CHICAGO (June 27, 2024) — In its 39th year of honoring the nation’s most elite high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Christian Miller of Creekside High School is the 2023-24 Gatorade Florida Boys Track & Field Player of the Year. Miller is the first Gatorade Florida Boys Track & Field Player of the Year to be chosen from Creekside High 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 Miller as Florida’s best high school boys track & field 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 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-9, 165-pound senior sprinter finished fifth in the 100-meter dash at the U.S. Olympic Trials this month, qualifying to be on the U.S. team as a relay participant at this summer’s Paris Games. Prior to that, the highpoint of his season was breaking the tape in the 100 at the PURE Athletics Sprint Meet, where his clocking of 9.93 seconds set both a U18 World Record and a U20 American record. He also PR’d in the 200 this spring with a time of 20.51, which ranked as the nation’s No. 2 time among prep competitors this spring and No. 31 in prep history.
Miller has volunteered locally in association with his River Rock Church community. He has also donated his time as a student volunteer for a youth club team and he assists with coaching younger athletes on the St. John’s Striders track team. “Christian Miller officially broke the national high school record at 100 meters this spring, but it certainly appears there’s more left in the tank based upon his performances at the Olympic Trials,” said Rich Gonzalez, editor of PrepCalTrack. “The rhythmic power he harnesses is extremely unique for a teenage sprinter. His skill set is beginning to remind folks of a one-time prep prodigy named Noah Lyles—yes, the same Noah Lyles that has since won six world championship medals. Miller’s career is going places and he’s getting there faster than any before him.”
Miller has maintained a B average in the classroom. He has signed a National Letter of Intent to compete on scholarship at the University of Georgia 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.
Miller joins recent Gatorade Florida Boys Track & Field Players of the Year Issam Asinga (2022-23, Montverde Academy), Micah Larry (2021-22, Montverde Academy), Leonard Mustari (2020-21, Dunbar High School) and Jevon Williams (2019-20, Blanche Ely 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.
