year Michael Vocke (2021-22, Jesuit High School), Dyllon Nimmers (2020-21, Ruston High School) and Will Dart (2019-20, Loyola College Prep), 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, Gatorade Player of the Year winners' grants have totaled more than $4.9 million across more than 1,600 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 Twitter at twitter.com/Gatorade.