Visser Wins Second Gatorade Wyoming Runner of the Year Honor

Star Valley junior Peter Visser was selected the 2019-2020 Gatorade Wyoming Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year for the second straight year on Monday.

Visser was undefeated against in-state competition and repeated as Class 3A state champion last fall with a time of 16:01.3, which was 29.3 seconds faster than the next-closest runner. He led the Braves the Class 3A State Championship as a team. Visser went on to place eighth at the Nike Cross Nationals Northwest Regional and received All-Region honors. He also placed 21st at the Foot Locker West Region Championships in December.

Lander Valley head coach Kevin Green had a lot of praise for Visser in the release from The Gatorade Company.

“Peter is the best runner in Wyoming, period. He’s built like a runner, and he knows when and how to surge and recover.”

Visser maintains a 3.98 GPA in the classroom. He works at his family’s bicycle shop. Visser has volunteered locally for community beautification projects and donated his time to other community service endeavors through his church youth group according to the release.

This is the 35th year The Gatorade Company is honoring the nation’s best high school athletes. This award recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field. It distinguishes Visser as Wyoming’s best high school boys cross country runner. He is now a finalist for Gatorade National Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year. That will be announced later in February.

Visser is only the second runner from Star Valley High School to earn this distinction. He joins Shane Henderson, who won the award in 2016-17.

As part of receiving the honor from The Gatorade Company and its’ cause marketing platform “Play it Forward,” Visser has the opportunity to award a $1,000 grant to a local or national youth sports organization of his choosing. He is also eligible to submit an essay to win one of twelve $10,000 spotlight grants for the organization of choice, which will be announced throughout the year.

To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out past winners or to nominate student-athletes, visit www.Gatorade.com/POY, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GatoradePOY or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Gatorade.

Enter your number to get our free mobile app