CHICAGO (June 25, 2024) - In its 39th year of honoring the nation's most elite high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Tristen Harris of West Feliciana High School is the 2023-24 Gatorade Louisiana Girls Track & Field Player of the Year. Harris is the first Gatorade Louisiana Girls Track & Field Player of the Year to be chosen from West Feliciana High School.
"It is truly an honor," Harris said. "I know that my hard work and dedication have paid off over the last few months. I am beyond blessed to get the award and receive all of the support I have been getting. It's pretty awesome!"
The award, which celebrates the nation's top high school athletes for excellence on the field, in the classroom and in the community, distinguishes Harris as Louisiana's best high school girls track & field athlete. 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 Sanya Richards-Ross (2001-02, St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Fla), Sydney McLaughlin (2016-17, 2015-16 & 2014-15, Union Catholic High School, N.J.) and Angelina Napoleon (2022-23, Allegany-Limestone Central School, N.Y.).
The 5-foot-2 junior hurdler/jumper recorded personal-bests in winning three events at the Class 4A state meet led by her state record in the long jump, a leap of 20 feet, 10.75 inches. The distance ranked No. 1 nationally among prep girls competitors this spring and is No. 26 in U.S. prep history. Harris followed up with a fourth-place finish in the event at Nike Outdoor Nationals to earn All-American honors. She won the 100-meter dash at the LHSCA Meet of Champions, though that was shy of her 11.56-second clocking at states, which ranked 37th nationally in 2024. Harris's third state title came in the 200 dash, where she broke the tape in 24.13. She finished the season ranked No. 26 in the national MileSplit 50.
Harris has volunteered locally as a member of the Mount Gideon Baptist Church, where she assists with summer vacation bible school. She has also donated her time instructing and mentoring youth track athletes in West Feliciana Parish.
Harris has maintained a 3.86 GPA in the classroom. She will begin her 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.
Harris joins recent Gatorade Louisiana Girls Track & Field Players of the Year Makeriah Harris (2022-23, Scotlandville High School), Bryanna Craig (2021-22, Ruston High School), Raven Nunnery (2020-21, John Curtis Christian School) and Heather Abadie (2019-20, St. Michael the Archangel 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.